2019 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

Pip, it's an Etsy listing - only £1.80 for a PDF file! Do let us know how you get on... maybe we should have a group knitalong?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/264949121/vintage-knitting-pattern-shetland

Laura_Elsewhere

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

I could probably have managed without the new red shoes but, you know ....

We do, we do... certain items count as "essentials" and I think a gorgeous pair of red shoes might be one of those items!

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Pip, it's an Etsy listing - only £1.80 for a PDF file! Do let us know how you get on... maybe we should have a group knitalong?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/264949121/vintage-knitting-pattern-shetland

You're a star, Laura! I've bought it and added it to my (never-ending) Ravelry queue. I've also added a comment to the Ravelry pattern listing, giving the link to the pattern seller.

Count me "in" if you want to do a knitalong. I have the perfect 2-ply BFL for it.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

PipneyJane wrote: »

You're a star, Laura! I've bought it and added it to my (never-ending) Ravelry queue. I've also added a comment to the Ravelry pattern listing, giving the link to the pattern seller.

Count me "in" if you want to do a knitalong. I have the perfect 2-ply BFL for it.

- Pip

It is very tempting... BUT I do have plans for another cowl-neck cap-sleeved jumper with the New Zealand yarn my parents unearthed in October in their "suitcase full of curtains"!

(and thanks for the sympathies re my sister's "tidying" - she has been dead now for over 6 years, but she was a damaged (and damaging) alcoholic for several decades before that so a lot of pieces to pick up for years yet to come, across the whole family...)


I have three wool vests I wear next the skin - the longer the fibres the less itchy they'll be, so it may be worth talking to a local yarn shop about the length of fibres in some specialist yarns, or contacting spinners about their breed-choices for their yarns, if you have sensitivity...
There is such a thing as wool allergy, but my own belief is that a lot of people might do well to give it a careful try again (note "might", not "must"! Only a suggestion!) with good quality stuff, because you don't have to read many memoirs before finding descriptions of woollen things not rinsed well, smelling of soap and stiff as a board, and both the stiff-dried texture and the soapy-residue could cause problems... between older skimped rinsing problems, and modern shoddy short-chopped fibres, I'm not surprised people find wool uncomfortable - but *good* wool, properly prepared, worked and looked after, should be soft, gentle and wearable for lots of people who currently don't wear it!

One of my vests btw is a pink lambswool jumper I absent-mindedly shrank, so I cut off the sleeves and neckline and crocheted an edging and now have a cheerful pink vest

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

It is very tempting... BUT I do have plans for another cowl-neck cap-sleeved jumper with the New Zealand yarn my parents unearthed in October in their "suitcase full of curtains"!

Perhaps it's something we can revisit in the summer, when anything heavier than laceweight will be too hot to handle?

(and thanks for the sympathies re my sister's "tidying" - she has been dead now for over 6 years, but she was a damaged (and damaging) alcoholic for several decades before that so a lot of pieces to pick up for years yet to come, across the whole family...)

(((((((((((Big hugs and love to you, Laura.))))))))))))

I have three wool vests I wear next the skin - the longer the fibres the less itchy they'll be, so it may be worth talking to a local yarn shop about the length of fibres in some specialist yarns, or contacting spinners about their breed-choices for their yarns, if you have sensitivity...
There is such a thing as wool allergy, but my own belief is that a lot of people might do well to give it a careful try again (note "might", not "must"! Only a suggestion!) with good quality stuff, because you don't have to read many memoirs before finding descriptions of woollen things not rinsed well, smelling of soap and stiff as a board, and both the stiff-dried texture and the soapy-residue could cause problems... between older skimped rinsing problems, and modern shoddy short-chopped fibres, I'm not surprised people find wool uncomfortable - but *good* wool, properly prepared, worked and looked after, should be soft, gentle and wearable for lots of people who currently don't wear it!

One of my vests btw is a pink lambswool jumper I absent-mindedly shrank, so I cut off the sleeves and neckline and crocheted an edging and now have a cheerful pink vest

Totally agree re "wool allergy". Discovering good wool, spun from decent fibres, was a complete revelation to me in my 20's. More recently, I've fallen in love with Blue-faced Leicester, which is softer than warm butter and, to my mind, nicer to knit than cashmere. I didn't expect anything to be softer than merino but it is! (Remember, I'm an Australian. We're brought up to believe that all other woollen fibre is inferior to merino.)

Also, shoddily spun stuff often still has the guard hairs attached. Not all sheep are single coated - I believe Shetland is double coated, with guard hairs and fine wool that have to be separated.

