Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Advice Please: Moths or Paranoia?

Last fall, a retiring weaver gave me a bit of yarn.

I bagged each of the 4 cones of yarn in individual bags and let it sit over the winter in an upstairs closet.


If there were moths, would I see signs of them?


Do the little flecks in this picture indicate moths?? I can't remember if the flecks were there when I stored the yarn. I think they were, which is what concerned me to begin with.

The yarn is rayon, if that makes a difference. I see no other signs of insects. No evidence of damage to the yarn.

Do you think this yarn is OK?

Thanks in advance for your advice!!!

8 comments:

sheilabythebeach said...

You are so wise to bag them as you did! I look forward to hearing the consensus on the moth question since I don't know!

Wendy E said...

No amount of moth paranoia is excessive. When in doubt, I put bagged yarn in my car trunk for a week or two. The idea is that the summer heat or winter cold will kill anything that might be lurking inside.

Lois Evensen said...

Rayon is a synthetic so I don't think moths would be a problem. Do you know where the yarn was stored before it came to you? In a home? A garage? I have no clue what other little "animals" might be lurking, though, such as silverfish or whatever. Perhaps a bug expert can help... I like Wendy's idea of heat and cold.

LA said...

I wouldn't think that rayon would have moths, but I don't know about any other critters. Placing it in a tightly closed bag in your car trunk sounds like a good idea!

Theresa said...

Sue, no clue but I can't imagine moths to be a problem to rayon. Rather than the car trunk, stick it in the freezer for a week.

Delighted Hands said...

I would think the rayon is safe from moths also. Leave it in the baggie, put it in the dryer on high and tumble it-you would dislodge or disturb anything in there and then use it with abandon!

Sharon said...

It looks like moth activity but I can't imagine that rayon is a moth food. My friend Laura insists that the only way to exterminate moths is with dry ice. You put it in the bottom of a bag, the afflicted wool on top and then seal the bag. The gas from the dry eye kills the moths, supposedly. She says that freezing doesn't kill the eggs.

Julie said...

I really don't think that it is moths because its Rayon but I do like what Wendy E wrote about putting it in the hot car!