Lessons from the moths

It was too hot to go out much over the weekend, but that was okay because I found one of my moth traps had caught loads of the blighters last week, so I spent Saturday committing insecticide. I went through everything – not just my wardrobe and jumper cupboard, but the places I've stashed clothes I've outgrown but can't bear to get rid of, and the boxes of yarn I keep in the bedroom. I eventually found the little gits in part of my yarn store, and it was the place where I keep ball-ends from completed projects, so all in all it could have been much, much worse. Because I caught them early, most of it was salvageable.

I don't think I have more of a moth problem than other people, but my experience has taught me that you need to mothproof everything, because the bit you don't do because you think it will be safe probably won't be. I'm absolutely gung-ho for proofing wardrobe, coat cupboard and jumper cupboard, with the result that those are always fine. But I'd not been as rigid about renewing the Zensect balls in the yarn stash, and paid the price. Thank goodness the sticky trap alerted me to the problem.

The good thing about the faff of mothproofing is that it makes me look long and hard at what I've got, both clothes and yarn. I found a lovely green chenille suit that I'd forgotten about and will be perfect in the autumn, and a few tops I've had since the 1990s and can probably now bear to part with. They're just silk vest tops, but I've been reluctant to get rid of them. Sometimes putting stuff aside makes me realise I'm not that attached to it, because it's been replaced by other things in my affections. Other bits, like my beloved green floral panné velvet babydoll (so 90s!) and tie-dye 'fairy' dress are never, ever going anywhere.

I've nearly finished my friend's cardigan, so inspired by rummaging through thr yarn boxes I also dug through my knitting patterns. I have some gorgeous pale grey cotton DK with a silver thread running through it, and it's proving hard to find a pattern I want to knit with it. It's not going to have a massive amount of drape, being a thick cotton, and the colour makes me lean towards something space age. You'd think there'd be an appropriate 60s pattern somewhere in my collection, but the best I've found is an edge-to-edge cardi/jacket with a fab bobble edging all the way round. I'm in no rush to start knitting, so I'll keep looking around in case something more suitable comes up.

I hope the heat's not getting to you too much.