Vintage Knitting Patterns

 Hi everyone, 

When knitting vintage patterns, I think of the ladies who knitted them before me. And how the flippety heck they managed in poorer light of an evening! The writing is SMALL, the picture doesn’t help much when trying to figure out the pattern! 192 stitches took me 10 minutes. My brain was also frazzled because I couldn’t understand how it would get to 184 because I was reasoning it was an INCREASE not a DECREASE in stitches. This is when I need to step away from the knitting!! Hopefully will have a show n tell soon! 

But whilst I have a few books by more modern knitters like Debbie Bliss - I find her patterns quite tricky to follow. My go to favourites are the fancy patterns that belonged to my Aunties, Nanna, Mum etc that are lacy and have a timeless charm. 

So it’s Saturday, the washer is on. But despite the weather saying no rain, it’s bloody raining. 

Everyone is up. Me and my sister have completed all the different word games we do online, messaging each other with how we’ve done. On the whole she is better than me! A new favourite is the connections game- much like the wall on Only Connect. But it’s American so sometimes it’s very tricky to solve. 

I’ve just fed the sourdough. Thinking I might do pizza for tea later so once it’s got going I’ll make a dough to rise for most of the day. A dog walk is on the cards but blimey I am moany today. Me and the HG are outdoing each other for aches n pains but I win today - we go top to bottom hahaha

Me.     Tongue - ulcer.               

Him.  Ok chest up!! 

Me.       Shoulders - arthritis  

 Him.     Upper back - from where he fell at work off a ladder 

Me      Boobs - bloody menopause - got to 105 days hmmmmph

Him      Elbows - wear n tear 

Me      Hips - new to me ache this week - think I’m too heavy for them and as Shakira sang, the hips don’t lie !! 

Him    Lower back - last 20 years moaning about it 

Me     Knees - see hips

Him   Hands - wear n tear due to manual labour and holding his ipad I say 

Me    Winning at moaning old lady yet refuse to get on and help myself!! 

The reason for this is something we use at work called the change cycle. Thanks to Mr G Oogle for the image - I am stuck at pre contemplation. If I’m being brutally honest and as this cycle is fluid I am generally bouncing between contemplation and planning. 

C

I’ve been successful with it in the past and know how the upward spiral works and makes you feel! It’s self discipline and will power I’m lacking! 

Anyway

Today I am aiming to aid my parasympathetic system with a walk out in some nature with Bluebell and the HG. I’m currently in Autophage ( Dr M Mosely ) because I am still fasting from last night and am quite hydrated! 

The first week of the holidays is over. I did actually spend the day at work on Tuesday sorting out resources and the room I work in to give me a head start come September when I return. Staff have inset on the 1st September which is a Friday and then the children come in on the Monday. This coming year I’ve a new challenge as I am working one to one with a non verbal child with Autism. I started last September with them as a temporary thing whilst a member of staff was still on maternity. 

I’ve quite the strong views on inclusion and specialist provision. This little one is at the highest end of the spectrum I’d say and should NOT be in mainstream school because quite simply it is doing them a disservice. Mainstream have to work much harder and with no budget to try and meet the needs of the pupils like this. But simply ‘meeting the needs’ in my

 is not enough. That’s the bare minimum. This child deserves to thrive and meet their potential. I was specialist trained over 30 years ago now in ASC but that was set in a specially set up school with specialist equipment and space and highly trained teachers and specialist support with differing timetables suited to each individual. In mainstream, as with so many,the first  Reception year is much more accommodating and ‘easier’ for staff to support and try and enable. Y1 has proved much more challenging for staff to plan and provide challenge whilst assessing for them.  This was not best for them in my ( unwanted  )opinion and  is not sustainable and as this one I’m working with moves into Y2, I have had to adapt my working hours and compromise my other pastoral role in order to have them withdrawn from the classroom all morning ( where’s the inclusion now??? ) - it’s timetabled properly and I’ve worked closely with the school SENCO to provide learning opportunities and to try and help with communication using PECS cards - it stands for Picture  Exchange - I will be free to use outdoors, I have a sensory programme to follow and will be trying to help them with independent learning and focus. But I’m not gonna lie - it’s a right chuffing challenge. I worry - what if I’m getting it wrong? It might sound like I’m protesting at having to do this and honestly a part of me is furious because it’s not really my job. I am human and it’s just my knee jerk reaction. But I also am professional and already have been doing extra research and been planning activities and hopefully learning experiences where they show real progress. Do you know what though, I’m only paid at Grade 6. That’s shit money for doing what I’m going to do. Legally I’m probably too high on a grade for this and mainstream could actually and have done in the past,  put in a Level 1 support - barely above minimum wage. Morally it is WRONG. This child deserves more. But with all the will in the world, it’s nowhere near enough good enough. But hey, I’m not in charge thank the lord, so I will do as I am told. 

