Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Blue_Doggy

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I remember well having just moved out of home and into a bedsit wanting to buy a record player and speakers back in the early 1970s and having to get my dad to stand guarantor for the hire purchase agreement as I wasn't a married woman even though I was employed and had a good job of quite long standing, times were different!

Times were certainly different! It was in the early '70s that I went to rent (!!) a TV from Radio Rentals, and although I was in a good job and with a professional qualification, I still had to get a friend's father to act as guarantor (I was living in the North-East and my family were in the South West). They just would not rent it to a woman on her own account!

(For younger readers, TV's were very unreliable at that time, so unless you were either daft or very rich you'd never buy one - you rented the set and when it went wrong (and if banging it :eek: didn't help!) the rental firm would send a repair man along to put it right.)

vulpix

GQ what a fab coincidence that you just flicked through the magazine,you must buy it and write to the magazine.I used to buy knitwear from jumble sales,unravel and crochet blankets for Oxfam,you are right it is soothing.I doubt I would recognise any of my blankets though.I used to knit simple jumpers with a pattern from Oxfam too.

great photos people.I can't do photos as my laptop is ancient and many keys and functions just don't.I have an ipad but find it small to do stuff on.

Had a lovely time in Liverpool.Nice place to visit for the weekend.

Loving all the recollections.My Mum had Empire Stores catalogue and Kays.I remember my Mum getting a twin tub washing machine,she only got rid of it about 10 years ago and not because it didn't work.I came home in the early hours one time and was trying to sneak in but the dog was wagging its tail and banging on the washing machine like a drum.Woke the house!My Mum also used to perm her friends hair,argh the smell.I remember my brother buying a video camera in the 80's and it was £1000 phones do that now.

Found out today we will be expecting to move on 19th june!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg omg omg omg omg.There is a world shortage of boxes in the shops,that is the least of our worries,we have nowhere to go!Vx

babyblooz

It's been so nice reading about how people like their blankets.

I have made one for each of my grandchildren, for on their beds and general snuggling. I've also made one for each of the new babies born into the family over the past few years.

Our kids always had one made by my old aunty or passed on from someone else but that was before I was able to make my own. They ended up as their 'poorly blankets' brought down for those days they didn't feel well and needed something to snuggle into on the settee for those days off school.

It's like there's a cuddle in every stitch!

[Deleted User]

I too knit 'blankies' and for all of my five grandsons they have had them knitted in their football teams colours.The worst colour to knit with was the claret and blue squares of West Ham for my eldest DGS Danny.I did his when he was 10 and he is now 25 this year and he still loves his blankie' and ,especially when not feeling well it get wrapped around him as he lays sighing on the sofa being ministered to by his G/F or Mum :):).

My eldest DDs blankie is used when either her or her OH is not well (my son-in-laws 'hangover blankie' :):) if he has over-indulged ) I now make them for a charity called The Linus Trust, and I knit slightly smaller squares (32 all told ) then knit around the edges with a white contrast colour and they are all passed to my frind in Dartford who in turn (as she has a band of around 12 ladies all over the place ) bags them up, and they are taken every three months to the next person in the chain in Guildford .

She in turn gets them all sewn together until they are around a single size blanket, and a small tag is sewn on them saying 'a gift from the Linus trust' and they are shipped all over the world to children who have virtually nothing.The Linus charity will supply knitted blankets to anywhere in the world where they are needed .
Apparently when the tsunami struck a few years ago in Asia 68 tonnes of Linus blankets were given out to children who had almost
nothing but the clothes they stood up in.
They end up in every corner in the world where a child is in need.

I have seven healthy, warm, well-fed grandchildren, and to me its a comforting thought that somewhere in the world my little contribution is keeping a child, who would otherwise be cold, warm at least.
I get donated odd bits of wool and left over bits from balls of wool to help make them and every bit that is useable is used.
I also buy cardis and jumpers from boot/jumble sales and unpick wash dry and re-knit. Its such a satifying job, and takes nothing from me but time as I am usually doing it when sitting watching t.v. so it keeps my hands busy.
I have lost count of the ones I have done now, and even the DGC know about Grannies blankies. My needles and wool go everywhere with me and a few rows when I am just sitting is very relaxing.

