2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

skogar

Pip and  Laura,

Many thanks for the tips on the wrist warmers and fingerless mittens and for the obvious (now you've mentioned it but  would I have  thought  of it) advice to try it on. I will give that a go.

My earliest proper things were scarves and were OK but as they were teddy bear scarves they were only small and the teddy bears weren't too critical. i remember dish cloths as well. Not very exciting - a hat would have been much nicer. At the speed I knitted then I think a full size scarf would never have been finished.

Cherryfudge

As a teenager I could knit and wanted to learn to crochet but I could only work out how to do chain so I made a long chain then went back along it with another chain, and so on over and over using three balls of wool so there was a lengthwise stripe. It made a very satisfactory scarf (with a pompom on each end as I could do pompoms), which I still have.
Now that I know a bit more crochet I can't see myself being so patient again!

TwibbleDee

Cherryfudge said:

As a teenager I could knit and wanted to learn to crochet but I could only work out how to do chain so I made a long chain then went back along it with another chain, and so on over and over using three balls of wool so there was a lengthwise stripe. It made a very satisfactory scarf (with a pompom on each end as I could do pompoms), which I still have.
Now that I know a bit more crochet I can't see myself being so patient again!

I couldn't read in the car without getting car sick, so I'd take a skein of yarn and finger crochet it...then take THAT chain and finger crochet it...and then take THAT chain and finger crochet it.  You'd have thought I was practicing to be able to escape from prison or something.  Never did figure out out to make anything out of crochet.  

Cherryfudge

TwibbleDee said:

I couldn't read in the car without getting car sick, so I'd take a skein of yarn and finger crochet it...then take THAT chain and finger crochet it...and then take THAT chain and finger crochet it.  You'd have thought I was practicing to be able to escape from prison or something.  Never did figure out out to make anything out of crochet.  

I had some time off work with a broken arm and a very patient friend taught me. It's not easy to start but once you have the muscle memory (and a handy guide to basic stitches) it seems much faster than knitting. The problem then becomes finding a home for all the results.
What did you do with all your crocheted chains of chains, @TwibbleDee? Or do you still have them in case you need to sneak over the perimeter fence at some point?

Laura_Elsewhere

I love knitting and crochet, but rarely use them for similar things, so for me it isn't about whether one is faster or not. 

I use crochet more for lace than for anything like gloves or hats or jumpers. 

I couldn't knit these little bookmarks, about an inch and a half across, or the lace!

PipneyJane

I have crocheted a couple of jumpers and, no, they didn't involve Granny Squares.  They grew quite fast.  While the fabric was thicker thank knitting, they weren't heavy or stiff.  Both were from The Australian Wool Corporation Crochet Book (Rav link).  The first had a front and back panel with batwing sides and sleeves.  I learned a major lesson about checking gauge in the process, since my batwings were not wide enough to match the body.  (It was very 1980's.)  The other was more successful and, in the book, is styled for a man but was worn by me for years until my ex-husband ruined it.  Sadly, there aren't pictures available of either jumpers that I made. 

A few years ago (2008), I frogged the first jumper and knitted the cardigan that I'm wearing today, the Must Have Cardigan designed by Patons.  Here's a close-up:

And here's a picture of me wearing it, with the knitting designer Annie Modesitt.  I did one of her classes.


- Pip

Cherryfudge

Laura, those are exquisite, and PipneyJane, I would have such fun doing that but it would take a very long time to get past the first repeat of the pattern!

TwibbleDee

Cherryfudge said:

TwibbleDee said:

I couldn't read in the car without getting car sick, so I'd take a skein of yarn and finger crochet it...then take THAT chain and finger crochet it...and then take THAT chain and finger crochet it.  You'd have thought I was practicing to be able to escape from prison or something.  Never did figure out out to make anything out of crochet.  

I had some time off work with a broken arm and a very patient friend taught me. It's not easy to start but once you have the muscle memory (and a handy guide to basic stitches) it seems much faster than knitting. The problem then becomes finding a home for all the results.
What did you do with all your crocheted chains of chains, @TwibbleDee? Or do you still have them in case you need to sneak over the perimeter fence at some point?

Unraveled them so I could do it again!  The handy thing about that kind of chain is you just pull to unravel the whole thing.

Cherryfudge

TwibbleDee said:

Cherryfudge said:

What did you do with all your crocheted chains of chains, @TwibbleDee? Or do you still have them in case you need to sneak over the perimeter fence at some point?

Unraveled them so I could do it again!  The handy thing about that kind of chain is you just pull to unravel the whole thing.

The perfect solution!  

PipneyJane

(Damn.  The iPad ate my post.)

@Laura_Elsewhere, your crochet is lovely.

On crochet, the difference in “stitches” is really just a matter of how many times you wrap the yarn around your hook.  I never remember, so a good glossary is vital.  The way you hold your hook and yarn also matters.  I’m left handed, but I use the same holds as a right handed person - the only difference is a right handed will move their hook to wrap the yarn around it, while I’ll move my yarn.  This is the hold I use.  (Now the damn thing won’t let me link to the photo on Reddit, so I’ve stolen it.)



- Pip