I found carpet beetles in my yarn last spring. After a freakout, I did the heat/freeze/heat treatment. All my yarn is now vacuum sealed unless it's part of an active project.

@KnitFactoryImpl

4 ай бұрын

Was there a specific method that you used?

@raycreveling1583

4 ай бұрын

@@KnitFactoryImpl I have a good amount of freezer space, we have an upright in the basement. I bagged the yarn and left it in the freezer for week, mainly because it was gloomy and cold outside. Then I moved the yarn into the back of my car, stored in a black plastic bag. It was sunny and warm in PA. The car got plenty hot. After that it went back into the freezer until I had time to wind the yarn. I wound everything, and I did it over white paper. I ran the yarn between my gloved fingers as I was winding looking for debris. I used a glove because I didn't want blisters. If I found a skein had multiple breaks, I just tossed it. Lastly I bagged everything. I used my vacuum sealer to take out most of the air but, I didn't go crazy. Zipper bags would work as well.

The main concern with bugs is the eggs, which may be too small to see. However, if they’ve been eating your yarn, you will see little frass specs if you give the yarn a shake. After a heat treatment, I recommend rewinding the yarn. This will help you discover any weak spots in the yarn.

Bugs in the yarn is a call for a REAL frog. 🐸

"Shop from your stash." That's a good one. Invariably, what you want will not be in that stash. The yarn with the bugs ... put the yarn in the freezer for a few days, then rewind. If it falls apart when you use it, too damaged, and you should get rid of it, but you'll be able to use most of the yarn. We use rifle cases for the stray ribber (and knitter). Just let people know you're carrying knitting machine artifacts and not a weapon! Your work space looks pretty normal to me!! You're lucky it's contained to one space and not the whole house!!!!

I watched Tiffany go through bugs a few years ago. I now store my yarn in sealed plastic bags. Best of luck with your bugs! Argh!

Bugs in my yarn is a shivering fear of mine... My stash is so precious to me, even being a super small one. And I hate bugs! 😅 Of course I want to see more of you handling this situation 😊

Time-lapse tidying up videos are so satisfying to watch when you don’t have to make them. Good job👌

Hi. Just a suggestion... I'm a hand knitter and machine knitter... and more. You might consider sorting your yarns by fiber, then colors. Works great for me to find what I want and check to ensure I have enough quantity for my project. Happy knitting!!!

I thought the bugs would only (seldomly!) be found in your code, how horrifying to have some in your actual, physical yarn. I do want to hear more about the bug saga, and I have to confess that your solution of baking them in your car since it [gets hot enough to kill] animals and children equal parts ingenious and terrifying. Love the end result of what you did with your space!

The heat will damage the yarn probably more than the bugs. Freeze a few skeins at a time.

We all struggle with the "too much yarn syndrome" I am 75 years old and have been collecting since I was 36. I think maybe it is time to purge. Want some? I Love organizational videos. Good Job.

@KnitFactoryImpl

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the offer but I really don't need any more yarn! Maybe you can find a local design or textiles school that needs donations.

FREEZER and snap lock bags are your friends!

@KnitFactoryImpl

4 ай бұрын

I wish! I don't have enough room in my tiny freezer.

every knitters nightmare!! hope you can get this cleared up. I keep cedarwood chips in my plastic bins that store my yarn, but I still worry!!

Nice sewing machine you have! You need a repellent for moths and at this point you should treat all of your yarns with a specific yarn moth killer. You could also steam them, but it won't go that deep. Then pack each one into a plastic bag with a piece of moth repellent sheet and replace it from time to time. Same for your projects or they'll get ruined

@KnitFactoryImpl

4 ай бұрын

These aren't moths, will a moth repellant keep away carpet beetles?

@MaraschinoPenguin31415

4 ай бұрын

Not sure what kind of moth repellent you’re suggesting. Here’s some safety info on moth balls: ldh.la.gov/assets/oph/Center-EH/envepi/Pest/Documents/Mothball_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Oh no! I recently got out a couple cones from under my bed to find holes... thankfully after we had set off a bug bomb, so they were dead bugs in the bottom of the bag and not too many. After pulling off a bunch I was finally long enough to make swatches, now I'm most of the way through the hole. Glad I persisted, once washed it's so lovely!

