knitting, breathing, moths

[abigailvr]

Yes, I have been knitting, just not talking about it. The baby bunting pieces are done. I need to weave the ends in the sleeves, obtain a zipper, sew in said zipper and then I can start sewing it up. Once it's sewn together I will have to knit the hood, but I don't expect that to be difficult

Comments

[asynja]

Ugh, that sucks about the whole breathing thing. I totally sympathize. I have 2 skeins of Silk Garden, but honestly, I don't think I can use them either. Not breathing SUCKS.

[abigailvr]

Not breathing definitely sucks.

I am determined to finish this silk garden shawl and I'm going to give whatever leftovers I have to my mom's cousin who was admiring it. I'm sure you could find a buyer if you destashed yours. Then you can get yourself some 100% silk! I'm currently knitting this (in color 105) and it's delish!

[goodjoan]

my house got infested with moths this year from hamster food! you can buy cardboard baited sticky traps to catch the adults. The best way to deal with the larvae is to freeze your birdseed, or keep it in airtight bin. you also have to freeze/bin everything nearby that they eat...and they eat almost anything. In my kitchen they ate through a foil lined pouch of dried milk! Otherwise they just start a new generation. They are a real pain!

[abigailvr]

I'm going to head to the hardware store and get a big airtight pail to store it in. OUTSIDE.

I'm also going to hit Cost Plus and stock up on glass jars to put any grains in that can't go in the fridge. Yuck.

[gardenmama]

If you found worms/moths in the birdseed, you can be reasonably sure that they are Indian meal moths, not clothes moths. So don't worry about your wool. Indian meal moth caterpillars feed on grains and grain products: rice, cereal, rolled oats, flour, etc. Since you aren't finding them in your kitchen, I wouldn't be too worried. But be vigilant, since you don't want an infestation where you have to throw all your food out.

Pull everything out of the downstairs closet and vacuum really well to make sure you got them and all the birdseed out. Birdseed is often infested when you buy it because it's not as regulated as human-consumed food. If you can, store your birdseed outside in a tightly covered container like a rubbermaid trash can.

Then pick up a couple Pantry Pest Traps and set them out in the closet. They will attract the moths. They are also pretty good about letting you know you've gotten the last of them since you won't see any in the traps any more

[abigailvr]

Well, that's something of a relief (that they aren't wool moths). They are VERY annoying anyway.

I once found a little caterpillar in my brown rice and couldn't eat it for a while. I like the idea of organic, of course, but too much actual organic matter in my grains makes me ick. ;)

I'm going to put all my pantry stuff in glass jars if I can find enough of them at Cost Plus, I think. Thanks for the tips!

[gardenmama]

I use empty coffee cans to store a lot of my bulk produce. As you noticed with the birdseed, those caterpillars will chew right through plastic bags, but not through the lids of coffee cans. Glass jars work well too, and rubbermaid or tupperware containers. I like those tall upright ones designed for cereal.

[abigailvr]

We buy our coffee in bags, not cans, but that sounds like a good idea! I have a feeling that whatever doesn't fit in the jars I bought is going to go into the fridge for the time being, just because it's airtight.

I ordered those lures you posted about too. Thanks for that link!

[omelay]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5556726098&category=11862

[abigailvr]

eBay! Why didn't I think of that? My internet search turned up a bunch of online stores based in the UK. Thanks!