2025 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

diminua

More coupons gone - this time a black zip-up cardigan. It does go with my thin black and purple striped jumper and will go with jeans or 'smart casual' clothes (I don't have any really smart clothes I habitually wear) so I'm not sorry for the coupons although I seem to be spending them very fast this year.  

Cherryfudge

I had some vintage table linen from my Mum, some of which was commercially made of who-knows-what fibre, and some of these had stains, including rust marks. I seem to remember giving them a gentle wash then applying lemon juice and salt. I've no idea why the research came up with salt, and the process took a couple of goes but the fabric wasn't damaged and the stains either disappeared or decreased. I'm too impatient to do more applications.

I don't know whether this is suitable for proper linen, so buyer beware.  

ETA: I don't know why I firgot to mention I dried them in the sun, a vital part of the process.  

maryb

I don’t bleach my dishcloths but I give the wet cloths a blast in the microwave. Steam sterilised for pennies

i haven’t been able to get Biotex anywhere for ages.  Where do you get yours Laura?

PipneyJane

Diane1276 said:

PipneyJane said:

Please share your hints and tips on short row heels @Dianne1276.  There are several sock knitters in the Much Mending WI.  

I've been away too long, so much to catch up on! 

I do my short row heels over half of the stitches (so 32 for my typical 4-ply sock). I first learned from this pattern: https://knitty.com/ISSUEfall06/PATTsoxon2stix.html

It's a two-needle seamed sock pattern but the principle of the short rows is the same.

When I'm knitting in the round I either shuffle some stitches so I've got 32 on one needle temporarily while I work the heel, or just put a stitch maker at either side of the heel stitches. I knit to the last of the heel stitches, wrap & turn (w&t), turn work, purl to last stitch, w&t, turn work, knit to last 2 stitches, w&t, turn work, purl to last 2 stitches, w&t, turn work....
I carry on like this, one stitch less each time, till there's about twelve stitches between the wrapped stitches 
Then you repeat the process knitting one stitch more each time, till you're back to all 32 stitches.

I hope that makes sense, I think the actual pattern will explain it better!!!!

Thanks for explaining, @Diane1276.  That makes sense.   I’ll link to your instructions on the first post.  (I’ll also download the Knitty pattern.  I’m a Patreon patron of theirs.)

- Pip

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

laura_lau said:

 (apologies, I'm Italian and can't think in inches). 

Good lord! It had not occurred to me for a moment that you had English as a second language- wow, yours has to be amongst the most fluent I have ever read (and I grew up in a hugely international household and wider environment)! 

I am absolutely in awe at your ability!!

@laura_lau, count me as another who is in awe regarding your level of English.  You would put some of my London born colleagues to shame.

I feel your pain re inches.  Growing up when Australia converted from Imperial to Metric, I have multiple conversion “Rules of Thumb”.  A foot is 30cm so 10cm is 4 inches; a metre is 3ft 4 inches; to convert from kilometres to miles, halve the kilometres then add back a a tenth of that total to get to miles (e.g. 200 km/2=100+20=120 miles), etc, etc.

- Pip (I grew up hearing a lot of Italian.  When I hear it now, it makes me homesick for Melbourne.  I understand a reasonable amount but can’t speak it.)

alicef

@MrsCD your suggestion of catching at the square corners makes a lot of sense - I have enough spare wool to try a stitch or french knot, and I do have an old red fleece blanket that I could re-purpose as backing.  It's a possible project along the long and winding way of projects. 
@kiwisavings you are very kind to say my back is neat; it does not compare to some of the KAL knitters - their 'wrong side' mimicked the pattern in float form exactly - they were amazing!

A friend has sent me some cookery booklets from the 30s; I'm quite taken with the 'National Mark' one as it is seasonal.

I was trying to think who taught me to knit - I cannot remember - maybe a school.  I do remember making, at school, a pen wiper from felt.  I expect there isn't much call for pen wipers these days!

PipneyJane

Question for you all:  may I swap one of my stockings coupons for a thermal top?  We popped into the local ski-shop this morning and DH bought me a pair of Merino wool leggings and matching, long-sleeved top. I know I can swap one of those coupons for the leggings, but hope the top qualifies as well.

I don’t remember learning to crochet.  It’s something I’ve been doing my entire life, having been taught by my mum when I was tiny.  (She loved to crochet.)  I learned to knit in grade 2 of primary school.  Mrs Cooper taught all of us to knit, including all the boys.

- PiP

Laura_Elsewhere

Ah, @alicef - I have that National Mark booklet too! I greatly enjoy it, not least to see what used to be commonly available and is now hard to find (gooseberries!) and what is now commonplace year-round but used to be seasonal (tomatoes, salad, fruit of all kinds, asparagus...)

I do badly at eating seasonally-only, but that little booklet is really useful in nudging me to think more about what is in season in Britain at present. My copy was my Gran's which is even nicer... 

Laura_Elsewhere

@PipneyJane - sorry, can't help you there, as I refuse to take the extra coupons for unrecyclable throwaway nylons! I mean, if there were extra coupons for mendable, darnable, knitted long stockings, or for enough 4-ply wool to knit them, I might be interested...! But I do this challenge to try to reduce the amount of non-recyclable plastic I get through, so I've always been baffled by the extra coupons being for the one item of clothing that is least-sustainable! 

PipneyJane

Laura_Elsewhere said:

@PipneyJane - sorry, can't help you there, as I refuse to take the extra coupons for unrecyclable throwaway nylons! I mean, if there were extra coupons for mendable, darnable, knitted long stockings, or for enough 4-ply wool to knit them, I might be interested...! But I do this challenge to try to reduce the amount of non-recyclable plastic I get through, so I've always been baffled by the extra coupons being for the one item of clothing that is least-sustainable! 

You could spend a coupon on a pair of woollen tights or stockings - that would count.  I just don’t know where you can buy them.  (The last pair I bought was in Australia 35+ years ago.  Only issue was that they were brown, not black.  The legs were fully fashioned.  Wonder what on earth happened to them.) 

Silk stockings would count too, but they’re also impossible to find.

- Pip. (If anyone has a supplier, please share.)