Parents absolutely have the right to place their child in the education setting they choose. Like my sister and Harry. He went to mainstream. He’s lucky to be academically bright but that school had to find the funds from somewhere for a specialist Visual Impairment teacher, with the highly specific specialised equipment he needed like a braille machine. And honestly it probably compromised the group of children with some learning needs by pulling support from them. But  then in the same breath why  can this little one at my school not  be afforded the same? Just because you cannot see their needs doesn’t mean they are not as worthy. I have been providing them with special toys and equipment from a local lending library specifically for children with additional needs all last year to enhance their daily experience . This is a free service but they only have so many resources so will be using it again this coming year with the hope I’m getting suit able stuff that will be doing the child good! 

The issue in my mind is that there is no suitable specialist provision locally because the councils shut them down. If my sister had decided to send Harry to a school for blind children - it would have meant a 40 minute drive there in a morning and back again at night. The parents of this child at my school have come to realise that mainstream may not be the best but a look round at two close enough schools have proved that they are not suitable. For one of them, the child is too able physically - on the outside they look  and are physically perfect. For the other school however,  their  needs are too great and they cannot meet them. But also - like Harry, this one COULD be academically bright, I have no way of releasing this potential realistically speaking. 

There are been an issue with the County Council - the parents have been massively let down with the person in charge who basically failed to provide the correct and timely advice and gave them false promise of a place at a newly installed provision - like a Pupil Referral Unit for children with severe behavioural issues - this gives short term respite and insight for SEND - and can allow reintegration back into mainstream with the correct support. The person in charge has now retired. Hmmm. Fishy that. Our school SENCO is great and has done everything in their power including an official complaint to no avail. Sadly, it is really up to the parents now to kick up a fuss with no guarantees they will get what they need for their little one. And the funding that comes with the banding is just not enough to cover any real and meaningful support work in all honesty. 

Anyway, I will strive to do my best by this little one but as I’m having to do this, my other families will have to go without my help or have a longer wait for it as I also have my Behaviour Mentor Role running this year too! Also, the children who have had one to one support for extreme behaviour will now be back full time in class for the class teacher to mange best they can alongside teaching the other 28 children to a high standard.  My school have had to do a lot of juggling about. Two permanent members of expensive to the school budget full time  long term support staff have left this time ( lucky swines - retired ) but they are not being replaced due to the school budget not being able to cover it. Had they not been leaving I think hours being cut for all support was on the cards. But if anything the families are getting needier and certainly since COVID the pupils on the whole have needed more support than ever. I’ve got a bit rambly now so I’ll  not go on but yes, I’ll be providing  SEN support as best as I can in order for this one to stay at Mainstream school where it would seem highly likely they will never ever be able to  access the academic curriculum of their peers. So my controversial view is more special schools please because sometimes, mainstream just is not right. 

Sometimes, I wish I worked at M&S or Waitrose. Mostly for the staff discount and the lack of bringing it home stress. I would t need long or regular holidays like I do now!! 

Right, cup of tea and a wander in the garden looking at the sky now - rainy and cloudy despite the weather forecast and maybe a bit of sewing later. Painkillers on board so will be less moany in about 20 minutes!! 

Have a good day all

Bye everyone 

R x