Is there anything can that can strike fear into a knitter like a sighting of the infamous....wool moth. I am actually one of those weird people who catches spiders and bugs and sets them outside. I think of their wee little families and can't bear to squash them. Then came the moths, I have shmooshed a number of them and I'm sure that some sort of karmic retribution will follow. This however, is war. They arrived here, I suspect, with the ratty Persian carpet my husband proudly dragged home from the flea market. Perfect for his basement bat cave. He has been banned from bringing unknown fiber goods into the house EVER again.
The first one I spied fluttered out of one of my felted baskets. On closer inspection I saw that the little rotter and his minions had actually chewed a hole in the bottom! Horrors of horrors! All my good yarns and projects have always been kept in bags for this very reason. See, I wasn't being paranoid!
So now, as a chemical free responsible love, peace and granola type I needed to find a repellent of some sort. Google provided me with a list of things that moths dislike. So I chose, cedar (of course), patchouli and lemon grass. I made a spray with 1/2 cup alcohol, 1 1/2 cups distilled water, 15 drops cedar, 15 drops patchouli and 10 drops lemon grass. Let is sit for 24 hours and I had my wonderful smelling moth repellent!
The first one I spied fluttered out of one of my felted baskets. On closer inspection I saw that the little rotter and his minions had actually chewed a hole in the bottom! Horrors of horrors! All my good yarns and projects have always been kept in bags for this very reason. See, I wasn't being paranoid!
So now, as a chemical free responsible love, peace and granola type I needed to find a repellent of some sort. Google provided me with a list of things that moths dislike. So I chose, cedar (of course), patchouli and lemon grass. I made a spray with 1/2 cup alcohol, 1 1/2 cups distilled water, 15 drops cedar, 15 drops patchouli and 10 drops lemon grass. Let is sit for 24 hours and I had my wonderful smelling moth repellent!
I've sprayed it everywhere! Now, my disclaimer would be that I don't have any really nice fabrics around.....actually my house is furnished by Ikea and interesting antiques that we find. So I have no problem spraying the curtains, carpets, sofas, closets. Everything. So a week into it and I've not spotted anymore wee fluttery creatures. I'm a little disappointed with my cats. They just watched them fly by and honestly, they weren't all that hard to catch!
Today as I was weaving in ends I realized that my trimming jar was unprotected. For reasons I don't even understand, I have a mason jar that I put all the yarn ends in. It started as a project to put out for the birds to make their nests with. Now it's a sort of archaeological testament of my knitting projects....I like it. So anyhow, I dropped cedar oil, patchouli and lemon grass in with the yarn ends. Now I have a very odd looking potpourri! One only a knitter could appreciate....maybe not....but I like it! Of course, it is also moth free!
Today as I was weaving in ends I realized that my trimming jar was unprotected. For reasons I don't even understand, I have a mason jar that I put all the yarn ends in. It started as a project to put out for the birds to make their nests with. Now it's a sort of archaeological testament of my knitting projects....I like it. So anyhow, I dropped cedar oil, patchouli and lemon grass in with the yarn ends. Now I have a very odd looking potpourri! One only a knitter could appreciate....maybe not....but I like it! Of course, it is also moth free!
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