2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

PipneyJane

dND said:

Hi all, Just reporting in from the Borrow's Novice Knitters Club.  My lessons in un-knitting are progressing well. 🤣 
I've managed, after a couple of attempts, to turn the heel and am currently halfway along the gusset.  I'm already looking forward to the challenge of making a sock that matches this one! 🤣🤣
Take care everyone. 💕

Well done @dND !  The first pair of socks is always the hardest.

How is everybody?  Good news about Mr @thriftwizard ,

My DH started his new job at the Ministry last Monday.  So far, he’s enjoying every minute of it.  As for me, I’m back at the hospital on Monday for another 5-day stint of chemotherapy and recovery.  Hopefully, it won’t be too bad and I’ll be in a room that doesn’t have faulty heating.  (Seriously, hottest week of the year and we couldn’t turn the heating off.)   Also, hopefully, when they courier my blood into central London to be tested, the courier won’t be a complete numpty this time.  (Apparently, the test is time sensitive.  The first time they sent my blood off, it was delivered too late, so I had to stay in hospital for another night while a second sample was couriered to the lab and tested.). I have Test Cricket tickets for the Saturday after my admission and really want to attend.

You will be pleased to know that I haven’t spent any coupons, not even on the Harris Tweed that I’ve discussed purchasing.  I’m waiting to place my order until after next week, so that I’ll definitely be home on the day that it is delivered.

On the knitting front, while I still have two items from the Finishing Up Project to complete, four jumpers are ready to wear.  They just need to be photographed.  (It’s been too hot to model knitwear.). I finished the socks that I took to hospital for my last admission.  My doctor was fascinated by them. 



(West Yorkshire Spinners Signature Sock in the Wood Pigeon colourway.  These are “afterthought heel” socks, which used 40g of the main colourway.  I’m now completely out of Wood Pigeon, having made 3 pairs of socks and a pair of fingerless mitts from the 2 skeins I purchased.) 

Last week, I re-started my Aran Sweater, having frogged the original attempt when I decided that it definitely would be too big for me.  A knitter on Ravelry very kindly re-charted the pattern - and shared that for free - so that the columns of patterning can now be seen in context.  So much easier to do when you can see how things are meant to look!  

I am trying to figure out what I’ll take to hospital  to knit next week.  Self-patterning socks are the simplest thing, but I’ll finish the pair I’m currently knitting, when I’m at Lords this Friday for the Second Test.  Hmmm….

- Pip

maryb

My DH made me a niddy noddy from white pvc plumbing pipe and junctions.  He has his uses!

alicef

I replaced my swimsuit - 3 coupons.  Bought from eb@y, very significantly reduced in price but new - so coupons spent.

My 1 on 1 knitting tutor is determined I shall master socks - I need to make progress before my next session in September.

Wishing all the best to you, PipneyJane.

Laura_Elsewhere

I must update my signature- two new swimsuits for me! M&S, one reduced, the other full-price... I would have paid the full-price for both, £15 each, so getting one for £6 was a bonus!
I also bought a ball of DK sock-wool. 

I knitted myself a pair of 'Treads' fingerless mitts- the pattern has short fingers, but I just did mine to the knuckles and left the hand part open so I can curl my fingers up into them. I was surprised at how quickly I knitted them, well under a fortnight, but have yet to translate that into sock-knitting, hmm...! 

I am knitting baby hat/mitts/socks in 3-6months size, for my mother-in-law's first great-grandchild, due in November- I shall knit some from me, in my usual white-with-primary-colour-stripes, but when I told MiL about that she was very disapproving as she thinks all babies should be in just white for the first year... so I'm making these as a little surprise to take in a couple of weeks when we next visit, so she can give them to the baby  

PipneyJane

Good bargains, @Laura_Elsewhere.  I am impressed!

Re the baby clothes, the only reason that I can think of re your MIL’s belief, is that white is not associated with any gender, so is easier to be re-used/handed over to another family. 

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

PipneyJane said:

Good bargains, @Laura_Elsewhere.  I am impressed!

Re the baby clothes, the only reason that I can think of re your MIL’s belief, is that white is not associated with any gender, so is easier to be re-used/handed over to another family. 

- Pip

tbh, I think she just thinks babies look better in white! She had previously mentioned pale yellow as a default colour, and I had shown her a photo of my standard white-with-stripes (which imo is best for the baby as the baby's eyes can see the bright stripes so it gives them something to look at whilst waving hands and feet around )  

She actually shuddered and exclaimed "oh no!" on sight of these which amused me  

I think she just thinks white looks best... so I am knitting the things to these patterns but just plain white for her... and I hope it makes it more likely the mother will put them onto the infant when Great-Grandma is going to be around, so that means her great-grandchild will be (probably!) dressed more how she prefers  

Horses for courses  

I shall knit the striped ones to send later on, from me and Mr E- and I'll knit my ones in the 6-12 months size, because new mothers are inundated with very small sizes but sometimes find they unexpectedly run out of things as the baby stops being very small!

Sarahspangles

I like to see cheerful patterns on babies, when mine were small the first size was usually lemon or mint! There was a pattern that some people made where you could feed pink or blue ribbon through slots to signify a boy or girl. I do remember being worried that people might not like to ask what sex the baby was.

Gem-gem

Super news @thriftwizard.  I am so pleased that Mr TW is home. My husband was fitted with a pacemaker over three years ago. Every now and then the hospital checks it through a machine that does in our bedroom. If they have any concerns they ring him and discuss the readings with him. 

@PipneyJane good luck with your next round of chemo next week.

No new spends to declare re: clothes. I have received a new cardigan from my Mum, it is now too big for her. It is in immaculate condition. 

I have been cracking on with my poncho that I started 20 months ago. Now on row 30 out of 41. I am assisting an extra four rows to compensate the extra lift caused by my bust. I have already counted the coupons for the wool back in 2022.

I am envious about all the knitted socks being made, I wish that I could make them too. Enjoying looking at your different designs. 

MrsCD

A few weeks ago I discovered an ancient WIP baby cardigan that I had started over 20 years ago! I must have given up on it because the pattern was too flouncy, so I gave it to my friend to do some with it.😅 She redesigned it and made it more wearable, then it was passed on to another of her friends who was collecting baby clothes for Ukraine. At least it eventually fulfilled its destiny! The yarn was still as good as new, but it was washed before it was handed over.
Hope all goes well @PipneyJane.

Baileys_Babe

@Laura_Elsewhere I prefer your choice of design for the baby clothes, I would happily wear the myself.

I detest the mint, lemon, pink and blue colours that baby clothes used to come in.

@PipneyJane I hope your next round of chemo goes well and you recover quickly 🤗