The award goes to my Dad, resplendent in this sky-blue aran knitted by my Grandma, no doubt from a pattern in Woman’s Weekly. Mine and Helen’s cardis aren’t half bad either (I am the one in the middle, and am wearing my hair in plaits). We are photographed up by the allotments, where my Dad grew his vegetables before the advent of his garden. Thirty years later, he still looks much the same, except for a happy lack of cigarettes and sideburns.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!
Great photo!
I love the way your tummy is bursting out, proud to be standing by dad. Lovely. Thank you for your blog. It makes my day.
My thoughts EXACTLY right down to the ‘thank you’ for sharing!
Best photo ever. Happy Day to your Dad!
I’ve probably got those patterns in a family aran book! And, I’ve read WW for over thirty years!
Happy Birthday to your dad xxx
what a gorgeous photo!!
LOL, great photo! But you really didn’t need to point out which one is you – your stance and look would have been unmistakable anyway ;-)
Oh, and Happy Birthday to your dad, of course! What a shame about the sideburnes, though…
c.
aw happy birthday wazzdad!
I’m sure he laughs at the sideburns, too. What beautiful sweaters all of you have one. Is yours tucked away in a drawer somewhere?
Happy Birthday, Kate’s Dad.
Love the sweaters. I’ve knitted similar in the distant past, large and small and still have the man’s large one folded away somewhere.
What a great picture of a family clad in Arans! I’m so tempted to cast on a couple (because, you know, one would only keep me going for the next decade or so) for our family. Maybe I’ll just knit one for the baby for now…
Happy Birthday to your dad!
Yep, you didn’t really need to point out which one was you – and why am I unsurprised your hair is plaited there?!
What a lovely photo, and thank you for sharing it with us :-)
Love your photo. It reminds me of my Nan, who would regularly send us aran jumpers/cardis, also usually matching :0)
Wonderful photo. (The sweaters aren’t half bad, either.)
I love photos from the past…
Such a great photo! Happy birthday to your dad, and tell him to bring back the sideburns!
My dad had a garden like this, too-but no sweater like this one!
Great photo. In days gone by, wearing handknits was the norm. Everyone’s Mum or Nan knitted their school jumper or cardigan. Now I get excited if one pupil in the school is sporting a handknit! You all look fab!
very beautiful!
I am in love with this photo. The knitwear is so inspiring, let alone the posture and the composition. Made my morning.
I just love this photo… brings me back to my own childhood!
You all look very groovy. Him indoors must be a reincarnation of your dad, he’s often found on the allotment sporting his rather splendid side burns. He also kicked the snouts a couple of years ago. However, I’d have to wrestle him into an intricate aran pully, unfortunately. Happy birthday to your dad and brilliant dad’s everywhere!
Nothing to do with your Dad’s splendid jumper – just that I’ve picked up the current issue of the Literary Review and there’s a review of a book called “The lost art of walking: the history, science, philosophy, literature, theory and practice of pedestrianism” and after yesterday’s post I thought it might be right up your street!
I rather pleased to be sharing my birthday with your dad and another friend called Fraser. I am also sharing an improbable and abiding love of deep purples (particularly with green) so your new owls was very pleasing to see.
In later life, my Dad wore M&S Shetland wool cardigans, but he would never have worn an Aran sweater! Even in his 80s he wore shirt, tie and sports jacket – just to spend the day sitting in his armchair! Happy birthday to your Dad.
What a beautiful photo. I love it so much. And really it wouldn’t have been hard at all to recognize you. Happy Birthday to your Dad.
What a sweet photo! I am going to have to dig through my old photos this weekend – I know there’s photographic evidence of my father’s mutton chops…
What a great memory – and great sweaters. Now… the kids only want to wear their fleeces. Sigh. Will we have any pictures like this to show in 30 years???
always very and smart looking
Cool photo and cool sideburns!
My first project (age 14) was an aran sweater. Since then I have knitted loads – they are so satisfying as they grow.
Happy Birthday to your dad – and many more of them!!
I wish I had that kind of knitting history in my family. Lovely photo.
Aw! I was digging those sideburns. My dad had them too. Happy Birthday to your Pa!
happy birthday, papa needled. you are a lucky man.
Love it! Happy Birthday, Pops:)
what a cute photo!
Truly a picture worth a thousand words. Thank you for sharing that. I just love it. And a very happy birthday to your Dad!
That really takes me back to 35 years ago when I started knitting a similar aran jumper for my other half when I was pregnant. Didn’t quite get it finished before son was born – a Christmas Day delivery in 1975 – so husband had a bit of a wait for it. But then he wore it lots – it was dark green. Can’t remember where I got the pattern – it could have been WW – but |I haven’t got it any more. :-(
But how can you not love the sideburns?!? ;0)
There’s nothing cozier than handknit sweaters, especially on cute, little children. Your dad looks great in his sweater, as well. I seem to remember that you’re quite a bit younger than I am, but I sure to remember those sideburns. My dad moved from them to a goatee to a full beard. He’s nearly eighty now, and he hasn’t been clean-shaven since the 70s!
Your photo is beautiful, you little girls look so cute, and classical, chubby cheeks and hair done so beautifully. Bet your dad loves this photo too. He also looks very nice in his aran. Hope you all have a lovely birthday celebration for his special day.
I had plaits until I was about 8 years also, so did my Mom, and her Mom too!
oh that picture takes me back to my own 70s childhood… Happy Birthday to your dad!