2026 BIRTHDAY

Another year has passed; that's me 82 years old now.  Life rolls along much the same really.

A recent photograph:

(taken in the garden today when out at the washing line...)

I like to spend time in the garden... lovely at this time of year. I even make an effort to sit and read a book or the newspaper but I always find that somehow 2 hours passes and the book is left untouched!  Yes, I do spend many hours pottering about outside or possibly in the garage where I have things I can get on with if the weather is poor.

It is wonderful to be able to pay the occasional trip to Edinburgh to see Inger.  I am at that time of life when too many of my social events are attending funerals. A train trip for some much needed 'social stimulation' definitely offsets the 'duty' stuff!

Such a lovely city... walkable with lots to see looking up!  (Glasgow can be like that too but it is currently digging up roads to put in cycle lanes, fibre optic cables and the place is a mess!)

These 4 photos are on my route to my destination.  Picture postcard perfect!

And finally I still keep busy with desk-top publishing activities. My main project is producing the 20 pages brochure for Milngavie Music Cub.  Here it is, hot off the press.

I really enjoy this computer work and it keeps me in touch with both the technology which is always changing plus the people involved who work in the printing and advertising sectors. (I deal with artwork for various aspects relating to putting on these concerts.). It's a case of 'If you don't use it, you lose it.'   Sometimes I have to have to spend many hours 'trouble-shooting' when I can't get the software to work.  However I am getting better at it! And I have learned, like using the banks these days, the problem doesn't necessarily lie at my end!

* * * * * * * * 

The birthday cake which ended up being a pile of Nigella brownies stacked in a dish with masses of Mary Berry ganache slathered all over it... candles finished it off... a sort of mini-volcano.  As long as there is lots of chocolate the kids don't mind in what form it comes!  That's Harriet (L) nearly 13 years and Ellie (11).

  

KNITTING PATTERN FOR CHILDNREN'S FINGERLESS GLOVES WITH COLOURED WORK

These 'gloves'.. more like 'mittens'.... are knitted from a pattern taken from my mother-in-law's Paton's Woolcraft knitting book, 18th edition, [June 1967]. Cost 2/5 shillings.  Details below.

This is record of what I did as a test piece to teach myself how to do coloured yarn work (Shetland style knitting roughly speaking) where you carry the yarn(s) in the back.  It is not perfect but I would do it again!

Child’s Fingerless Mittens

Adapted from  Paton’s ‘Woodcraft’ book, page 79 called ‘Child’s Gloves’

William Morris DK pomegranate yarn, No 9 needles.

CO 40 st. 

K2 P 2 rib for 16 rows

Follow pattern (para 2) so you end up with 44 stitches.  

Do the 4 increases so that Row 4 ends up with 46 stitches with 7 between the P stitches; Row 8 has 48 stitches with 9 stitches between the 2 purl stitches; Row 12 has 50 with 11 between; Row 16 has  52 with 13 between the 2 P stitches  

Work 4 more rounds keeping the 2 P stitches in place.

Shape thumb gusset as per pattern ending with 13 gusset stitches placed on a piece of wool.  

CO 3 stitches for the wee extension.  Therefore it is  52 - 13 = 39 plus the cast on 3 = 42.  Should be 44 ..... I added 2.  (Should I have done another increase??? This is OK as fitted the hand OK.)

K 9 rounds.  

Start colour work using tail yarn as the ‘Start’ of the rows.  

Stitches are placed on 3 needles first.  I knitted one K row here.

The following colour work was done (as my test piece)  

Needle 1: 2,2,2,2 and 4 (3CO+1K from previous) = 12;     Or AA,BB,AA,BB,AA,BB,AA,BB, THEN AA,BB.

Needle 2: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2 = 14;     AND SO ON.

Needle 3: 2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2,2 = 18. ENDING WITH BB TO START AGAIN.

Equals 44.  The colour work is tighter and thicker.  

Finish work off with a rib K2 P2 using much smaller needles, e.g. 13.  Then COff/bind off.

I managed to get the tension right. One way is to keep 'stretching' or adjusting the knitted stitches as you go along.

FAMILY UPDATE

It was Mairi's birthday recently.  Time for bringing out the usual 'Spiderman Cake' to keep the wee ones happy.

Ellie in the living room (allocated as my 'Quiet Zone') in front of the fire with my recent Wentworth jigsaw.  It is of Alastair and gang in the Sequoias of California.

This is the photo which I sent off for making into a jigsaw.   I think that will be the last however as the children are too big for that stuff now. 

That is Inday in the light blue shirt standing behind Luna, the dog.

ADULT HAT PATTERN ARAN WOOL YARN

This is a woolen hat pattern for a ladies hat using Aran weight wool.  It's my own pattern.  Why?  I had a hat like this for years then lost it.  I liked the garter stitch band where hats are usually ribbed.  Secondly the crown is high. So many wooly hats are conical and simply slide off the back of my head.  This does not. It's squarish, like an Afghan style flat topped hat.  

I saw what I was looking for here, on this video:

(230) How 2 Knit Hat With Flat Top - Fast Project 4 RIGHTIES - YouTube

To make my own pattern I followed this YouTube video:

(230) How to Knit a Hat Without a Pattern // Technique Tuesday - YouTube

Using my own dimensions the hat is for adult head size of 23 inches.  Distance from ear to ear over top of head = 18inches so depth of hat needs to be half that, i.e. 9 inches.

Yarn is 100% wool and is Aran weight. The yarn used here is ColourLab clotted cream 1203 - 2635 Aran yarn.

Needles are No 9 or 3.75 mm double pointed needles; 4 needles

Test swatch is 24 rows of 18 stitches making it 4 inch x 4 inch square.

Size:

You need to calculate the number of stitches to cast on.

To calculate the number of stitches to cast on for 23 inch hat: Given 23 inches,  subtract for negative ease, subtract 10% or 20.7 then multiply this by number of stitches per inch which for me is 4.5 stitches per inch. Therefore it works out to be 20.7x 4.5 = 93.15.   I made this up to 96 because I wanted a number divisible by 4 for the 4 panels.

Pattern:

BAND or 'RIBBING':

CO 96 stitches

Row 1 K

Row 2 and 3 P

Repeat these 3 rows (K, P, P) 4 more times (or more if you want a deeper band).  Finish on row 16.

Row 17 K

BODY

Row 18 starts the first of the 4 panels: (K 22 P2) 4 times (that is 88 + 8= 96 stitches) giving a stocking stitch panel with a garter stitch 'border' between them.

K 32 rows.

CROWN:

R 50 K this.  This starts the crown by having 4 rows garter stitch making a 'lip or edge'.

R 51-54  P (garter stitch)

R55 Divide the 96 stitches into 5 sections of 19 stitches each. (Use separate DPN needles but you don't have to.) These form the base the of 5 triangles to form the crown.  19 x 5 is 95 so decrease one stitch from the worked rows of 96.  

R56 to end:  (K 17 2tog) 5 times. Keep decreasing in this way.  The crown is fairly flat.  To make more of a dome you would need to alternate a K row regularly? occasionally?!

Tie off at the end.

OPTION:

Line the inside from base to top of body (not the crown) with a piece of soft fabric e.g. a 'fleece' type making sure to stitch in place having made sure the hat with 'stretch' when you put it on your head.

 

This shows the white hat which is correct size and my first attempt which was too small, i.e. did not cast on the right number of stitches!