2019 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Dental check-up today (no fillings this time, Mum! Ting!) so I went and spent two coupons very deliberately and enjoyably in Ippikin, in Much Wenlock, on 100g of utterly gorgeous undyed cream 'Devonia'4-ply, which is a blend of various good breeds. I may dye some, but it is one of those really rich gorgeous colours of "pale sheep" so I may use it as it is, as the contrast to another yarn.

I haven't docked my last 50g, 1 coupon, so I need to dock 3 coupons off, which should leave me with a startling 16.5 coupons still to go - and at no point have I felt deprived this year! I am amazed that I haven't run into problems...

I am just that much more picky about yarn, fabric, clothing - something has to be really nice to justify spending my precious coupons on it!

Devonia is a beautiful yarn, Laura. What is your plan for it? I'm impressed by your restraint. I'd be buying a jumper's worth, 3-4 skeins.

catherine/kate wrote: »

Thank you for the welcome!

I think I do follow the "capsule wardrobe" principle and am perhaps worrying unnecessarily about the future! I usually wear dress, cardigan, tights, and I have enough dresses for the foreseeable future (providing I stay the same size). I just find it hard to find good quality cardigans that don't sit oddly on my skinny figure - Primark are the best fit, but generally terrible quality (although I do have a few that have worn very well).

I will be reading along but probably not posting very much in the near future.

Hi Catherine/Kate. Can we call you Kate??

Have you had a look at John Lewis' classic cashmere cardigans? Yes, they are very expensive but if they fit you well, then they'd be worth it because they last for years. They wear really well. It can be hard to find them in store, but they always have them on the website.

(I have been building up my collection of them over the years. I currently have black, pale grey and navy. Next year, I'll add dark red.)

- Pip

PipneyJane

thriftwizard wrote: »

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.

I realise that we've not addressed the question of what to pay for spinning fibre...

I can't find anything that says fleece was rationed. The only references I can find are to people plucking raw fleece out of hedgerows and spinning it. The assumption must be that fleece was unavailable and/or that home spinning was so uncommon, it wasn't considered necessary to ration the fleece for it.

I'm happy not to ration fleece.

- Pip

PipneyJane

lykkelig wrote: »

The Spencer pattern is too small for me but it has ignited a wish to investigate making something similar for either the tail end of this winter or next winter. My knowledge of fine, skin appropriate yarns is non existent so I'm hoping you could help me when I get to that stage.

Resizing a pattern isn't as difficult or as daunting as it might appear at first. We can help you with the maths. It all starts with knitting a tension square/gauge swatch....

Here's the crib sheet version, that I originally posted on the wartime recipes thread:-

Knit a 6 inch swatch in pattern. Wash it. When dry, count the stitches and rows per inch, so that you have your tension. Look at the tension given in the pattern: how many stitches/rows to the inch are they stating? Did you get it? If not, try again with a smaller or larger needle. If you don’t get tension, then all your measurements will be out or you have to do a whole lot more maths.

Say the pattern’s tension is 7 stitches to the inch. How many stitches does the pattern state you need after the ribbed waistband for the back? Say it’s 124 stitches. 124 divided by 7 is 17.7 inches, so that jumper is probably sized for a 34 or 36 inch bust, depending on whether it is worn with negative or standard ease. How many stitches aren’t there in multiples of the lace or cable pattern? Let’s say there are 12 stitches per multiple. Now measure yourself: waist and bust. Say you get 40 inches, which equates to 20 inches per side. 20 x 7 = 140 st but to get a complete multiple of the pattern, you’ll need 144 stitches.

To determine how many stitches to cast on for the ribbed welt: read the pattern. How many fewer stitches does it say to use for your cast on than for the main pattern? 10? 12? None? Say it says to cast on 112 st on the smaller needle and then to rib for 2 inches before increasing by 12 stitches and changing your needle to work the main body of the pattern. Then you’d cast on 12 stitches fewer for your rib (128 st in this example) than you need for the body of the pattern.

Now you can knit your jumper with a wider body than the original. Follow all the increases and decreases stated in your pattern. When you get to divide for the neck and shoulders, you have a choice of keeping to the original shoulder seam and making the neck wider or making the shoulder seam a bit wider +/- modifying the neck width. Just make a note of what you decide to do so that you can ensure the other shoulder seams all match up.

Knit the sleeves and armholes according to the pattern. Job done.

