It Is Time For A Fiber Intervention

Spring normally brings spring cleaning with it. RL gave the kids a deadline to have their rooms clean by the end of this month. It's not going to happen. I've had a feeling it wasn't going to happen for some time, but now I'm pretty sure. I hadn't been upstairs in a while because I couldn't stand it! Ls rooms is full of Role Playing Game books and miniatures and posters and whatever else you can imagine. Rs room - well, her room is a different story. Shortly after we moved into this house, ten years ago, we discovered very small, brown bugs in her room. I had no idea what they were. We get inundated with ladybugs every year, so I thought maybe they were related. Nope. They might be distant cousins, but I seriously doubt it. They are fiber beetles or carpet beetles, whatever you want to call them. They love anything covered in cat hair - except the cat. They love fabric, clothing, carpet and let's not forgot their first love - yarn! Luckily, they don't come in like termites and eat everything in sight. They appear to be picky. Some yarns are not appealing to them at all - thank heavens! You would think since they are fiber eaters that they would love natural fibers. Not necessarily true. They will eat acrylic, which I don't understand at all. I try to check my personal yarn stash from time to time and even have a lavender sachet in hopes that they will stay away. I have some knitted articles in a cedar wardrobe. They got in there. They didn't eat anything from what I could see, but I did find one and where there's one, there are others not far behind. We thought that if the kids cleaned their rooms really good that we could have someone come out and spray. We've been thinking it for a long, long time and, apparently, RL and I are the only ones thinking it. The cleaning movement hasn't been going so well. Rumor has it that it is some form of punishment. I decided to go upstairs and offer some encouragement. I scoured the bathroom - yes, it needed it. We will not go into that right now. I started going through the boxes in the hallway. Rs room has had a tendency over the years to seep out into the hallway. During those years, she has developed a serious fiber problem which has encouraged the fiber beetles to invite new generations into our home. This is what I am dealing with: (WARNING: not for the weak of heart or those who don't understand the fiber addiction.)

This hamper is mainly full of acrylic yarn and some fabric - all waiting to be looked through.

More yarn waiting to be dealt with.

A hatbox with two layers of tightly smushed yarn.

Works in progress.

Already wound or brand new yarn and fiber beetle free.

This box could fool you. It's about a foot or a foot and half high and has about five layers of yarn shoved into it.

Yarn to dye.Yarn in a jar....and another unfinished project.

Newly wound yarn with fiber beetle damage.

Unfinished projects - yarn to be wound, future projects, yarn magazines....

It's quite overwhelming. I didn't even take pictures of the two drawers of yarn she also has. I have my own yarn, so I don't really have too much room to talk. However, most of it is sock yarn and cotton yarn for dishclothes. That doesn't count, does it? Alright, I'll admit it - I have a problem too, however not this extensive.

Let's move on to something a little more positive. Remember the socks I said were the 'bane of my existence'? Well, they are finished. YIPPEEEEEEE! I didn't think they ever would be. I didn't require as much help with the second sock as the first. R finally sat down and said, "Mom, this is not a hard pattern. What is your problem?" I guess that's all it took. I only needed her help about three or four times on the second which was a great improvement over the first. Here they are:

Turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Oh! I forgot to show the yarn I got for Easter...

Isn't it pretty? I got two skeins of each so I need to get busy knitting some socks. Don't want any fiber beetles moving into my stash!

We also have some bad news to share. RLs Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer this past week. We don't have details. He has an appointment with an oncologist some time next month. I hope it's not too bad. Please pray for the best. Thanks.