I’ve been getting ready to put away my sweaters for the winter and did a little research to find out the best way to do so. I found some good advice, and even some conflicting advice! Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
- Launder all garments before storage to ensure they’re clean.
- Do not store them in air tight plastic, as the fibers cannot breathe that way. This also helps avoid any moisture/mold damage in case a small bit of moisture remains in the garments or the container.
- Use some kind of deterrent to mask the smell of the wool. Alternatives to moth balls (yuk!) are Off! Moth Proofer, cedar, and herb sachets. If you use cedar, make sure you maintain it by using sandpaper to renew it or by rubbing it down with cedar oil every year or two.
- Moths like to lay eggs in dark places. One site recommended clear plastic bags to allow light in. Another recommended cotton bags with a drawstring or zipper to allow the wool to breathe
I’m not sure where in my house I’m going to put them. Ideally, the basement or the attic. It seems like the attic would be a better choice as it’s dryer and does get some natural light. But it is awfully hot.
What do you all do to store you handknitted garments in the warmer months? Does anyone have any good tips?
I have read that bars of soap can deter moths. I think this came up on the knitlist. I sometimes freeze my sweaters for a day or so to potentially kill any beasties. The only moth problems I have ever had came from store bought sweaters stored with my handknits. I never do that anymore. We have a dry/finished basement. Most of my sweaters are down there.
Hey, I saw your link on the Knitting Meetup page. I knit in Highland Park, just over the river from New Brunswick.
As for storing wool sweaters, I make room in my linen closet for my big Icelandic lopi sweater (knitted by someone in Iceland, not me). I put it in a pillowcase and just fold the thing over. I haven’t had any problems with the moths yet, but maybe I’ve just been lucky so far. Now that I think about it, I am going to take the thing out and refold to make it less likely that the little beasties can sneak in. I figure if I fold it right and let the sweater lay on top of what’s folded under, it should be pretty secure – probably as secure as a drawstring bag, which usually has a little bitty opening in the middle even when you pull it tight – because of the amount of fabric that you are drawing in.
I guess I could also knot the pillow case, or fold the length which isn’t holding the sweater into a narrow width and then clamp it with a big binder clip. Personally, I just don’t have money to buy special-purpose drawstring or zipper bags – and certainly no time to make them!
So are you from Savannah? I am from North Alabama, so I was just wondering.
Welcome to the land of no LYS!!!!
Oh yeah, I should let you know in case you want to go while it’s still the weekend, Glenmarle Woolworks in Princeton is having their May sale (which started a couple of days ago and ends the 12th), which they say will be big, up to 70% off. I am not going, because I spent the 2004 yarn budget back in January!! I have been to that shop a few times and I have found them not overly friendly and the prices seem high, but maybe not higher than a typical yarn store. They have good yarn, no bargain bin, and that’s about what I know about them. I can’t find their little sale postcard, but here’s their link: http://www.glenmarlewoolworks.com/ .
Well, that’s all for now! -melissa, aka “yarnthing”