working on the first wrap (for sister #1)

[rafiwinters]

This is a Lion Brand pattern called "One-Skein Wrap" and though I'm not using the one-pound skein, and am therefore using more than one skein, I am using a Lion Brand yarn. I am having a great deal of fun working with the soft, fluffy but 100% acrylic Heartland yarn in a dark blue. I want to start taking pics and posting them here.

I say "100% acrylic" because a few years ago I lost my ENTIRE STASH to an infestation of wool-eating moths. I've been too nervous about reintroducing moth-friendly yarn to work in wool blends, never mind 100% wool, since then. Although I have now lived a year in a new apartment and haven't seen a single sign of moths (*knocks on wood*), so I might start taking chances on LB Wool-Ease or Plymouth Encore again. They have been my favorite blends to work with.

Comments

[sporky_rat]

I have found that ziplocs and cedar help - I live in a rural area and that's been the only thing that saved me.

ziplocs and cedar

[rafiwinters]

I've been using ziplocs for my yarn since the Great Moth Invasion, but had not thought to use cedar as well... thanks, I'll get on that! But do you find that the cedar makes it smell too strongly of... well.. cedar?

Re: ziplocs and cedar

[sporky_rat]

Not generally, no. After about twenty minutes of working with it, it just smells like wool - and even straight out of the bag it's not a really strong scent.

Re: ziplocs and cedar

[rafiwinters]

Okay, that's good to know. Do you use cedar blocks or sachets or what?

Re: ziplocs and cedar

[sporky_rat]

I use shavings from the woodworker neighbor, but I've also used chunks of wood.

Re: ziplocs and cedar

[rafiwinters]

Ah, okay, good to know.

[st_aurafina]

We have silverfish, so I keep strongly scented soaps in my plastic tubs - they hate strong scent, apparently. Though I'm thinking of getting some cedar balls, because that's supposed to be really effective.

Ugh, creepy crawlies, they're so horrible. Eating my stash, having more legs than is natural.

[fred_mouse]

I didn't know about cedar repelling silverfish (we have a lot of the little buggers). I've put dried lavender in some of my collections of Stuff, and actually resorted to naphthalene flakes at times, just to keep them out of paperwork.

[st_aurafina]

When we got a lot of rain, we found a tiny scorpion in the house, and at first I was terrified, but then I found out they eat silverfish. So I got over myself and I hope it brought a friend.

[rafiwinters]

As long as it's tiny, I guess... but aren't they poisonous or something?

[st_aurafina]

Not these tiny one, apparently. I did look it up, since most things are venomous down here, but my state doesn't have the deadly ones. They like the desert, apparently.

They're creepy but silverfish are much, much worse.

[rafiwinters]

I am thinking of combining cedar for the moth repellent value and lavender for the nice fragrance value. I suppose using mothballs/flakes is also an option, perhaps airing out the FO when it's, y'know, finished... would get rid of the mothball smell. My wool sweaters, which live in a trunk full of mothballs over the summer, always get aired out fairly quickly once I open it in the fall.

[fred_mouse]

The cedar/lavender sounds like a great option, although I don't think I've the motivation to do it myself (and at this point I have yarn ins *so many* places, and I've no longer any idea which are wool, which are blends, and which are acrylic.)

[rafiwinters]

Motivation? What is this thing called motivation of which you speak? Ha ha lol...

[fred_mouse]

I'm not sure, but I'm told that with enough of it, one finishes all the WIPs, gets fit, and has a clean house to boot.

...I've obviously been watching infomercials.

[rafiwinters]

Ugh indeed! Too many legs indeed! Nasty things.

[copracat]

Your entire stash? Oh my God.

my entire stash

[rafiwinters]

Yeah, it was pretty awful. I didn't know at the time about keeping yarn in plastic tubs and Ziploc baggies. I learned.

[lavenderspark]

I should really do something to protect mine... I'm terrified of finidng bugs in it. 0.0

I think all of mine is acrylic or cotton blend. I keep it on an open shelf in my bedroom, and we have all kinds of icky bugs (silverfish, carpet beetles, and I found moths in my rice once--ick).

I love Lion Brand yarn! It's so soft and the colors are amazing. I have a stash of Homespun that I keep meaning to make a scarf out of...

The color sounds really pretty, I would love to see pictures!

pictures

[rafiwinters]

I have located my good camera (the camera on my cellphone often distorts colors to the point of inaccuracy) and I plan to start taking and posting pics of my yarn and WIPS and FOs soon! :)