Prepping for Brexit thread

silvasava

My local hospice has a craft shop that is a little gold mine. So many beautiful handicraft items, fabric, patterns, wool, thread,, embroidery silks, zips and books on every sort of handiwork., it's always busy.

unrecordings

Nargleblast wrote: »

Yes, lots of reduced price veg to provide extra nutrition over the winter season! I will probably hit the local village shops (Co-op and Family Shopper) on Christmas Eve rather than go to the big supermarkets with the world and his mate. Can't be doing with crowds.

was thinking about his last night - it's such a shme that with my mobility it's far more practical to shop at a supermarket, but on top of that, the butcher I used to frequent (the best pork chops in the city) changed hands, the baker (est 1940) started to slide as did the 2nd grocer (the first grocer had to close his main shop and practically no parking near his other shop, Third grocer is really good out of the way when you you have other places to get to and time (and energy) is short. That said, I like dealing with humans, And like to see what I'm buying. So I always use the deli counter, and never use the self-checkout. The latter mainly because I have a tendency to swear back at them which Mrs Un finds embarrassing for some reason.

DigForVictory

unrecordings wrote: »

That said, I like dealing with humans,

For a finite value of human, yes. Large crowds, plural inebriated, and one or two who seem to regard my technological skills & kit as their personal fiefdom (and aren't even offspring)....

Right with you on occasional yelling at tills, although I get yet stranger looks thanking them for their assistance & cheering them as they successfully accept I am buying six baking spuds. Although, yes, attending family members do tend to try to saunter off nonchalantly.
Muttering.

unrecordings

DigForVictory wrote: »

Right with you on occasional yelling at tills

This could have been the prequel to The Terminator but I think in introducing time travel into the franchise they diddled themselves out of a few bob (unless they couldn't bear yet more Christian Bale)

Suffolksue

I always thank ATMs ,hoping that when machines have taken over the world ,they will remember I was always polite to them !

thriftwizard

DFV, have to say, spinning & weaving is actually rather a lot of fun. Especially when other people view it as an arcane dark art; you can really play up to that. Admittedly I haven't, so far, really needed to do it, on any serious level, but I've had a lot of fun learning how to, then mystifying & entertaining people "performing" in museums, schools & events. There's something very satisfying & fundamental about turning fluff into something useful, then turning that, in turn, into something wearable that other people actually admire...

(But don't mention knitting, that really is a dark art. It falls off the ends when you're not looking...)

Mx_Emmin

thriftwizard wrote: »

DFV, have to say, spinning & weaving is actually rather a lot of fun. Especially when other people view it as an arcane dark art; you can really play up to that. Admittedly I haven't, so far, really needed to do it, on any serious level, but I've had a lot of fun learning how to, then mystifying & entertaining people "performing" in museums, schools & events. There's something very satisfying & fundamental about turning fluff into something useful, then turning that, in turn, into something wearable that other people actually admire...

(But don't mention knitting, that really is a dark art. It falls off the ends when you're not looking...)

I crochet myself! It is NOT thrifty, at least not in my experience... the price of yarn, even the "cheap" stuff!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

boultdj

Agree Mx-Emmin, wool is not cheap, knitting and crochet here, but they do make warm clothing and blanket's.

mardatha

Not cheap but very very good stuff, wool.

DigForVictory

Of all the fun with fibre, if you really want to disconcert, take up nalbinding - one simple blunt needle, scraps of lengths of fibre & suddenly living history buffs are pretty much on both knees before you pleading for Period Authentic Socks...

Since I am atrocious at crochet & haven't really figured the whole "two loops over a thumb, tuck the needle through & pull" (it really is that simple, just for some reason I end up with the most impressive Celtic Knots & shocked onlookers who hadn't realised I deliver First Aid to Rugby players & the vocab is infectious....) I tend to gift needles & wool to friends who can. Having a research historian who can convert bones into soup or needles is wonderful.

I stay with him for the food, not least as it took me two years to get the nerve & voom together to knit a period authentic Monmouth hat. Which looks like almost any other beanie til you realise the wool comes from rare sheep breed (indeed on occasions I have known the name of the relevant donor sheep) and that it is washed pretty much under armed guard. (It was knitted on five wooden needles to reduce wool's escapist tendencies but I share your irritation thereat!)

I agree, spinning it yourself is probably more cost effective than buying ready-spun yarn just for me the whole frustrating bit includes language profoundly unbecoming unless you have a dislocated knee. Exactly why himself made me a proper cage distaff & even found advice on how to load it remains something of a puzzle. I suppose I should get around to trying to use it some day, ideally before the cage dowels dry out to friable. The lanolin of the fleece should stop that happening, but I've been remiss....