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Thank you for all the helpful links. Even if I'm not ready to give up my modern conveniences, I appreciate learning new skills to help us be more self sufficient. The 1940s are my second favorite era to learn about--the 1930s are first--so I'm really excited and grateful for your hard work in bringing us this study.

I'm excited for tomorrow! For those in Washington state that would like to read a daily paper for each day of the study, I found this wonderful free resource:

https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=cl&cl=C...

Also, check your library's online offerings! Mine has a limited membership to newspaper.com, but unfortunately none of the papers I was interested in had free issues for 1940.

Grandma Donna Wrote,  C.N.M, There seems to be something about the 30's and 40's that just draws us to those years.  I am happy that you will be reading along the study and you might pick up some new information.

Jenny Wren,  Thank you for the information so others may be able to find a free way to read the news paper in their area.  I am happy that you are going to get to read your 1940 paper. :)

You are so prepared and excited to get started.  I will be watching and learning.  No way could I get Leon involved.  Thank you for so much info and the paper articles.  I have knitted since I was 8 but I never made wash clothes.  My homework assignment

morning from Wales UK, I always knit my own dishcloths fun to make and cheaper 

Greetings from Germany (Although, I am an American living here).  I'm excited to do this history study along with you as well.  I am fascinated by the older ways of life and have such wonderful memories of the way my mom and grandma took care of the house and all of us.   That era seems so full of common sense and frugality.  Thank you so much for all the research you do, your photos, inspiration and for taking the time to share with all of us who are drawn to the way things were done in the past.

The knitted dish cloths from saved cotton, sounds like an excellent example of Make Do and Mend, in Wartime Britain. 

String was in short supply and was never cut from parcels but carefully untied, straightened and saved. Our 20kg chicken feed sacks are made from three layers of stout paper and one end is closed with a row of machined chain stitch which we have learned to pull at the right end to get two long length of thin string. So, my project is to save it for a dish cloth. With just four hens, it might take some time. 

This is from The Times 1st June 1940. Production and sale of clothes and household items are to be reduced severely. 

I too have chickens and am using 2 to 3 50# bags of layer mash a week.  I wish mine were still paper, but alas they switched to poly a few years ago.  The string Janet mentioned on these bags is a little over 5 feet long and I have been saving it in a ball since about the first of the year.  I wasn't certain for what purpose, but now I am looking forward to seeing how many lengths it takes per dishcloth.  :0)

I moved into my apartment last weekend and am working on setting up my house ala 1940.  

I've been knitting dishcloths for years using cotton yarn.  It looks like these patterns are using the kind of cotton thread that doilies are made of.  Is that right

I love this ~ even if I am not doing the study, the tips from the time are such a pertinent reminder of the various ways we can economize.  Also, the simplicity of the era is a worthy goal in itself.  I am probably due for another round of decluttering - books are a weakness of mine  ????  I only have one apron at the moment.  I have made multiple in trying to find one that fits.  I finally found a vintage one that fit and used it for a pattern.  I need to make myself another, but that will be a winter project.  Too busy with garden things right now.

A few free dishcloth patterns here: https://www.knitting-and.com/crafts-and-needlework/knitting/patterns/washcloths/

I'll find a few more. 

I have crocheted my own dish cloths for as long as I can remember. They aren't fancy and just very basic, but they do the job. The article mentioned about the dishcloth and talking about sanitation reminds me of today's kitchen sponges. I don't use them or have them in our home, but many people I know do. I've seen them out them in the dishwasher along with their wooden spoons and such. It seems as though their families are always sick which is terrible. Always thought it was from that and kids not being taught to wash their hands either. I don't know why cleaning has gotten to be a thing of the past. For the loufas, I didn't know what they were used for all this time  I'm glad to know now because I couldn't figure out why people would want to use garden space for them. I heard one lady say a long time ago she used them for decoration. Very informative post!