Ack!! Moths in my wool!

[cristeen]

Pulled out all the dipes to sort by size and get ready for this babe.  Discovered I had moths in my wool.  Lost 2 covers completely - unrepairable.  Have another half dozen with small holes that should be useable still.  Thankfully they didn't get to most of the stash. 

So how can I repair the ones with small holes?  Normally I'd darn them, but I can't use cotton thread to do it.  Can I use poly?  Is there such a thing as wool thread?  Fingering weight yarn would work for the knitted ones, but not the woven ones. 

I'm really irritated.  I wasn't planning on having to replace $50 worth of wool right now. 

So my other concern is how do I make sure that before I store these away again they're safe?  I was thinking I needed to wash EVERYTHING again before sticking it in the cedar chest.  But that's a lot of wool to wash, and it's going to take a while.  Anyone have any brilliant suggestions? 

[Brambleberry]

I've had trouble with moths too.  They LOVE lanolin.  Do wash everything before putting it away again, and DON'T lanolinize it!  You can wash it all in the washer on gentle - not much work that way.  Just use a regular baby-friendly detergent, not eucalin or anything else with lanolin.  Go ahead and wash your newborn covers with lanolin and then keep them in zip locks (after drying WELL) until the moth infestation is under control or the baby is born.  I've not had any damage to things that are in use, only in storage.  Lavender oil is supposed to help, but it's not a magic bullet.  I wouldn't worry about repairing small holes in covers that are felted or even slightly felted from washing.  They won't ravel, and they'll still do the job.  If you do want to darn them for cosmetic reasons I think poly thread would work fine for small areas if you can't find wool yarn thin enough.  

[rinap]

Washing everything is important. An overnight in the freezer will kill moth eggs as well. And lavender, eucalyptus, and cedar are all supposed to be good for repelling moths.

I'd darn them (both the knit and the woven) with wool, even if it's thick and unsightly...the wool is blocking moisture. Big enough holes will cause wicking.

[mumkimum]

Ditto the above advice - ESP. About freezer time for getting any eggs/etc you might not see.. I've heard some people do well with the space bags for protecting wool also ( but haven't gone that route myself yet).

And you might see about wool crewel yarn for darning purposes, it'd be similar to embroidery thread but a bit thicker, and wool. Sorry about the holes in the first place though.