FYI my Brother 260 bulky ribber is stored in an inexpensive rifle case from Walmart ($40 ish) The one I bought is a little to small for both the bed and the carriage. It fits the bed, handle and ribber combs. I have the carriage and ribber feeder in a plastic tote.

CO2 is supposed to be an effective fumigant for carpet beetles. Put a few pounds of dry ice (can sometimes be bought at grocery stores, or from welding suppliers) in the bottom of a heavy duty trash bag, and fill with your yarn. Close the bag by tying some yarn around it. You want it tight enough that fresh air won't come back in, but loose enough that the bag doesn't pop while the sublimating CO2 is displacing oxygen. At room temperature, 2-3 days in the bag should be enough to kill the insects. The CO2 shouldn't damage the yarn, so you can really leave it indefinitely. Do this in a well ventilated place, without kids or pets, and use gloves when handling dry ice.

You could add a label to the cabinet door where you stored your bulky cakes. That way you can see the label at a glance, and it will remind you that they're in there, even though you can't see the yarn itself with the doors closed. Or you could take the doors off the cabinet and have more open shelving.

I wash, dry everything that i buy. One moth infestation from a well known nyc yarn store was enough of a lesson for me. Seems that the owner was bringing infested yarn from her home stash tobthe store, shelving it for sale and voila!!

@MaraschinoPenguin31415

4 ай бұрын

Yikes!

When I bought a used ribber, it came stored in a rifle case. Just an idea

That bulky yarn, you can always donate it to be use for making beanies for the homeless shelters. Just a suggestion. Happy organizing.

freeze it😁

if youre able to please try and knit the nordic mix sweater by laura dalgaard! it seems really fun and if you purchase the pattern theres a whole chart which im pretty sure you can convert to make your life easier :)

Styrofoam coolers to hold your yarn, liquid nitrogen in steel thermoses - Carbonic Service in Santa Clara and Air Products across the street both sell it. Pour the LN2 into the coolers. Also, you may be able to find dry ice locally to stuff into the coolers - could use borrowed Coleman or Igloo coolers for that.

@KnitFactoryImpl

4 ай бұрын

That's an interesting thought. I can't get styrofoam coolers here in California but I can probably make an insulated vessel using towels and I know I can get dry ice.

@AndrewBeals

4 ай бұрын

@@KnitFactoryImpl the N2 or CO2 in a closed (but vented - don't want to build up much pressure) container will also suffocate the vermin - doubling your chances of success?

Bugs in yarn? Good to know this is a possibility. I'm thinking it is more likely with natural fibre yarn? My yarn stash is 100% acrylic, except for a couple of balls that have 20% wool. Although 🤔 there is this fluffy green yarn I got a couple of years ago that might be natural fibre. I'll need to find that and hopefully it is bug free 🤞🏽

@joygreen9323

4 ай бұрын

I've had some in acrylic before, so do check it all thoroughly... I store my yarn in zip lock bags and fingers crossed haven't seen any bugs like these in any of it 🤞🤞🤞

@beewa8840

4 ай бұрын

@@joygreen9323 Really? 😲 Okay, I'm going to have to do a thorough check of all yarn. Hopefully they're all good. 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

@ruths_youth

4 ай бұрын

I bought a chest freezer specifically because I'm terrified of bugs getting in my merino, cashmere, and silk. I also used to have an apartment size fridge so I can relate. I made space for the freezer by getting rid of my stove. I only use the toaster oven anyway and got a portable induction burner if I ever feel like dyeing anything. When the yarn gets to my house, it goes in the freezer then, when I finally get around to it, it goes in the zippered storage bins.

@uncannycory1565

4 ай бұрын

as far as im aware, youre less likely to get moths in acrylic, but carpet beetles will happily go through acrylic or natural fibers

@satsumamoon

4 ай бұрын

@ruths_youth

I understand that storing yarn in cakes is bad. Apparently they loose tension. At least that is what I've been told. Apparently it's best to wind the cakes onto a swift and store them as hanks.

@KnitFactoryImpl

4 ай бұрын

Yarn in tightly wound cakes can have problems but if you wind your yarn twice it'll be fine.