2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

That sounds like a great plan - test-run in simple one-yarn mode first, and then get decorative! 

With colourwork, the only things I would say is that some patterns make life harder than it needs to be... the way I knit, I only ever use one or two colours in any single round - if a pattern calls for 4 or 5, then I would choose another pattern!! And if the pattern has more than 3 or 4 stitches in one colour, then what I usually do is knit about half of them, then twist the two yarns once behind the scenes, and knit another one or two, then untwist them again to knit the others... so for knitting 5 stitches in cream, I'd knit 2, then twist and knit the 3rd still in cream but with a twist behind, then untwist, and knit the 4th and 5th - it means you don't get big long looping strands behind in the other colour being carried for ages and ages... 
The great thing about knitting is that you can experiment like anything, and just undo things and re-use the wool I wasted ten years obediently only ever following patterns precisely (and producing nothing very interesting) and then suddenly went for it and started experimenting and it's SO much more fun  

Have fun!  

Laura_Elsewhere

I've put in a big yarn order with woolwarehouse... BUT it's on Younger Niece's coupons as she;'s asked me to knit her chap some cosy warm socks, so I said I'd pay for the yarn if she used her coupons for it  

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@skogar - you can handsew the masks! I did my first one hand-sewn, no problem - jsut make sure you don't at any stage sew through ALL the layers at the front (you do sew through the layers at the side to make the channel for the loop/ties/elastic, but that's okay). 

Your knitting wool looks lovely - and remember you could always get a very very plain one and just do alternate rounds in each yarn, and it can totally change a lurid yarn to a rather subtle one. 

This is a pair of rather dull socks in a self-striping sock-yarn (not my pic, just one off the internet, but mine look just like this):

And if you do stripes with plain cream yarn, and some rounds where you do one stitch from each alternately all the way round, you get this! Totally different 'look' to the self-striping yarn! (these ones are mine - i love them!)

Those colourwork socks are lovely, @Laura_Elsewhere.  I love the heels.

@skogar, the Baa-ble hat is famous and much loved by those who have knitted it.  (I think it’s in my queue.)  Give it a go.  You’ll know soon enough if it doesn’t work with the yarn.  There’s no rule that says you can’t knit the shape and ignore the colourwork.

- Pip

keepcalmandcraft

I went shopping for the first time in ages, mainly charity shops where I picked up 2 long-sleeved tops on the 50p rail and 2 skirts on the £1 rail that I will use for crafting.  One was a faded red check and was just the fabric I wanted to make vintage Christmas decorations.  I also went to M&S as I had a voucher so spent the grand total of £4 for 2 bras and a pack of 3 tights.  (I think that's 3 coupons for the bras (equivalent to 1 x corset) and can't remember the coupons for the tights?)
I also bought a pair of shoes and a pair of boots from Clarks Outlet after it was mentioned in the MSE weekly email.  Beautiful footwear at a fraction of the normal cost but 10 coupons used.  As these are my first coupons spent this year and I carried some over from last year, I'm doing ok.

PipneyJane

@keepcalmandcraft said:

I went shopping for the first time in ages, mainly charity shops where I picked up 2 long-sleeved tops on the 50p rail and 2 skirts on the £1 rail that I will use for crafting.  One was a faded red check and was just the fabric I wanted to make vintage Christmas decorations.  I also went to M&S as I had a voucher so spent the grand total of £4 for 2 bras and a pack of 3 tights.  (I think that's 3 coupons for the bras (equivalent to 1 x corset) and can't remember the coupons for the tights?)
I also bought a pair of shoes and a pair of boots from Clarks Outlet after it was mentioned in the MSE weekly email.  Beautiful footwear at a fraction of the normal cost but 10 coupons used.  As these are my first coupons spent this year and I carried some over from last year, I'm doing ok.

You are doing really well.  By my reckoning you’ve spent 13 coupons.

As you said, a corset is the equivalent of 2 bras so 3 coupons for the two. If there’s a  question mark, it’s over the tights;  are they regular, nylon ones or thick, thermal ones?  We get 6 value packets of regular tights or stockings a year, coupon free.  If they’re the thick, thermal ones, then sadly they’re 2 coupons a pair.  (A value pack of tights or stockings is usually 4 pairs in Tesco’s or Debenhams.  I’ll assume the same for other sources.)

Ladies, if you haven’t already claimed your free tights/stockings for the year, now is the time to stock up.  We won’t always be working from home, so having a stash is worth while, and you can’t roll this benefit forward.

- Pip

skogar

Laura and Pip - Many thanks for the tips and encouragement. I think the baa-ble hat isn't too complicated as far as I can tell from the picture there only look to be 2 different colours on each line so I think it should be doable. 

Have found the first issue with the hat - thought I'd start it on circulars then switch to dpns when needed but realised that the cable I assumed was a 40cm one is actually a 60cm one - appears to be the smallest I have and its not small enough. Not done a hat on a circular before as most have been kiddies ones, at least I did order a 40cm one yesterday so will wait till it comes to start. Have also realised I'm not sure I have any 4.5mm dpns for when I get onto the top bit. I feel some more ordering coming on but as it sin't yarn no more points needed.

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - I don't wear nylons - can I use my free coupons in some way to buy the fine-wool £12-to-15-a-pair stockings that I buy very rarely and look after very very carefully? 

@skogar - there's a way of using longer cable circs to knit smaller things - look for advice or videos on "magic loop" method of knitting on circs. I use DPNs for everything  

skogar

Hi Laura, I have seen the magic loop videos and have had one very brief attempt. I had something to knit and didn't have the correct size of dpns - but I realised that like when I started using dpns I was getting issues with holes on the changes so it would take me too long to work out the new technique, so I just bought the dpns I needed instead. Using the circular needle is really me being lazy - previously the hats I have knitted have been on dpns but I think it may be faster to do what I can on circulars and then switch to dpns as needed for the bit near the top. I saw a German lady do it this way and thought I'd give it a go - playing again. Also I have realised that I will need another size of dpns for the top bit - I forgot about that - I should have ordered them at the same time.

I have had a brainwave - my Mum is always asking me what I would like for Christmas but i struggle to think of things so I have asked for a set of dpns needles which should give me some more options for sock knitting etc going forward.

Laura_Elsewhere

I had a jumper, which just gradually got a little smaller in washing (no, really, it did! I mean, I got bigger too, but it definitely got smaller as well!) 

So I've sewn velvet ribbon up the centre-front and cut the jumper and now I'm going to make some buttonholes and sew on some iridescent green-shellesque buttons and make a cardigan. 

Very Make Do & Mend!  

PipneyJane

You are brave, @Laura_Elsewhere.

@skogar, long before I had heard of the magic loop method, I used to do what I called "travelling loop", which was to randomly pull a loop of cable out of the knitting so that I could work with stitches on both my needle tips, knit until I got to the loop then randomly pull another loop out somewhere else.  Repeat ad infinitum.  Your random loop is never in the same spot twice, so you don't get any noticeably distorted stitches.  I still do this when knitting the body of jumpers in the round.

- Pip