2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Cherryfudge

Sums done, I think I have 51 coupons left so I'm off to update my signature and not buy any more yarn .

thriftwizard

Hmm - I may have spent all the next 5 years' coupons in one fell swoop; I've won a large box of yarn at the auction. Yes, it's pre-owned, but most of it is still in its original packaging. DD2 has taken up knitting blankets... I will also use some of it, because it's the ideal stuff when I'm demonstrating tri-loom weaving (James Brett's Marble Chunky, about 10 of the large balls in 2 different colourways) but there are also two bags of Drops yarns, and some Jamiesons, as well as an absolute rainbow of Paintbox acrylics. So pre-owned, but basically new - do I cough up my coupons, or not?

Looking forward to seeing that skirt, @Laura_Elsewhere; I still haven't cut out my trousers, as my grandson has finally put in an appearance, and is absolutely gorgeous, but his parents are in shreds after a pretty traumatic birth. So we're running meals down to them, etc. etc. until they're feeling a little more up to coping, plus the wider family are all turning up here to inspect the new arrival. Currently looking after DS1's dachshund whilst they've gone to see the baby; not the moment to crawl around the floor with fabric, paper & scissors!

PollyWollyDoodle

Congratulations on your new grandson, @thriftwizard, I hope everyone soon recovers. Thank you for posting about the soap, diminua, that was really interesting and I’m pleased to hear that I’m not the only one who doesn’t use the “recommended” amount of detergent.

I’ve never counted how many washes I get out of a box, but it’s certainly more than the manufacturers say. I use a cut down milk carton as a scoop and just eyeball the amount of powder. My clothes always seem perfectly clean to me! I don’t use washing soda but when I was turning out the cupboards I found a box of water softening tablets, and I add one of those to machine each time.

Cherryfudge

Congratulations on becoming a grandma, @thriftwizard! How lovely. I hope the parents recover quickly and can enjoy him too.

The auction buy sounds to me like second hand - after all if someone bought a ball of yarn too many and donated the surplus, unused, to charity, I think it would still count as second hand, wouldn't it? And here you are saving the yarn from landfill or spare-bedroom-fill or wherever it would otherwise have gone.

If it were brand new I'm sure it would have been more expensive, and I also note you say 'most of it' is as new, so some isn't, and you bought it as one lot, so part of the lot is unequivocally pre-owned.

Liverpool_Anne

@Thriftwizard, congratulations on the new arrival
I agree with Cherryfudge, sounds like second hand to me so no coupons but I'm sure Pip will correct us if we are wrong. I had to google tri loom weaving it looks very interesting but I wonder what you make with it? I can see a large one making a shawl but what do you make from the smaller pieces?
@Laura_Elsewhere, I have taken your advice re soaking over night in soda crystals, diluted obviously, to remove stains etc since the wardrobe disaster and the results are amazing. I can't thank you enough for that piece of advice.
On another topic I recently watched a utube thing about blocking knitting and crochet work and the demonstrator was using a steam iron. I have no idea what the yarn was but I was a bit concerned about the effect this would have on wool, so how do you block something that is made from wool?
Take care everyone

Nonnadiluca

Belated thanks to @Laura_Elsewhere for the suggestion to use Fabsil on my formerly non-waterproof raincoat; I have worn it in torrential downpours and stayed lovely and dry and am so pleased to have extended the life of something I really like. I've also ordered some segs for my much loved boots - I've had them for eight years and want to keep them going for as long as possible, so another 'thank you' from me!
Re washing powder, I use a 1/4 cup measure and a large box lasts for ages. I also put a shake of soda crystals in with the powder with whites or anything stained and a small capful of white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner,( I hate the stuff, apart from anything else, the smell is overwhelming and I like my clothes to smell of nothing except fresh air), clean clothes and a clean washing machine, what's not to like?
Three new bras and five pairs of knickers to declare, I'll do the sums and update my signature in a bit.

diminua

Congratulations @thriftwizard - very exciting news. 

Thank you everyone for the soap powder suggestions - it was more bad planning than anything else, but I suspect I can cut down the amount of soap powder I use too - I've always just used what they say on the box, which from other comments here is probably more than needed.

And next time I need more I'll investigate online before I run out too.  

I do have washing soda - but I only run it through the machine on an empty wash every so often to clean it. I'll add a touch to the wash and cut back on the soap and see how it goes. 

The box I have should see me for 37 washes - so hopefully I'll be back in the black soonish. 

Laura_Elsewhere

@thriftwizard, congrats on the GS arriving, and my ginfers are frimly scrosed for everyone recovering asap... 

The needlecord has got as far as being spread out on the stripped bed, so now all I have to do is have the courage to go ahead and cut it out  

Let me know what Drops and Jamieson's you have, if those are likely to be sold onwards...  

Also, in the event of My Intended and I nipping down to your near vicinity for a day-trip to see close family later this year, would you be interested were I to sort out yarn and fabric I don't want? there wouldn't be tons of it, but I'm rubbish at these things so I'd much rather give it to you to sell than just dump it on a charity shop! 

PipneyJane

@diminua re washing powder/soap rations, we buy the big "140 wash" 9.1kg box. Like someone else in this thread - sorry, I forget who - I write the date I opened the box on the side, together with a note about how long its predecessor lasted.  The current box was opened in February 2020.  The previous box lasted 13 months.  We usually do at least 4 washes a week. My soap measure is a plastic half-cup measure which lost its handle.  We normally half fill that, maybe a bit more if a wash is extremely dirty.  The only time I ever use a full measure is for a really dirty towel wash.   We have extremely hard water.

@Cherryfudge - what @Laura_Elsewhere said re socks for our troops/Covid-warriors.

@thriftwizard - congratulations re your new grandson!  That box of yarn is definitely second hand, so do not hand over your hard-won coupons to that Spivv from the auction house.  He's having you on.

@Liverpool_Anne - pressing/steam blocking pure wool is fine.  If the yarn is acrylic or nylon it may melt!  The reason you are advised to use a pressing cloth when ironing pure wool fabric is that, if you don't, you may end up with a shine on the surface directly in contact with the iron, which will look like a stain/discolouration when viewed from a distance. Does it come out?  I don't know. (We wore woollen skirts at school.  You could always tell who'd sat directly on the big, old, cast-iron radiators at lunchtime.)

Guess what just arrived?  My birthday was last week and DH bought me an adjustable dress-form!  I am fighting the urge to play with it.

- Pip (I really must get back to work.)


PS:  @Liverpool_Anne, I rarely knit with anything that isn't 75% wool or more.  I always knit a test-swatch and wash it the way that I intend to wash the garment.  (Normally on a wool cycle in the washing machine.)  I'll dry the swatch flat before working out my tension.  The only time I have ever had a problem is when I have handwashed or soaked items in Eucalan.  After using Eucalan, anything that is machine washed is guaranteed to shrink and felt.  Seriously the stuff should come with a health warning.  I had two jumpers; the second knitted from the leftovers from the other.  I wash the first in the washing machine on a wool cycle and have done for years.  Never had a problem.  The second, I washed by hand in Eucalan.  (Why? I don't remember.)  Anyway, the next time I washed it, I threw it in the washing machine with some other woollen items.  It shrank by a third and had woollen fibres shedding from the surface.  Same yarn; same sized needles; only difference was Eucalan.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Long time lurker here 🙂 Only posting because I think Nonnadiluca has robbed herself of a coupon 😉 66-10=56?