2021 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Gem-gem

Thank you @Skogar for all your wonderful ideas and tips. I visited a friend who does lots of knitting / crocheting and we were looking at smaller projects that I could start with - I like the idea of knitting arm warmers, headband and hat. I could make them in the same wool as the wrap. The wrap was using a Rowan pattern. 

Bought three crocheted mice off my friend for a nephews first Christmas present.

Yesterday, I finished my first crossed stitch project, only a very small owl - I make it into a card. I am going to repeat it as I have enough thread to make a second one. 

PipneyJane

@Laura_Elsewhere - yes.  “Anchored knitting” was what I was thinking about when I suggested different knitting styles to @prepareathome.  However, knowing now that her pain is caused by MS, it may have nothing to do with individual movements and be positional.  Nerves are weird like that.  

@prepareathome I am sorry about the MS.  Hopefully, you don’t have many other symptoms.  (One of my favourite patients, Dean, had MS.  It affected his voice.  However, you always knew if Dean wanted/needed something.  He thought so hard that we reckoned he’d developed telepathy.)

@Gem-gem Congratulations for only being a couple of coupons over.  66 coupons isn’t a lot to spend and it’s easy to blow the lot in a shopping spree and then regret everything afterwards.  <hangs head in shame>  In 2018, I ended up spending over 100 coupons.  The wool fumes got to me. </ hangs head in shame >. I’m guarding my last 10 coupons and desperately trying not to spend them.

@Liverpool_Anne I agree re a baseline blood test.  Another one I’d do for every woman is Ca125.  This version of calcium increases in ovarian cancer so having a baseline would be useful.  Once a diagnosis of ovarian cancer is made, CA125 is monitored on every hospital visit.

- Pip



ETA:  I’ve tidied up the formatting of my previous post.  Don’t know why the paragraph formatting didn’t appear.

CapricornLass

Good evening, everyone!  Glad to read that everyone is ok, and especially for Liverpool Annie - you must be so relieved that your husband is back home.

The Imperial War Museum state that the number of coupons actually dropped to 24 coupons for eight months in 1945-1946.  Just imagine trying to survive on 3 coupons a month!

Here is a picture of some of the sashiko that I did on my jeans.  The Japanese do it so that all the stitches are beautifully straight and even....  I'm afraid mine can only be described as functional!

prepareathome

PipneyJane said:

@prepareathome I am sorry about the MS.  Hopefully, you don’t have many other symptoms.  (One of my favourite patients, Dean, had MS.  It affected his voice.  However, you always knew if Dean wanted/needed something.  He thought so hard that we reckoned he’d developed telepathy.)

Sadly any repetitive movement sets it off so it was taking me so long to even do a hat that is why I gave up - still have a jumper I started about 15 years ago that every so often I dig out and do some, I doubt I will finish it but at least gives me something but its 4py so not fast (had forgotten about it and just remembered now as not touched it for about two years). 

My voice will vanish at times but so far, it's always come back eventually, same with most things except bladder and the pain - I am lucky MS is mild compared to many.  doctors told me it may never put me in a wheelchair or it could suddenly.  I was unable to walk about 20 years ago but thankfully with lots of physio exercises I got it back after about 3 years There are some scary times but on the whole, I count myself very lucky.   I have had it so long it something I have accepted and adapted to the limitations. 

I have just bought a cheap embroidery frame as gave mine away when I gave away my cross-stitch items but dogs have torn a rather expensive double cotton flat bedsheet that I only bought earlier this year and don't want to just patch it but darn it but too big for me just to sew without a frame these days.  Its L shaped and about 4ins each side so patch would be massive and likely rub.  Will not rush it and if it doesn't work just out cost of a frame which a few times I wish I had had for smaller sewing things and told myself off for giving all mine away.

Oh yes wanted to ask are we including bedding in rations as I know they were rationed as well or is it just personal items.  

I did buy a pair of slippers - so 3 coupons  ( wreck them as tend to forget to change into garden shoes and they end up muddy and need washed and fall to bits after so many washes in machine, even expensive ones that say machine washable)  and a gilet  ( gone by waistcoat) 5 coupons - just a cheap fleece one as only to go under coat on really cold days when at field with dogs (didn't have fleece in and it was only £8 so buy time I bought fabric paid for delivery then the electric for sewing it would have cost far more.  Not exactly thrifty or against fast fashion but my old one is more darns than fabric as its 30 odd years old so at 65 this one is likely to be last one, I buy as no more hill walks for me sadly so didn't need anything fancy. 

Wraithlady

CapricornLass said:

Here is a picture of some of the sashiko that I did on my jeans.  The Japanese do it so that all the stitches are beautifully straight and even....  I'm afraid mine can only be described as functional!

My attempt at sashiko was even less neat than yours - but I used some very pretty variegated thread and consoled myself that the Japanese also invented the term 'wabi-sabi' which is taking delight in imperfections. I was even more consoled that I'd fixed the only pair of jeans that fitted me!

florianatwobob

A potential spend to declare of two bras so 3 coupons. Will deduct from my allocation once they arrive and I know they fit

florianatwobob

I finally got around to taking pictures of my gargoyle with his wings attached. They really did tax my brain cells!

Cherryfudge

Those wings look great, @florianatwobob, they were well worth the effort! I can't work out how you made the ribs or tendons or whatever gargoyles have... at first I assumed it was a purl row but it isn't, is it?

I'm now half way up the last sleeve of the grey jumper, have parked the blue one for now and the yarn has arrived for the baby blanket, having already come of my coupons though not yet off my signature.

florianatwobob

Thank you @Cherryfudge I honestly can’t remember which crochet stitch it was without fishing out the pattern. There were a number of relatively obscure stitches. I remember however wondering how on Earth it was going to work, but it did!

Well done with your jumper. It will be good to see it when you’re finished  

PipneyJane

Your gargoyle looks great, @florianatwobob .  I am very impressed.

@Cherryfudge - it's crochet.  To get the effect of the tendons, you can do a couple of things:-

1. Instead of crocheting through the loops at the top of a stitch, you crochet around the stem of it instead, so that the loops stand proud of the fabric.  Or
2. Crochet the main fabric.  When it is finished, work a line of slip-stitches down it, so that they attach at right angles to the main fabric.

Do the above make sense?  (This is educated guesswork.  I don't know which technique @florianatwobob used.)

HTH

- Pip