I knit some more on the Bookworm vest. I'm close to dividing for the fronts and backs.

And I was a bit alarmed last night - I killed a m*th in my bedroom. This isn't the first m*th I've seen this late-summer, although to me they look more like the grain-m*ths that sometimes get into cereal (which will be its own misery to deal with) but I have noticed two things: first, a wound-off skein of Koigu had a weak point in it where the yarn snapped, and the lion cub I knit from the Debbie Bliss merino has got a hole in its paw.

And I remember, last fall, one of my sweaters had a small hole - which could have been a got-pinched-in-the-dresser-drawer-when-I-tried-to-close-it-when-it-was-too-full hole, but still.

I found the m*th at about 9:15 last night - a bad time for my state of mind and calmness. I quickly pawed through the stash I had in my bedroom - couldn't find any frass* or larvae. And I wound off a couple of test skeins (Weaver's wool quarters and some Opal handpaint from different "strata" of the stash) and found no weak points or breaks. But the remaining ball of yellow Debbie Bliss merino looked suspicious (weak points), so I segregated it. I really don't want to deal with a m*th infestation; I don't want to have to throw out lots of yarn. I don't know how to kill eggs, if they are present - I don't want to spray mass quantities of toxic chemicals, or do the leave-it-in-a-Hefty-sack-in-the-sun (because I KNOW, if I'm not home to keep an eye on the sack, it will disappear either on the part of my Martha-Stewart-esque cleanupfreak neighbor, or someone thinking there might be something in there they could sell for money). Home freezers are not cold enough (and besides, I've not got room in my freezer, even for a 50 g ball of yarn) and I don't think I could persuade my colleague with the -80* freezer to let me use part of it (besides, it's nearly full) to decon my stash.

and, oh man, do I have stash.

I guess I'm trying to remain in denial and believe they are grain m*ths or that they stumbled into my house somehow (I have seen a total of three over the past month or so). I suppose I could go and drop mass quantities of change on plastic tubs, and put m*thballs in the tubs (ugh) or at least seal up the stuff I'm sure is clean (if any of it is clean - eggs, euuuggh!)

(*frass = insect crap)

I wonder - if we get more killingly hot weather, if moving my stash into my car and leaving it in the car, in the sun, for several hours (it can get to like 120* in a car left in the sun) would do the trick? Or at least accellerate hatching so I can see how bad I've got it.

I really do NOT want to be dealing with this right now.