2020 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere

Waaaah, it ate my reply! My laptop went dead because I forgot to plug it in when I brought it back through from the kitchen, dammit! It was a lovely long answer, too...  ah well! 

The main thing is to take a good long hard look at the jumper and decide how much the stain affects how much/whether you still wear it. If it only bothers you a bit, maybe try brooches  

If it bothers you so much the jumper is hardly worn or never worn, then you have nothing much to lose and can try some things that may get the stain out but may also affect the texture of the jumper. I'd stay well away from any bleach, even the peroxidase ones, though. 

I'd start with soaking it for 48 hours, inside-out, just barely-tepid tapwater ie cold tapwater with just enough hot to take the cold-edge off it. Room-temp tapwater, basically! After 48 hours, work the fabric with your fingers, rub a little on the wrong side, is the stain reducing at all? 

If it is, then just keep soaking for an hour or so then gently rubbing on the wrong side (you don't want to rub the right side or it will give you a fluffed-up patch that will never quite sit right). Repeat for as long as you can stand til the stain is reduced. 

If it seems not to make any difference then I would try diluting some lemon juice, one part juice to 3 or 4 parts water, and use that to saturate the wet stain. Let it sit half an hour and see if manipulating the fabric with your fingers results in any of the stain coming out. 

If still no joy, rinse it well and then try milk - literally just empty a couple of pints of milk into a bucket and submerge the jumper - you may need to dilute the milk a bit to submerge the whole thing but you don' want to use any of these things only on the stained area (the lemon juice is only for half an hour and on already-soaked jumper) as you could then end up with a weird paler patch or blotch or even diluting the stain outwards so you get a pale middle but a tomato-coloured ring... 

If you have a garden you could try hanging it out on the line, so that the stained area gets the maximum daylight for a week or more, but obviously that's none too good long-term for the fibres. 

With any stain, once it's dried, it's a balancing act between things that will remove the stain, and things that will damage the fibres... 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

Waaaah, it ate my reply! My laptop went dead because I forgot to plug it in when I brought it back through from the kitchen, dammit! It was a lovely long answer, too...  ah well! 

The main thing is to take a good long hard look at the jumper and decide how much the stain affects how much/whether you still wear it. If it only bothers you a bit, maybe try brooches  

If it bothers you so much the jumper is hardly worn or never worn, then you have nothing much to lose and can try some things that may get the stain out but may also affect the texture of the jumper. I'd stay well away from any bleach, even the peroxidase ones, though. 

I'd start with soaking it for 48 hours, inside-out, just barely-tepid tapwater ie cold tapwater with just enough hot to take the cold-edge off it. Room-temp tapwater, basically! After 48 hours, work the fabric with your fingers, rub a little on the wrong side, is the stain reducing at all? 

If it is, then just keep soaking for an hour or so then gently rubbing on the wrong side (you don't want to rub the right side or it will give you a fluffed-up patch that will never quite sit right). Repeat for as long as you can stand til the stain is reduced. 

If it seems not to make any difference then I would try diluting some lemon juice, one part juice to 3 or 4 parts water, and use that to saturate the wet stain. Let it sit half an hour and see if manipulating the fabric with your fingers results in any of the stain coming out. 

If still no joy, rinse it well and then try milk - literally just empty a couple of pints of milk into a bucket and submerge the jumper - you may need to dilute the milk a bit to submerge the whole thing but you don' want to use any of these things only on the stained area (the lemon juice is only for half an hour and on already-soaked jumper) as you could then end up with a weird paler patch or blotch or even diluting the stain outwards so you get a pale middle but a tomato-coloured ring... 

If you have a garden you could try hanging it out on the line, so that the stained area gets the maximum daylight for a week or more, but obviously that's none too good long-term for the fibres. 

With any stain, once it's dried, it's a balancing act between things that will remove the stain, and things that will damage the fibres... 

Thank you, Laura. You are a genius! Since the white has also gone a little grey all over, I think I will try soaking it milk, when fresh milk becomes more readily available.  (Seriously, all our local shops are selling out of fresh milk fast.). How long should I soak it in milk?  And do I put it in thoroughly wet, or is it OK to put it in dry? 

The stain is at the bottom of one of the diamonds formed by the crossing cables, the first one down from the neck, dead centre on the upper chest.  It’s the wrong place to put a brooch. 

If milk doesn’t work, then it’ll have to be a long soak in water and lemon juice.  However, I will try milk first.  You’ve brought back a memory from when I was a secretary, in the firm that trained me as an accountant:  on the partners’ floors we had coffee areas to make fresh tea/coffee for clients.  They consisted of a cupboard of clean crockery, with the kettle/coffee machine on top and a crate for the dirty dishes.  There was a sink on the far side, but it was tiny and really only for filling up the kettle/coffee machine and emptying out cups.  In front was a rug, because the carpet underneath was permanently bleached from spots of spilt milk.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

I think with milk being so mild, you could probably put it in dry - you could dilute the milk a bit to make it go further...? 

I'm fascinated by the carpet at your old office having bleached spots from milk splashes - it's a very "lost laundry secret" technique, isn't it?! I learnt about it from historical housekeeping research - it was one of the ways to get linen whiter in the pre-bleach days, dipping it in milk then sun-drying it, then dipping it in milk, repeatedly... 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I think with milk being so mild, you could probably put it in dry - you could dilute the milk a bit to make it go further...? 

I'm fascinated by the carpet at your old office having bleached spots from milk splashes - it's a very "lost laundry secret" technique, isn't it?! I learnt about it from historical housekeeping research - it was one of the ways to get linen whiter in the pre-bleach days, dipping it in milk then sun-drying it, then dipping it in milk, repeatedly... 

