2019 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

Laura_Elsewhere · 4 January 2019 at 10:15PM

I'm not certain but I think "boiled wool" in the sense of yarn before it's knitted up was a kind of advertising wording for its having been sterilised, I believe by hot steam passing through it (with of course no movement and so no shrinkage).

I do knit enormous floppy socks, 13-15 inches long in the foot, using Aran pure-wool on 6mm DPNs, all loopy and floppy and loose - and huge! Then I pop them in with the normal laundry for a few times, and warily and cautiously tumble-dry them, and they end up as a Size 6.5 for me, and Size 9 for my chap, and they are so unbelievably warm and cosy, it's gorgeous! We wear them as bed-socks and slippers.

Laura_Elsewhere · 4 January 2019 at 10:17PM

Oh and the Woollie horse - if you have hand-knit jumpers, it's worth having one, if you can get one... I originally had it because it was in our house when we moved into it in the 1970s when I was a kid, but then I lent it to someone who never returned it (grrr!) but eventually I got the £35 out of her to snap up another one spotted on eBay...

This is them, exactly the same as my current and the lost one!

https://www.kariebookish.net/blog/4489

PipneyJane · 5 January 2019 at 6:17PM

This morning, I tried on the sweater and it fits. It’s a bit more snug than I would have liked but not by much. I would say there is zero/possibly negative ease when I was hoping for maybe an inch of positive ease. The length has not been compromised, so I won’t be struggling to tuck it into my skirts or trousers. The sleeves are shorter than I’d like but that’s because I ran out of yarn.

I’ve updated the photos on Ravelry. Please take a look. (Just wish I could figure out how to link directly to them on an iPad.). Although I enjoyed knitting with Gotland, I’m not impressed by the dye job. As you can see from the before-and-after-washing photos, it never took and has pretty much washed away, leaving the Gotland’s natural grey on show.

I’ve also finished the second sweater on my list, a red version of Susan Crawford’s Sun-ray Ribbing, using 3 skeins of her Ghyll yarn which was released in special kits as part of her FUBC fund-raising for breast cancer research in 2017. You may remember that I spent 4 coupons early last year buying a third kit, so that I’d have enough of the red colourway to knit a jumper. I’m glad I did; even after small modifications so that I had enough yarn to knit the collar, I’m down to scraps (the longest reminant I have left is 6 inches long). Now I’m contemplating what I could knit with the three white skeins from the kits.

Laura_Elsewhere wrote: »

Oh and the Woollie horse - if you have hand-knit jumpers, it's worth having one, if you can get one... I originally had it because it was in our house when we moved into it in the 1970s when I was a kid, but then I lent it to someone who never returned it (grrr!) but eventually I got the £35 out of her to snap up another one spotted on eBay...

This is them, exactly the same as my current and the lost one!

https://www.kariebookish.net/blog/4489

Ooohhh..... I am tempted. It’ll take 2-3 months before the wool fund has been replenished enough to buy one but, in the meantime, I’ve followed the link from Karie Westerman’s blog to the Jamieson & Smith website and added my email to their “notify when back in stock” list.

- Pip. (2 jumpers down, 3 to go from the Must Finish List.)

thriftwizard · 5 January 2019 at 7:38PM

Unfortunately, Gotland felts really easily for a fibre that waves rather than crimps. I have a favourite pair of slippers made from Gotland, hand-felted & embroidered in Dorset feather stitch, with soles cut from an old leather sofa. Won me a prize at the county craft show!

I'd echo the advice to block gently back to shape, and wash very carefully in future. Hope it works!

PollyWollyDoodle · 5 January 2019 at 8:20PM

Ooh it looks great, Pip - although I see what you mean about the colour, still it looks very soft and natural.

I applaud you for getting on with those WIPs, I have a real mental block on restarting things that are unfinished. Silly really because a lot of the work has already been done, but I find it really hard to motivate myself to get them out of the bag, it's always more fun to start a new project.

I was 3/4 of the way through a gorgeous (and quite difficult) jumper for my friend's son, lost my knitting mojo and of course he is now too big for it (grrr). However she is now expecting another baby so I really must finish it, I think it only needs a neckbands and a bit of embroidery/making up. That's why this challenge is so good for me, if we were rationed you'd use up every scrap of wool before buying anything new!

CapricornLass · 5 January 2019 at 9:11PM

Glad to hear that the jumper is at least wearable - I did feel for you when I read your earlier post!

I've just found out why my sleeves were wrong - I left a whole section of the increases out! Silly me. That's two sleeves that I will now have to redo.... Hey- ho, its a good job that the evenings are still long.

Laura_Elsewhere · 7 January 2019 at 10:57AM

We finally have curtains up - no, we haven't blown coupons buying them, these are the green velvet curtains that were bought in 1979 for my childhood bedroom! A bit faded, so the original dark olive green is now a gentle, rather lovely, warm greengage golden-green colour, but perfectly fine otherwise.