Speaking of Shetland, it is one of those wools that softens considerably when washed, changing character. Another one like that is the Border Leicester I used in my last jumper, "Summer Jumpers are Casual". It's still awaiting buttons, so not finished-finished. (I hope to have it finished-finished and photographed on Sunday.)

- Pip

thriftwizard

Thanks, all - I am a spinner, as it happens! And I'd been assured by a doctor (long ago) that I'm allergic to lanolin, but it turns out I'm not. But I do still struggle with sheep's wool next to my skin, even in gloves or a hat, however fine or long the staple, or how carefully spun. However I'm fine with alpaca, and I do have lots of that to spin up. I do wear woolly jumpers & cardis, but I always wear cotton underneath it.

The problem with Shetland is that it's so variable; I have some that's absolutely butter-soft & so fine you can scarcely see the individual hairs. But the next fleece along, in the same flock & the same age, can be quite rough, so it pays to examine it carefully before investing in a fleece. And the really fine stuff is quite capable of felting itself in the bag when you're not looking!

I wonder whether I should pay coupons for fibre? So far this year I've bought a mere 500g of merino/silk blend, in a lovely soft heathery mauve/blue/pink colour way. I suppose that's equivalent to 10 coupons-worth of wool? Possibly minus a bit for my "work" in spinning it? Not that I have, yet! I will either crochet with the resulting yarn, or weave with it.

lykkelig

May I just pop on to say thank you for the fibre information. I have thoroughly enjoyed the last couple of pages and intend starting from the beginning tomorrow.

catherinekate

I think I may have come on earlier in the year to say Hi and I Will Try This.

So far this year I have used 64 coupons. Quite pleased although I thought it was lower until I added it up yesterday. I have been breastfeeding all year, and it could be very easy to keep buying new clothes that make feeding easier, but actually I have 8 tops and 4 skirts, and I've managed. (33 coupons have been spent on nursing-specific clothing). I have had the odd day where I can't get dressed until I've done a load of washing and dried it, but only a few!

Luckily I am now the same size as I was pre-baby otherwise things could have been tricky.

However I have been wearing some stuff that has been in the cupboards for ages, and I am wondering how much harder it will be next year when i) I may well have the temptation of being able to buy "normal" clothes again and ii) I won't have a stock of unworn slippers, cardigans, tights, and the ones I do have start to look tattier.

Do you all have big wardrobes or are you managing with a smallish pool of clothes? Is this a conversation you have had earlier in the thread?

Laura_Elsewhere

Welcome both of you, lykkelig and catherine/kate!

"Do you all have big wardrobes or are you managing with a smallish pool of clothes? Is this a conversation you have had earlier in the thread?"

Well, for me, it's a bit of both... I started with far too many clothes, and was still buying more. Last year, my first attempt at this, I spent all my coupons long before November and had to resort to the black market when buying clothes from those well-known spivs Mr Asda and Mr Sainsbury...!

This year, second time around, I've done better... I am wearing some things that I hadn't been wearing, but mostly what I learnt from last year is that I need to spend a LOT more time thinking about how long my clothes last.
I used to buy cotton long-sleeve tops from Primark a lot - I still have a whole shelf of them! But the ones I wear most are actually the older ones which are heavier cotton. The newer ones I wear much less because they're virtually see-through, and in fact are already looking tatty. My older thicker ones also look a bit tatty now - but I know that when, or if, I buy replacements then I *must* look for ones made with sturdier fabric and not the stuff that is half-worn-out at purchase!
I used to buy a lot of fabric and yarn just because I thought it was lovely or it was such a good bargain on offer, etc... now I'm trying really hard not to do that, and only buy it if I really have got genuine intentions of making a specific thing.
I've got a lot more inventive this year with using up yarns I had hung onto for years unused - so that's a useful way of getting new clothes with no coupons spent

My aim is to end up with a much much smaller wardrobe BUT made up on clothes that a) fit me much better and b) look much nicer and c) last really well.

I know new mothers got extra coupons for the baby, but I am wondering if they got extra for themselves too? I was reading my Gran's coupon books just a few weeks ago and the clothing-coupon book for the expectant Mother is very firm about looking after yourself in order to look after your baby, so maybe there was an allowance for the mother as well as infant... I wonder...

PipneyJane

Thriftwizard, lanolin allergy isn’t pleasant. I have no idea how much lanolin is removed by scouring, but it must make things hell for a spinner. (Please tell us about your spinning. What type of wheel do you have?)

Welcome Llkkelig and Catherine/Kate. I don’t have a huge wardrobe compared to some, but it’s well planned, so that I can make the most of my clothes. There’s a discussion, a few pages back, about capsule wardrobes; that’s the principle I employ.

- Pip