2024 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

diminua

@PipneyJane: No, no belt bought yet. I did see one online I like, but would prefer to buy it from a physical shop if possible. I'll keep looking.

Nelliegrace

I quick look in to say, “Hello.”
We have been having a “No new clothes,” year. It is getting easier. I spent my remaining coupons for Christmas last year on new pyjamas and socks for my growing grandsons. After a lot of searching we bought vintage Guernsey jumpers for our Christmas present, mine is red and DH got a vivid yellow one, so he can be warm and be seen in the blackout. The odour of moth balls is fading. 

I am preparing a talk on vintage handkerchiefs for the local WI, a stand-in if a speaker can’t make the journey. We have had a few of those recently. We had a talk today on wearing the right colours, but in my view, if it fits, it will have to do. The competition was, A favourite scarf, and I took the knitted loop scarf which took just one ounce of wool.

My daughter is reading some of the Albert Campion books and knitting a shawl, with a reading and knitting group, so needed some wool which was quite dear and took coupons. Clothing of enduring quality does seem a useful present in difficult times. Knitting and reading relieve a lot of stress. 

I have been doing some darning. DH does get through his socks. I mended my swimming bag. I am not impressed with the synthetic fabric. When I put on an old swimming costume after some years, in made a crackling sound and the stretchiness turned to powder. At least I was at home. It reminded me of the knitted wool costumes which went so dreadfully saggy in the sea. 
Best wishes.
Nelliegrace.

Cherryfudge

I'm very impressed, @Nelliegrace, and it's lovely that both of you are on board. We tend to hear directly from women here (as far as I can tell!) but so often there's a chap in the background, making helpful observations (yes, really). Personally, I think the Guernseys are a wonderful classic investment and if ever you want to upload a photo of them, I will admire.  

I haven't had any fantastic coupon (or off-coupon) adventures recently but found a couple of what we used to call 'Indian dresses' in the loft. Those who remember the end of the seventies or the early eighties may recall them: very lightweight printed cotton. I had three so there will still be a red one somewhere but these are a light blue and a purplish one. I washed them through with gentle soap and vinegar and they seem to have freshened up nicely though I had to treat some discolouration on one (will need another treatment but nearly there) and the same one needs a couple of seam repairs. The other just needs new elastic in the cuffs. I have no idea if I can still get in them comfortably, but it's fun rediscovering them.

Nelliegrace

It was quite an extravagant shop, @Cherryfudge, about £70 in total, including this warm, Welsh tapestry waistcoat. Rationbook Rebecca had a similar one on her blog. They all washed well on the cold, wool setting with just a little pure liquid soap, and some white vinegar in the final rinse. 

Cherryfudge

Thank you for the photos, @Nelliegrace! Those look incredibly snug, and I expect they will last ages. The Welsh tapestry brought back memories of being taken to somewhere that made it, as a child. I bought an orange tapestry placemat, which now goes rather nicely with our lounge. The colours on yours are so good together, and I like the pocket detail. I wonder if the industry is still around?

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane, you'll be amused to know that I've decided my 'Audrey in Unst' can now be a sleeveless waistcoat cardigan!  

I unravelled and removed the sleeves, and then set about checking what size the cardigan was. I laid it flat and measured and checked against the pattern and *every single measurement* came from a different size. Seriously, not a single measurement was the same size as any other measurement... also, in dismantling the sleeves I discovered why they were so odd- apart from literally being odd, as in not the same as each other by quite some way in several ways, they had a strange leg-of-mutton shoulder-puff which I eventually worked out was caused by her having picked up every single stitch round the armhole, instead of the recommended one stitch every other row... no wonder they never seemed right! One was a couple of inches longer than the other, and one was a good two inches looser than the other, and the shoulder-puffs were asymmetrical as well... 
It appears all component parts are knitted fairly randomly...! 

Anyway, I neatened up the edges and secured the live stitches underarm, and I think it looks rather nice as a waistcoat! 

I wore it today, cycling home in a downpour- when I got home I discovered the cardigan was dry in the V-shaped pattern of the Shetland Edlothia I'd worn over it! More encouragement for me to crochet an Edlothia in cobweb-weight Shetland as I've planned for a very long time... 

PipneyJane

I love the gansey @Nelliegrace.   £70 is not much to pay for three handknitted garments.

I have some 5-ply Lancashire Lonk in my stash that is just calling out to be made into a gansey, if I can find a decent pattern.

- Pip

PipneyJane

That sweater looks lovely on you, @Laura_Elsewhere.  It’s your perfect colour!

No wonder the sleeves were rubbish,  How much yarn did they use?  Hopefully enough to make a striped top feasible at some point.

- Pip

Nelliegrace

There is Trefriw, Meirion, Solva, and Melin Tregwynt. This is a Trefriw tapestry. The prices reflect the amount of work and skill involved. 
There are some lovely ones on eB starting at £15, and a gorgeous long cape. So tempting.

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - one sleeve used 98g and one used 103g, so similar amounts even though one was shorter and wider and one was longer and narrower  

I love the idea of a striped or patterned slipover- but I also love the idea of someday re-knitting the whole thing, so... I think at present I'll keep the sleeve-wool and see how the weight-loss goes. I lost 5lbs in April when they diagnosed the high blood pressure and then it's gone back and forth since, back down to the lower weight but no further weight loss, which is very frustrating after six or seven weeks of being far more active and trying very hard to change my sugar intake...! Ah well, it took time to get this big, so...  
But if I can shrink, properly and permanently, then the very floppy, loose knitting of this will be unwearable. Already it is actually quite an odd fit, so I suspect I'll wear it this summer, but then it really will have to be unravelled and re-knitted! The wool is only a Cygnet Superwash, but it's 100% wool and as I keep saying, such a lovely colour! I have a couple of coppery-peach linen shirts and a skirt which is coppery-peach with sweet-peas all over it (Cicely Mary Barker design, sans fairies), and this will look gorgeous with either or both!