Well done, John Lewis curtain dept, 1979! It shows that buying good quality pure-cotton velvet was worth it, if they are still in use 40 years later!

49454783_10158106550509606_4191001612531007488_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr2-1.fna&oh=cf372828c84af4746ff85091f4572f64&oe=5CD0B9CB

49454783_10158106550509606_4191001612531007488_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ht=scontent.flhr2-1.fna&oh=cf372828c84af4746ff85091f4572f64&oe=5CD0B9CB

PollyWollyDoodle · 7 January 2019 at 1:52PM

Ooh they are gorgeous! I really don't like new stuff - I can remember complimenting a friend on her new sofa and saying 'it looks as if you've had it forever', luckily she understood, so that soft look really appeals to me. It must have been a huge job measuring them to hem or whatever you needed to do.

I wonder if the equivalent bought today, even from John Lewis, will last as long. I'm not likely to be around to find out! :rotfl:

vintagegal · 7 January 2019 at 2:10PM

Magnificent curtains Laura_Elsewhere, how lucky to still have them. My parents don't keep anything.

All this knitting talk has made me realise what a beginner I am! It is like another language. I only learnt to do a purl stitch yesterday! Oh well, we all have to start somewhere.. I'd love to be able to knit something to wear one day, maybe for next winter!

I have already fallen off the wagon by ordering two pairs of shoes, well trainer type things. So that's 10 points already and its only day 6 of the year! And I don't 'need' them, I just wanted them. If I don't absolutely love them when they come, I will send them back.

I know the sales are my weakness so I will try not to look online any more. I've been unsubscribing from emails too, but Instagram is an issue for me. It's not just following the retailers, I seem to be able to get inspiration from anything :rotfl:

I downloaded the Fashion on the Ration book and started reading it last night, very interesting about how many items of clothing people would have had. What we think is normal now is just so excessive compared with even before the war.

I have also seen a dress I am hankering after (not in the sale, new in and literally my perfect denim dress). Do I need it?? No.

Am going to try and watch the Marie Kondo programme this week, maybe that will help me want to live with less stuff!

Have agreed with my friend that we will have a day out in the Spring somewhere nice to go round the charity shops and have lunch. Will check out the Oxfam link as well, thank you.

Sorry to ramble on, think I am going to need a lot of encouragement this year. I'd like to lose some weight so that is kind of making me think twice about buying clothes, but shoes are another matter..

Also do we count jewellery in this challenge? I mean junky stuff not the real deal.

PipneyJane · 7 January 2019 at 11:11PM

I love the colour of the curtains, Laura. They’re a little long but otherwise look gorgeous.

Vintagegal, we are the knitting Borg. We will assimilate you. :j I’d suggest that you spend a ball of yarn just practising stitches and then knit a hat. It will work up reasonably quickly and give you something you can wear. It will also give you a chance to learn every technique you’ll ever need to knit a sweater.

Jewellery wasn’t rationed but was probably hard to come by.

thriftwizard wrote: »

Unfortunately, Gotland felts really easily for a fibre that waves rather than crimps. I have a favourite pair of slippers made from Gotland, hand-felted & embroidered in Dorset feather stitch, with soles cut from an old leather sofa. Won me a prize at the county craft show!

I'd echo the advice to block gently back to shape, and wash very carefully in future. Hope it works!

Noted. I thought it’d felt easily when I was knitting it up. This jumper is destined to be hand-wash only now.

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

Ooh it looks great, Pip - although I see what you mean about the colour, still it looks very soft and natural.

I applaud you for getting on with those WIPs, I have a real mental block on restarting things that are unfinished. Silly really because a lot of the work has already been done, but I find it really hard to motivate myself to get them out of the bag, it's always more fun to start a new project.

I was 3/4 of the way through a gorgeous (and quite difficult) jumper for my friend's son, lost my knitting mojo and of course he is now too big for it (grrr). However she is now expecting another baby so I really must finish it, I think it only needs a neckbands and a bit of embroidery/making up. That's why this challenge is so good for me, if we were rationed you'd use up every scrap of wool before buying anything new!

I’m betting that you reached a point where you needed to concentrate and didn’t have the bandwidth. I know that feeling.

CapricornLass wrote: »

Glad to hear that the jumper is at least wearable - I did feel for you when I read your earlier post!

I've just found out why my sleeves were wrong - I left a whole section of the increases out! Silly me. That's two sleeves that I will now have to redo.... Hey- ho, its a good job that the evenings are still long.

You need highlighter tape. I find it invaluable for marking my place on patterns - it’s stickier than a post-it but lifts off and re-adheres easily, without marking your pattern.

- Pip

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2019 Fashion on the Ration Challenge

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