2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

talesfromamicroholding

Thank you for the replies. Personally I probably was going to be cheeky and say that fibre amounted to 4oz not 2oz, just because of the time it takes to spin a yarn, though that would have been commercially bought and not from my own flock. I haven't done any research on whether it would have been something that was done during the war or not yet, but it is on my weekend to-do list as is, reading this thread from the start.

Sadly they are not my own domesticated lawn mowers, oh how I wish! Sadly married for love not money (oh the horror!) so don't even have the space to spin a cat as they say, in either the house or the garden. I've been spinning since I was 18 which is a VERY long time ago and most of what I buy is commercially done, though I have bought fleeces to spin from, and get the hankering every so often. I am hoping to get a fleece next year as I have a couple of friends with sheep At the moment I am currently spinning yarn up for both a cardigan (Sanna Cardigan by Rebecca Clow) and a vest (Water Lily Slipover by Meg Rodger). The vest will be 1940's based so with a lovely large ribbing to the bottom and both are spun up with John Arbon Fibre, one is a ltd edition, the other is a base colour. Spinning yarn fills me which such  a sense of accomplishment, and I tend to spin most of the yarn I use (bar British yarns, when I've succumbed to a particular colour, of which I probably own every green that Jamison's of Shetland do!).

I've been slightly obsessed with 1940's for probably as long as I've been spinning adding in little bits to my daily life here and there, defiantly hoping to add more in and last year I stuck to food rations for a few months (and hoping to again next year) and I did clothing rations for the whole year. I skipped this year on both because I lost my two old boys (dogs) last year and I just couldn't face doing a lot of things as it was painful and most of this year has been spent trying to sort out my parents as my dad had a stroke, then had to have heart surgery and is now slowly losing his brain, with my mum having to go in for major surgery later this month (fingers crossed if its not cancelled again).

2Scratters

I have one of those t towels which came from our parents house and did think it was a bit chunky. Now it makes sense. Items like this would have been dumped but it is very much my thing. I have retained many bits of stuff that others would simply discard. Mum collected linen tea towels. I have some that are collectable and they have been moved on for an exchange. I would rather use them 
I bought sometime ago pre covid a box of men's and ladies handkerchiefs from a car boot. There was over 100 in there. They got sorted and recleaned obviously. I take no shame in it. My grandma use to pick them up off the floor if she found one. That's where that has come from. I use them all. The silk ones I use when going out. I have given them to staff when having got upset (taking 999 calls) and take them outside for their welfare and a chat, they would try to offer a wet hanky back  I would tell them to keep it and use it or wash and return it to me lol. Brilliant back up too, especially for small wounds that could be dressed too. 

I have a moth attacked cashmere cardigan of mums that is now too big for her and I need to do some embroidery work on the holes of some sort I don't mind what, so to give the cardigan a new lease of life. It has barely been worn and would be such a waste if I don't do that. 

2 Scratters xx

Cherryfudge

I just had a look back at the early pages of this thread and discovered we had a generous donation which, on investigating the top shelf for the lustre-ware sugar bowl, I find is still intact. Don't all grab at once!

P.S. That's also where the missing sugar tongs went, I've washed them and put them back in the drawer and just generally had a dust round. The rug, you will see, is hanging outside while the sun shines. We've all been so busy this year, we've got a bit slack on the housekeeping but the sunshine is showing where we've missed. Enjoy it, and don't let Lord Haw-Haw get you down with his silly weather forecast. 

Cherryfudge

talesfromamicroholding said:

 it is on my weekend to-do list as is, reading this thread from the start.

It sounds as though you've have a lot on your plate, @talesfromamicroholding. I hope the thread gives you a good little escape - be sure to have a notebook because there is so much worthwhile information!

I think @PipneyJane did the first thread in 2018 (please someone, let me know if there were any earlier ones), so you won't run out of reading matter for a while.  

PipneyJane

Cherryfudge said:

talesfromamicroholding said:

 it is on my weekend to-do list as is, reading this thread from the start.

It sounds as though you've have a lot on your plate, @talesfromamicroholding. I hope the thread gives you a good little escape - be sure to have a notebook because there is so much worthwhile information!

