2025 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

Nelliegrace

DD’s Christmas present is sorted. She is going to order it, (using her husband’s spare coupons,) and I shall sent her the money. She is still working on the one from last year, but it has been a challenging year with her new job, teaching at County Agricultural College. Knitting and crochet are quite therapeutic at stressful times. We loved the Brambly Hedge books when she was a little girl. The busy mice in the illustrations, foraging, jam and wine making, spinning and weaving, reminded me of my parents in their cottage in Wales. 

https://attic24.co.uk/posts/2025/10/08/storyteller-blanket-inspiration/

MrsCD

@Nelliegrace, I love Lucy's creations too! I've made 2 of her blankets, Meadow and Yuletide and have one waiting to be started. (Fireside) I'm sure your daughter will be delighted with her present. 

alicef

@PipneyJane - tickets booked!   Only one day, (I reined in my OTT enthusiasm for booking the whole 3 days), and I did run it past the OH before committing.  Woo-hoo!   I will have just under 9 months to sort outfits if I kick off in the New Year.  I'll keep it simple for the OH and plan for the weather.  I'm keen on bags for the OH and Hepburn style pants for me - so that will definitely mean toiles because I haven't sewn trousers before. 

I still haven't started the OH's socks - but have done the calcs for casting on stitches, again, as I have carefully filed away the piece of paper with my calcs from the last pair.  Aiming for 2 pairs, 1 in WYS Bullfinch and other in Owl.

@Nelliegrace I love home made blankets!   Thank you for the link. I have a crochet buddy who always mentions Attic 24 - I shall have a good look through.
@Gem-gem I adore your blanket - I think it is always so special to gift something hand made by oneself; the hours and thought that goes in is priceless.

Right, I'd better go and dig out my short circular needles.

 

thriftmonster

@Nelliegrace I also love attic24 and have made several of her blankets. Storyteller might have appeared in my house already but I'm using some slightly dubious coupons I might have acquired. 
I met Lucy at a BSW event pre Covid and managed to get up the courage to tell her how much I love her designs. Cue much awkwardness

kiwisavings

Wonderful blanket @Gem-gem, it looks like a fun project to use up a whole lot of different wool. 
I laughed at the 'procrastaknitting' term @PipneyJane - I think i'm guilty of some 'procrastasewing' by making tote bags and bowl cozies instead of tackling mending, altering actual clothes.
https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/bags-pillows-gifts/gifts/free-soup-bowl-cozy-pattern

Good news on the musty stretch lace and elastic - I tried the great suggestion on soaking in water and baking soda, and it worked really well.

Nelliegrace

I was going to buy some more long sleeved, cotton T shirts, but after a good tidy, putting away the old polo shirts, there were a lot more than I thought.
I buy men’s ones for the extra length in the body and arms, and higher neckline. They are very useful in summer because my meds mean that I have to avoid the sun, and in Winter as an insulating layer, and even as a pyjama top. The sleeveless cotton Ts have been added to the vests. 

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

I was a squanderbug buying another unused, vintage etamine Irish linen, 52 inch table cloth and 4 napkins just because it was £6.50 in my favourite second hand store. They make lovely soft towels and are so easy to dry. I looked up the price for new ones at the Irish Linen Store, £121, and £14 for each napkin, but that is still no excuse.

I have started swimming at the local school leisure centre again. Another extravagance was to use money from Uncle E.r.n.i.e. to pay for off peak membership for the whole year, (with one month free.) It might be cheaper to pay for each swim and exercise session but it is my contribution to the centre being available, refurbished, clean, and warm. There were just three of us doing slow lengths for the lunchtime swim yesterday, but as I sat and drank my flask of tea in the foyer, I could see the pool teaming with youngsters, swimming like otters, having a lot of fun. 

CapricornLass

Two spends to declare: a pair of waterproof work trousers and a pair of wide steel toe capped boots - 11 coupons.

kiwisavings

Look what's coming to the UK soon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfhClm7xTWI

Hope it's coming to NZ as well

PipneyJane

The Game of Wool is already on TV here @kiwisavings.  The first episode was broadcast last Sunday.  I watched it and I’m curious to hear what others thought of it.  To me, it was obvious that it was SewingBee inspired, but I really can’t see how you can healthily sustain multiple weeks of knitting in extra-chunky yarn.  Each challenge gives the knitter 12 hours, at best, to create a garment fit for an adult.  On the plus side, the knitters all had an interesting story to tell about how they got into knitting, and they’re a very diverse bunch. 

I will be recording and watching the rest of the series.

- Pip

Laura_Elsewhere

PipneyJane said:

The Game of Wool is already on TV here @kiwisavings.  The first episode was broadcast last Sunday.  I watched it and I’m curious to hear what others thought of it.  To me, it was obvious that it was SewingBee inspired, but I really can’t see how you can healthily sustain multiple weeks of knitting in extra-chunky yarn.  Each challenge gives the knitter 12 hours, at best, to create a garment fit for an adult.  On the plus side, the knitters all had an interesting story to tell about how they got into knitting, and they’re a very diverse bunch. 

I will be recording and watching the rest of the series.

- Pip

I haven't watched it and I won't be- every knitter I know is fuming and livid, and several different Shetland and Fair Isle organisations, knitters and other, are contacting the tv company over the first programme. It's a very large part of their culture and their islands' income is largely dependent on knitting/wool exports and tourism. 

 short version: the knitter voted off was one who had used the correct technique of knitting extra stitches (sometimes called steeks) and cutting through those stitches- he had other problems with his design but the given reason for his being booted was that he had used this technique... which has a very long history in Shetland and Fair Isle knitting and is absolutely the correct technique to use for that particular geographical and cultural technique.

imagine it was Bake Off and they had to make a pizza; most use biscuit dough to make pizza-looking cookies with chocolate toppings, but one contestant used pizza-dough, tomato sauce and cheeses and was booted off *because* of using those things.