Storing Yarn

Last spring I started what has become a very long project, making Clint Eastwood's serape from Fist Full of Dollars (the greatest Western ever filmed). In order to stay with a fair amount of authenticity, I have been weaving it with yarn instead of just making a lookalike from some cheap cotton fabric. One thing that had never occurred to me was the danger the project would be in when I got busy and left it alone for several months.

I am well aware of the havoc that moths can wreak on sweaters, but I had never even thought about what they might do plain yarn itself. I was therefore quite dismayed when I picked the project back up this week and discovered a slew of moth larvae had infested one of my balls of yarn and munched holes all throughout it like a block of Swiss cheese. (I was fortunate enough to find that they had not yet begun to chew apart all the hard work I'd invested in the Serape itself.) I quickly realized something needed to be done.

While the little cedar blocks they make for sweaters are a good way to discourage moths, I decided to try something else that would allow me to kill two bird with one stone. Those little plastic zipper containers that sets of sheets come in are just perfect size for storing two or three balls of yarn. Their tight zipper closures keeps out the unwanted moths, and they provide a neat, convenient way to store yarn. Now on to finishing the serape!