2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

weenancyinAmerica

I gave away most of my parents' furniture to a couple from Tonga who had 5 children. I was doing fine getting rid of the smaller things - then roommates came, one who brought everything from her parents' 4 bedroom house. We still haven't gotten rid of it. Told her we have to weed it out this summer - after 12 years. Even girl friends of 3 male roommates left stuff here. And no one is well enough to walk around much less move furniture. The LDS missionaries have promised to take us on as one of their service projects. If the weather here would just stay dry - it rained this morning, we could take things out into the yard and move the boxes back in slowly as a lot of things are boxed very nicely in the old garage. The new garage is haphazard at best. Two garages 20'x25' and both full of stuff. Upstairs walk-in closet over-flowing and too many books in the living area still in boxes. It does become frightening at times. 

Gem-gem

@MrsCD, well done for finishing your lovely hexagon cardigan from last summer. The pink is a very nice shade. I would buy it if I saw it in the shop - it would go with lots of my clothes in my wardrobe. Hope you get lots of wear from it. 
 I still have my poncho to remake that I started 18 months ago! It is sitting beside the sofa looking at me. I is starting to bug me that it is still unfinished.  

alicef

@PipneyJane the yarn purchases (ahem).   I blame Susan Crawford's recent releases from the Stitch in Time vol. 3 colourwork; I've added to my Jamieson's & Smith stash. as one day I will definitely, absolutely knit 'Bobby'.  

Moving on swiftly - the reading challenge is 'Marvellous Makers'.  Our librarian will, hopefully, set out a framework!

Laura_Elsewhere

@weenancyinAmerica - I hope you do get the help- that does sound overwhelming indeed...

So far so good here- Mr E has sorted out a whole car-full to take to the tip shortly for recycling- so much stuff that we just don't need to keep. For example, the clothing cut off his son by medics after the car hit him, which needed to be kept for the courtcase (ie yes he was wearing a grey coat but it was mid-grey and would ahve shown up in headlights, not near-black as the defence argued, that kind of thing). We really don't need to keep that bundle of cut rags, esp as it was never cleaned and, well, you can imagine. But also, just a huge amopunt of Stuff... 
I'm sitting next to about eighteen external hard-drives which were already obsolete before Mr E's tech business was shut down 25 years ago... I think at the time it was too emotionally painful to make decisions, and since then it's just not been a priority... 

Lots of stuff going... 

And fish-and-chips tonight... 

PipneyJane

alicef said:

@PipneyJane the yarn purchases (ahem).   I blame Susan Crawford's recent releases from the Stitch in Time vol. 3 colourwork; I've added to my Jamieson's & Smith stash. as one day I will definitely, absolutely knit 'Bobby'.  

I can totally appreciate the temptation, @alicef.  “Bobby” is lovely.  Can’t wait until the book is finally released.  I preordered it (as I did A Stitch In Time Volume 2, back in the day).   I’ve knitted several things - and queued dozens more - from both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

Moving on swiftly - the reading challenge is 'Marvellous Makers'.  Our librarian will, hopefully, set out a framework!

Fingers crossed.

@MrsCD that cardigan looks lovely.  Beautifully crocheted. 

In my own crafting news. I’ve counted the stitches on my swatch for my next project, reswatched on larger needles - getting the same stitch count! - and have concluded that I’ll never make the gauge specified in the pattern. After doing some maths, I’ve decided to go with the larger needle size (5.5mm) and stick with the 44 inch/110cm size that I’d originally planned to knit. Unless my stitches relax a bit, it’ll come in smaller at 42 inches, but I’m well aware that the next size up will swim on me.  I have to resolve this today, because we’re off on manoeuvres tomorrow and I’d like to take it with me to knit in the evenings.  I’ll knit on my sock, when travelling.  (Going to spy out the beaches for our liberation of France.)

- Pip

MrsCD

Thank you for the kind words about my cardigan. I made it slightly on the larger side so I could wrap it around me iyswim! I wanted a snuggly cardi that I could also wear in winter with a thicker top underneath. 

MrsCD

Just looked at your new project, @PipneyJane. It looks gorgeous, but a bit complicated for me! It'll keep you warm when the coal man can't get around in the snow!

Nelliegrace

I enjoyed the church summer fair yesterday. The rain held off, and various groups provided entertainment, with music, dancing, and some active youngsters doing a P. E. class. 
I like the handicraft stalls and bought a lined bag made out of remnants, and a baby cardigan, to add to my collection. I wasn’t asked for any clothing coupons. Friends’ grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren, seem to arrive faster than I can knit for them. I like the handmade wooden buttons, a very good idea for make do and mend, like wooden toggles. 
I was very pleased to find some bead necklaces in glass and agate. Granny would have called them Woolworths beads, but they are pretty and brighten up a plain outfit.
Some women had donated their skills and youthful treasures to a good cause, so I enjoyed haggling the price up to show my appreciation, and do my bit. It is fun. 
I bought a few books too, at the Fair and the fund raising shop, including Fashion in the 1940s by Jayne Shrimpton. 

Laura_Elsewhere

Oooh, what a fab haul, @Nelliegrace! 

Hmmm, that gives me an idea... I shall think a bit...

Laura_Elsewhere

Would anyone be interested in some kind of village fête?

I haven't thought it all out, but I was reading Nelligrace's post about her church summer fair, and it made me wonder if we could organise something similarish?

I think we could manage a couple of competitions- maybe a fancy-dress competition, not for us ourselves but perhaps for a banana? Best costume for a banana?! Or a potato, maybe, given the scarcity of bananananas in wartime? 

Those of us who make things could perhaps make something, and then we can sort of raffle it (are we allowed to, in MSE forums?)- whoever makes the highest donation to our chosen charity gets that item posted to them (I think they'll have to pay postage too).  

If we did it at the beginning of December, then it could be all lovely and Christmassy...

What do you think? And we could all try to find a time to be online at the same time to have a nice cup of tea together! 

Would anyone be interested in a Christmas Fair, here in Little Mending on the Borrow?