Life begins anew!
DONE! Last paper turned in a day early (Metadata will torture me no more! until next semester....) extra credit submitted (I may not be the sharpest tack, but I work hard) and a good night's sleep behind me. Life begins!
We have a chunk of the weekend with no kids (Xmas party, mum is taking them for a sleepover) but I have work and groceries to occupy me Saturday day.....today though, I will try to have a bit of fun. I have the three-under-five today, so the fun thing may be Chicken Ballet (chick-fil-a), they play while I knit, but that is plenty fun after the papers I have had.
Sunday morning I want to start seaming the Rebecca sweater....finally!
(Above picture from BoyWonder's birthday party--we hung donuts from a string and everyone was supposed to eat with no hands. It was really fun! Then Boywonder ate 3 more donuts. )
THE HORROR!
It has been a tough few months. Since September I have had
- The car accident
- The foot problems (woke up one AM and could not put any weight on foot! better now. Morton's Neuromas in both feet, in case you are interested. Thrilling!)
- The three major appliances dying in one week (had to buy a new oven, stove top and washing machine in one swoop!)
- My regular workload which includes library school, my two kids and my neighbor's two kids, plus my wonderful job in a local library (the one peaceful oasis in my day. )
THEN as I was sorting my woolens I discovered HOLES!
Turns out I had MOTHS! My chest is clenching with fear even as I type this. The bugs--I think they are carpet beetles actually, I am such a research-head--had snacked mightily on the unworn woolen stash I have under the bed in a zippered duvet bag. The casualties included some lovely vintage woolens I inherited from Ireland, plus the cabled sweater I knit for my beloved grandmother (she wore it nearly every day for the last 18 months of her life). SOB! None of this stuff was destined to be worn again, but it is still heartbreaking. AND disturbing. What if they invaded the stash!!!!!
I did find a hole in an item in the closet, so a big clean was in order.
- I put EVERYTHING WOOLEN in my drawers and closet into the freezer. That would kill everything. I then took everything out for a week and put it back in. My socks are fine and the one scarf is darn-able. Many of the older items may need a wash, or even to be TRASHED. To be decided.
- I blitzed the closet, removing everything and vacuuming throughout. I then wiped most of it down. Yuck.
- I took the bed apart and cleaned under the bed, wiped it down and vacuuming. I also washed the dust ruffle and vacuumed the mattress, looking for larvae. Yuck.
I will have to continue to monitor; I killed a flying something last night. From what I have read, this may be an ongoing problem.
Then, onward to the stash. FORTUNATELY the stash is stored in the attic; my reading sugested that high and low temperatures discourages bugs. Its an unheated/uncooled space. The stash is in Rubbermaid tubs, but that is not enough when you have had an infestation (IMHO).
I found NO BUGS! Relief. Still, Protection was needed. Stash was sorted into cotton/blends, and wool. Then, I used 3 space bags to package the wool--one for the Cascade 220, one for the Koigu and the Morehouse Merino, and one for the other leftovers and sock yarn. My research said that the bugs would eat anything, but that wool was most vulnerable. I may go back and put the cotton in spacebags.
Here is the sorting process; room space donated by the BoyWonder (his room has great natural light).
And the cotton stash, maybe 3/4 of the tub.
I have WANTED to purchase more yarn, but afraid to bring anything into this house of PAIN! Plus, the semester is ending and I am up to my oxthers in final papers. I turned in one yesterday and the other is due Friday. After that one is turned in I am DEFINITELY going to need a yarn reward.
QUESTIONS: Aside from mothballs, which are toxic and STINKY, what do I do to keep bugs from my stash? Are simple lavender sachets going to help? Where do I get them? Any ideas what yarn stores do????