- Pip

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

I got my monthly sewing subscription box yesterday and as soon as I opened it I knew that I was going to make some pyjamas out of it. My current winter ones are starting to wear through. I have also washed some fabric from my stash to make a top to use for Christmas occasions and I have decided to make a pinafore dress out of some unusual reversible fabric I have in my stash. Whether I will have the time to do all this before the end of the year I really couldn't say but its nice to finely have some inspiration to make use of what you do have. As to my wool stash I have decided to concentrate on using that up before buying any more and I am making hats, jackets and blankets for premature babies. Its nice to know that it can be used to benefit somebody. Although I don't like winter it is good to be able to sit down and do crafting without feeling guilty about wasting good weather.

Betharooni

Hi all

I have been reading through this thread and it seems like a good one for me. I am not going to fully take part for the rest of the year (as have got a few things I need to get between now and the end of the year that would probably take me wildly over allotted coupons) and will be more of a lurker and have subscribed to alerts but would like to get fully on board next year.

I’m a knitter and am teaching myself how to dressmake but I think that the knowledge and experience you all seem to have on all things knitting and sewing related would be invaluable! I knit my own jumpers but have never knitted socks so am incredibly interested in trying them in the near future.

Crafty Lisa Hampshire - sorry to be nosy but where do you get the monthly sewing subscription box from and how much is it??

thriftwizard

I'm happy not to ration fleece.

- Pip

Yippee! But - I must not buy more fleece, I must not buy any more fleece...

Bra & leggings have been ordered online, along with DS3's Christmas present, as requested, from a certain High St. store. 7 more coupons given up! In the end, I went for a black bra, on the grounds that I might be able to use it again if I don't attach the embellishments too securely! It won't be that visible anyway, just a glimpse. Now I just need a couple of pairs of navy blue tights, but I'm under the impression that I do already own some; I wonder which girl has "borrowed" them...?

Laura_Elsewhere

thriftwizard wrote: »

Yippee! But - I must not buy more fleece, I must not buy any more fleece...

For a bizarre few minutes I was baffled by why the vilely-polluting fleece fabric wouldn't be rationed...!

Then I realised you meant fleece, sheep-fleece, real and actual fleecy fleece!

Yes, I think it's obvious that you simply go out each morning plucking the hedgerows and get it that way, coupon-free

Laura_Elsewhere

Betharooni wrote: »

Hi all

I have been reading through this thread and it seems like a good one for me. I am not going to fully take part for the rest of the year (as have got a few things I need to get between now and the end of the year that would probably take me wildly over allotted coupons) and will be more of a lurker and have subscribed to alerts but would like to get fully on board next year.

I’m a knitter and am teaching myself how to dressmake but I think that the knowledge and experience you all seem to have on all things knitting and sewing related would be invaluable! I knit my own jumpers but have never knitted socks so am incredibly interested in trying them in the near future.

Crafty Lisa Hampshire - sorry to be nosy but where do you get the monthly sewing subscription box from and how much is it??

Welcome! I reckon lurking before you join is fine - I jumped straight in last year and went wildly all over the place, lost track, started again at half-way with 33 points and STILL ended up buying on the black market by November...!

This year, I've managed a bit better - I kind of resent wasting my coupons, so I subject possible purchases to pretty severe questioning as to its intentions before letting it in!

Laura_Elsewhere

PipneyJane wrote: »

Devonia is a beautiful yarn, Laura. What is your plan for it? I'm impressed by your restraint. I'd be buying a jumper's worth, 3-4 skeins.


- Pip

It was £16 a skein, so right at the very top end of my budget!!

But also, I'm now not buying yarn unless I have a specific project, except for single skeins and even then... this yarn will become socks, I am pretty sure.

I have a plan this month to empty the yarn stocks and weigh the lot and compute the total weight. Then my yarn is going on a strict diet
Fabric can watch and quake, as it will be slimming itself down next year...

I am guessing, but I expect my yarn weighs a good fifty kilos. It fills a deep double cupboard to bursting, three large storage boxes and a number of bags and other boxes. This is a very tiny flat...

Betharooni

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Welcome! I reckon lurking before you join is fine - I jumped straight in last year and went wildly all over the place, lost track, started again at half-way with 33 points and STILL ended up buying on the black market by November...!

This year, I've managed a bit better - I kind of resent wasting my coupons, so I subject possible purchases to pretty severe questioning as to its intentions before letting it in!

Thanks Laura. Am reading through last year’s challenge at the moment and have already read through this year’s one.

Am aiming to go through my clothes in my wardrobe and chest of drawers and separate out the items that are currently too small and store them somewhere else. Will be trying to lose some weight so won’t get rid of these items at the moment but have very little idea of what I have that fits me other than the items that I wear all the time so would be nice to gain some additional items to consistently wear.