My friend crochets blankies, and also makes small patchwork quilts for the same charity.Over the years we must have made several hundred between us. Her bits of wool left over from her crocheted ones end up in my big wool stash box and I use to make striped ones
Great part-time hobbby that costs very little, but does so much good,win-win really :):) I find knitting very soothing and blankies easy to do as you don't have to think of a pattern really its just stocking stitch

Last night I brought home in the boot of my car my DDs microwave to take to the tip as she had replaced it as it had broken .The 3 pin plug I removed last night along with the glass turntable as they both will get used for something else.
Unless its molded on I never bin three pin plugs and they have come in so handy over the years,even if its just for the 13 amp fuses .I use the glass turn table in various ways. I have two indoors that have been used as drip trays for pot plants, and one is used to place my remoska on to save my work-top in the kitchen.The latest one will go into the cupboard until I can find a use for it,and I'm sure I will.
So a tip run is on the cards this morning I am looking after three of my DGS today so I may get them to sort out some of their bedroom junk to get tipped as well.
Onwards and upwards chums another day and more MMMing to do.is everyone enjoying the Home Fires programme on t.v. I love it .
Cheers chums
JackieO xxx

Poppy_Golightly

I tend to crochet my blankies. This is one made up of floral squares in all sorts of colours with the wool sourced from charity shops. The white wool was inexpensive Stylecraft DK. In true moneysaving mode the pattern is free from Ravelry. I've crocheted 4 in total using this pattern and as my stash is building up again I can feel another one coming on!

vulpix

Poppy,that's beautiful,puts my efforts to shame.Any chance of the pattern?

Poppy_Golightly

This is the link to download the pattern on Ravelry. Incidentally Ravelry is a fantastic resource for free and paid for knitting and crochet patterns. You can also join groups and get help with tricky patterns etc. I've downloaded more patterns than I could ever make in 5 lifetimes!

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/emilys-roses

camelot1001

Well done GreyQueen, that blanket is gorgeous, I would have that in a moment.
Poppy, how pretty, looks like it is on a cotton backing. I am in awe, I can't crochet!

misstara

Really enjoying reading everyone's reminiscing and the beautiful pics of the blankets. Not posted in the last few days as there's not been much MMMing going on here but have been reading along. A combination of being really busy at work plus not feeling particularly great has meant that I haven't done anything for about 5 days other than work and sleep. However, I have woken up today feeling a bit better so plan to catch up on everything.

Top of the list is to finally make birthday cards (have been saying about it for ages and still not got round to it) and try the knitted headband again. The flat also needs a tidy and the ironing pile is growing again. I have a dentist appointment at 10am (fingers crossed no work needed) and then meeting a friend for lunch later so a busy day planned.

fuddle

GQ! Now if ever there was an advert for MMM it is that masterpiece of randomly rustic loveliness. I haven't anything so rustic myself but I do have a favourite National Trust blanket that is 100% wool and made out of scraps of wool. They call it their recycled woollen rug http://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/recycled-woollen-rug/p389 it cost me £14 but now it's £15. Mine has oranges and greens woven into it. My walls are white and with my bashed up pine I like to think that my bedroom is a calming place that is MMM.

Your piece is lovely, I am a blanket fiend and appreciate them wholeheartedly. When my grandma gave me a load blanket squares to sew together to make myself a blanket I was over the moon, although never truly appreciated the feeling I would get in creating it. I can picture it in my minds eye - white wool spiderly stitching them altogether. it was my masterpiece and I used it forever into my teenage years. As I grew I became obsessed with consumerism and bought into 'lovely' bits. Long gone is that blanket but I wish I had it now