2026 Fashion On The Ration Challenge

alicef

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81902546#Comment_81902546

I know! It's such a delight and so few ends to sew in!

PipneyJane

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81902514#Comment_81902514

How did your mum’s birthday go, @thriftwizard ? I hope she had a lovely time. Did she get a telegram from the King?

Sorry to hear about your slippers. Are the new ones sheepskin, too? (They may be expensive, but they last a really long time.)

@alicef those socks look lovely. Good luck with the gloves. FWIW, I have three ways of using up the 40-odd grams of yarn that remains from a pair of socks:

1. Fingerless mitts.
2. Afterthought heel socks, with both the heel and toe in a contrasting, plain yarn. Depending on yardage, I may have to start the toe’s yarn higher up the foot and knit part of the ball in it.
3. Use-em-up socks. These are heel-flap socks, where the leg and heel are the main yarn, the gusset and foot are in a contrast and, if I have enough left, the toe will be in the original yarn.

HTH

• Pip

Cherryfudge

I haven't used a single coupon yet, to the best of my knowledge. That's because I have fallen into the V1nted trap. However, I've bought three tea towels new, do they count? I have a feeling household linens are exempt but am happy to declare them if they aren't.

V1nted items this year are two shirts and six pairs of socks for DH, a tunic for me, slippers for a gift, a tee shirt for me, three pairs of women's socks and one pair of men's socks: these last for stocking fillers. I was delighted to find a way to get socks without spending coupons as I usually blow quite a lot of the precious bits of paper on sock-ery before Christmas in an effort to get nice things that aren't junk for adults. I hasten to add these are all new socks - I think people sometimes sell the ones they've been given at Christmas! Yes, if that's the case, there's an irony there…

itsthelittlethings

Unlined jacket 6 coupons. I got it from Mr Tescos, I really like it. It’s for work but they didn’t buy it for me so I still had to use coupons. They got me a jacket when I started but I didn’t try it on until after the returns period had ended and it didn’t fit. Doh!

I got some free long socks from a lady right across the village. Two pairs of thick ones and one stripy pair of thin ones. They’re very comfy. I felt a bit funny about second hand socks but my feet are still fine. I wouldn’t wear second hand shoes as shoes mould to your feet.

PipneyJane

You may remember how we were talking about the Longest Yarn’s Britain at War display? Well, I’ve just seen that it will be in the Battle of Britain Bunker in Uxbridge in July and August next year. That’s practically on my doorstep!

The Bunker is well worth a visit, if you haven’t been. And they have a cafe, which does a lovely tea and cake.

• Pip

Nelliegrace

Beautiful socks @alicef DD has rushed to complete one of a pair for the Ravelry Sock Madness 20, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/newspaper-socks

alicef

@Nelliegrace your DD socks are wonderful. I do love a plaid/tartan pattern. I have a vintage sweater pattern that has a nod to plaid that I'm dithering about doing.

@PipneyJane thank you so very much for the suggestions.

As there has been chat about 'The Longest Yarn 2' I thought I would put this link in. Susan Crawford will be doing a talk on Fashion in the Ration at the Rheged Centre on the 25th April alongside the Longest Yarn exhibition

https://rheged.com/event/fashion-in-the-ration-with-susan-crawford/?date=20260425

Laura_Elsewhere

@Cherryfudge - the various Diaries of the Provincial Lady don't start until the mid-1930s and go right through the war! She spends much of the war in a flat in London, and in another post-war book she visits America. The only one I don't have is the one in which she visits Soviet Russia, aka Bricks & Straw. I keep meaning to track down a copy…

PipneyJane

Sadly, @alicef 25th April is Anzac Day and I plan to be at the Cenotaph, or I’d figure out a way of getting to Penrith. I am a fan of Susan. I’ve met her a couple of times and own all her books. When she rewrites a vintage pattern, it is clear and well thought through.

I’ve also purchased some of her yarn over the years, Ghyll, which is 100% Lancashire Lonk wool. I knitted the Sunray Rib sweater in it, in a gorgeous shade of dark red. Hopefully the link below will take you to it. (I’ve struggled to embed it.)

Link

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81904651#Comment_81904651

Ooohhh,,,, I didn’t know about that one, @Laura_Elsewhere . I’ve got one of the diaries upstairs, maybe two. Must find it and have a re-read.

After years of not reading much, I’ve actually managed to read 4 novels so far this year, as well as some more of the diary entries in Simon Garfield’s “Our Hidden Lives”. Unlike the other books in the series, most of the diarists don’t capture my interest in the same way as those in the first two books that I read. I will buy Maggie Joy Blunt’s diaries soon.

Please excuse me for not joining in on the meeting in the village hall. I’ve got the lurgy and don’t want to share it. My nose is alternating between sneezes and needing to be blown.

• Pip

alicef

I'm doing an orchard tour in Herefordshire that day, @PipneyJane. I did briefly wonder whether I could get up to Cumbria in time for the talk, but then reality dawned. Hopefully, Susan will repeat the talk at another venue. I do have quite a number of Susan's books and one, one day I'll knit Excelsior.