Starting to feel like a stalker

So I submitted a pattern to magknits a couple of months ago, and they allegedly wanted to use it, but since I sent it in, I can’t seem to get any confirmation from them and it’s making me all antys-pantsy stalkery. I did have some email burps with them, so maybe it’s just a technical problem, but jeez. I totally have that what-if-all-my-friends-are-only-pretending-to-like me insecurity now.

I’m still waiting for my idiotic brilliant hot room plan to materialize, but when I checked this morning, it was still in the 90s. According to this, you need at least 100 degrees to kill all stages. Since I can’t actually find any bugs, practically speaking, that means I should either use the appropriate temperature for imaginary insects (annoyingly, not listed), or eggs (2 days at 99, 1 day at 102, or 4 hours at 04). Or it looks like 2 days at 100 would achieve 100% mortality for all stages as well, so maybe that’s what I’ll strive for.

But I’m wasting way too much electricity, so if I can’t get the room to 100 by this afternoon, I’m moving everything to a little tiny room and baking it in there. That’s a less desirable option, because that would mean going through all my fabric as well, which would be tedious (and hot).

The trouble with treating a theoretical problem versus an observable problem is that you have to be utterly thorough, otherwise it’s pointless. The other trouble with treating a theoretical problem is that you start to feel like a crazy person. I mean, I’m in the throes of the fiber equivalent of acute hypochondria. What’s next? I get rabies shots because Sugarfoot scratched me and take quinine because I got a mosquito bite? This is clearly a new form of procrastination, but I can’t seem to stop. I must dominate the imaginary moths! They will feel my wrath!

3 Replies to “Starting to feel like a stalker”

  1. You could put everything in black trashbags and lay it out in the sun for a few hours, then bring it in and shove it in the freezer overnight and repeat for a couple days. I hear that kicks their asses. If you have a car sitting around that nobody is using and it’s a sunny day, putting the fiber in the black bags and putting it in the car gets it extra hot.

  2. That is clever, and I think that will be come part of my new wool induction program. But the freezer’s still one town over, and the room has climbed to furancy levels, hurrah! So no need to haul dozens of bags up and down the stairs, than goodness.

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