I think @PipneyJane did the first thread in 2018 (please someone, let me know if there were any earlier ones), so you won't run out of reading matter for a while.  

You’re right, @Cherryfudge, the first Fashion On The Ration Challenge was in 2018.  We’ve become quite a community since then.  Well done, too, for finding all those coupons kindly donated by @basketcase.  They’re the ones we give to people who’ve been bombed out, since brand-new bedding and towels can be very expensive, coupon-wise.

@talesfromamicroholding, do remember that you purchased your current fleece prior to clothes rationing being introduced, so it didn’t cost any coupons. I’ve met John Arbon on several occasions at yarn shows and I think we can adopt him as a local farmer*, although his mill has expanded since last time I looked.  He’s definitely doing work for the Ministry.  Nobody has commented on my suggestion of 1 coupon per kilo of fleece BUT if you’d rather pay 1 coupon per 100g, that’s fine by me.

Also, thank you for sharing your story.  So sorry to hear about your dad’s stroke and your mum’s impending surgery.  Big hugs to you.

- Pip




* Together with Graeme from Caithness Yarns and Sue at Hawkshaw Sheep, both people I’ve chatted with at shows.

PipneyJane

2Scratters said:

….
I bought sometime ago pre covid a box of men's and ladies handkerchiefs from a car boot. There was over 100 in there. They got sorted and recleaned obviously. I take no shame in it. My grandma use to pick them up off the floor if she found one. That's where that has come from. I use them all. The silk ones I use when going out. I have given them to staff when having got upset (taking 999 calls) and take them outside for their welfare and a chat, they would try to offer a wet hanky back  I would tell them to keep it and use it or wash and return it to me lol. Brilliant back up too, especially for small wounds that could be dressed too. 

….. 

2 Scratters xx

I love this story, @2Scratters .  So kind of you to take care of the 999 staff.  Thank you.  It’s a really hard job and much appreciated by people like me, who’ve been on both ends of those calls (making them and also receiving patients from the ambulance service).

- Pip

Cherryfudge

PipneyJane said: Nobody has commented on my suggestion of 1 coupon per kilo of fleece BUT if you’d rather pay 1 coupon per 100g, that’s fine by me.

I feel singularly ill-equipped to comment but your judgement is usually well informed, @PipneyJane, so I'm happy to go with 1 coupon per kilo apart from the new-fangled terminology - would 1 coupon for 2lbs also work?

Nelliegrace

I don’t think anyone would be after you for ration points for fleece. Shetland wool was not included in the Government Wool order. I remember a 1940s novel where a son stationed in the North for army training bought his mother back a Shetland cardigan and scarf which he was able to buy unrationed. Mum said Welsh mountain sheep wool was not rationed either. 
Fellmongers was an interesting rabbit hole. It is the wool recovered from sheep slaughtered for meat. Whitney blankets were made from Fellmonger wool, I expect other blankets were too. 

http://www.witneyblanketstory.org.uk/wbp.asp?navigationPage=Processes%2018th%20century&file=PROC18C.XML&record=sourcing%201780

Cherryfudge

Nelliegrace said:

Fellmongers was an interesting rabbit hole. It is the wool recovered from sheep slaughtered for meat. Whitney blankets were made from Fellmonger wool, I expect other blankets were too. 

Another thing I never knew. I've just put a Whitney blanket on the bed.

talesfromamicroholding

@PipneyJane - Thank you, alas it's the tails of old parents, been told my mums op is on the 22nd Oct, so will be deciding on what I want to knit during that time, I am much in need of more cardigans, so I might have to have a rummage for yarn for that. I've never meet JA or even the new owners, sadly just way to far away, though I do have quite an addiction to their yarns and they do bring out enough limited fibres to keep me interested, as I love semi solids.

I'll happily pay 1 coupon for 100g or I may up it slightly as I am quite round so a jumper is around 7 skeins. Undecided yet, just need to achievable so I can still get my wardrobe knitted up and realistic enough so I don't spend willy nilly, because boy do I have a stash!

@Nelliegrace - Wow, that's really interesting and I didn't know regarding the Shetland wool. I'm very much a rustic knitter than a merino knitter so could easily add the fibres I get into my rations.