I knew you’d have an answer!  One of these days, you must tell us about the how’s-when’s-and-why’s of your historical housekeeping research.  How long a soak do you recommend?  Should I let it dry in or wash out well first?  And do I risk drying it out in the sun?  (Assuming the weather stays good.)

Sadly, I worked in that office in the mid-1990’s so prior to everyone carrying a camera in their pocket, in the form of a phone, or I’d have taken photos.  I have virtually no photos from that time of my life.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

PipneyJane said:

Laura_Elsewhere said:

I think with milk being so mild, you could probably put it in dry - you could dilute the milk a bit to make it go further...? 

I'm fascinated by the carpet at your old office having bleached spots from milk splashes - it's a very "lost laundry secret" technique, isn't it?! I learnt about it from historical housekeeping research - it was one of the ways to get linen whiter in the pre-bleach days, dipping it in milk then sun-drying it, then dipping it in milk, repeatedly... 

I knew you’d have an answer!  One of these days, you must tell us about the how’s-when’s-and-why’s of your historical housekeeping research.  How long a soak do you recommend?  Should I let it dry in or wash out well first?  And do I risk drying it out in the sun?  (Assuming the weather stays good.)

Sadly, I worked in that office in the mid-1990’s so prior to everyone carrying a camera in their pocket, in the form of a phone, or I’d have taken photos.  I have virtually no photos from that time of my life.

- Pip

Oh, it started with 1640s re-enactment and I just wanted to know "says who?" about everything I was told... all those "they all did X" or "everyone in the olden days did Y..." kinds of things. So I got into a habit of searching for original sources where possible, so for knitting needles I ended up tracing back UK archaeological small-finds all the way back to mediaeval York and the copper knitting double-pointed needles found there, and subsequent bronze and brass ones! Everyone was using heavy 4mm or bigger wooden ones because of some idea that most things were made of wood, so I got some brass ones made by a friend and got endless hassle over them... that kind of thing made me more stubborn. When I was told stale urine was used for bleaching linen, you can guess what comes next...!!!! But a student who worked for a water company told me that once the organic elements in urine decompose, over about three weeks, what is left is effectlvely a weak solution of ammonia, so yes, it would bleach cloth a little, and certainly be an effective de-greaser for laundering!  And the awful multi-storey-car-park-stairs smell goes by then too... 

The jumper, I'd leave it in for a few hours and check it - I don't think I'd risk drying it or sunning it - the problem is your yarn has acrylic as well as wool, and whilst I know a bit about how wool behaves I really don't know if acrylic will be okay with sun-bleaching... so many things turn white things yellow, so...! Just go slowly and keep checking, I think. 

dolly84

Pip, if your stain removal doesn't work would a little scarf knotted or in a scarf ring cover the stain?

basketcase

Laura - you're a woman after my own heart!  I was once prescribed Mills & Boon by my GP as the only books I was allowed to read for a fortnight.  I tried my best for something else.  "Agatha Christie?" "You'd try to work out whodunnit."  "Historical novels?" "You'd just have to check the facts. M&B. Take it or leave it." (He knew me well...) Fast forward a couple of weeks. "How did the reading go?" "Fine, thanks. You know, there's a pattern to these books." "So much for a gradual return to speed. I give up. Read what you like!"

Anyway, to stains. I was going to suggest milk too.  As you say, a lost laundry technique. My mother used to use it for stain removal. It works on ink too, but better if you catch it fresh.

If all else fails, Pip, you could try washing up liquid.  But not an antibac one because I think they've got bleach in. (For some reason I don't think you'd use one though).

Just thinking, at the moment it's probably easier to get hold of washing up liquid than it is to get fresh milk!

skogar

PipneyJane - What a lovely jumper. I'm afraid I am very much a beginner and to knit something as lovely as that is completely beyond me. I hope you manage to get the stain out. I had an idea which is probably terrible but as you are an experienced knitter you might be able to tell if it would work or not. Do you have any of the same wool left or something of a similar colour you could use. There's a way that you can sew a pattern onto a jumper so it looks like its knitted - I've seen it called duplicate stitch. Could you do that over the top of the stain. Maybe it would be too thick or maybe it wouldn't work if it is on the fancy part of the pattern. Maybe you could strand the wool to make it thinner? Sorry for the vagueness.

Laura_Elsewhere

skogar said:

PipneyJane - What a lovely jumper. I'm afraid I am very much a beginner and to knit something as lovely as that is completely beyond me. I hope you manage to get the stain out. I had an idea which is probably terrible but as you are an experienced knitter you might be able to tell if it would work or not. Do you have any of the same wool left or something of a similar colour you could use. There's a way that you can sew a pattern onto a jumper so it looks like its knitted - I've seen it called duplicate stitch. Could you do that over the top of the stain. Maybe it would be too thick or maybe it wouldn't work if it is on the fancy part of the pattern. Maybe you could strand the wool to make it thinner? Sorry for the vagueness.

That's a brilliant idea! 

If you think like that, you'll be able to knit a jumper like that, believe me. 

Laura_Elsewhere

I feel very much like I might have done in wartime in this situation...

My chap asked me to marry him, and I said yes.

So I am sporting my late Gran's 1933 ring, grinning like a mad thing, and realising that although I still have lots of coupons (must update my signature as I did spend some), of course I'm in the equivalent situation of not being able to go and buy anything I like in the shops...! 

I have absolutely no idea when, but probably next winter, not before November, assuming we're all spared, as the old ladies of my Calvinist East-Scotland childhood used to say! I don't know, November to February, maybe? Probably? perhaps?

And no idea what to wear... let alone where to buy or what to make or anything!  

But very smiley...