"Home alone" and OK so far

Up, washed, dressed, medicated, but I already knew I could do that.

Breakfast started with a "breakfast biscuit" eaten in bed, then I got adventurous. Through to the kitchen, and open the back door to let some air in. Take ingredients from fridge, transport to microwave area (egg boxes good, squeezy mayo bottles good, big bag on walking frame very good). Discover that I can move the small perching stool. the one that folds as you drag it, if I really have to. And after some messing around in the area of the microwave, and use of a clip-lid plastic box, I am now sitting in front of the PC with a cooked breakfast: hot egg mayo & spring onion sandwich.

Notes for future reference:

• I'd better empty the dishwasher before I do that again.
• Cutting an onion with a serrated knife (because it's the only one left) is even more annoying than I expected, and my expectations weren't good. The silly thing drags the onion, it doesn't cut it!
• A work-top bin, if only a small one, would be a good idea.
• As I always say, but now it's even more important: leave the salt OUT. It goes in everything, so it should never be in the cupboard anyway, but when it's too big to pick up in a grabby-stick, who in their right mind would put it behind glass bottles in an upper cupboard, so I have to stand to reach it?
• Need to work out how to do washing up, if only a little bit - the small microwave bowl now has egg in it. It's soaking in the bottom of the sink, but I can only reach the bottom of the sink when standing, not sitting, and washing up takes two hands. Maybe if I have my weight on an elbow...?
• Also, must make it clear to Dave that if I ask him to leave me water in a location, leaving a 2-litre bottle and no glass isn't all that helpful.
• I really, really need to use those cycling gloves every single time I use the walking frame. My hands go numb and tingly without them after only about two hops.

And onward to more proofing, reviewing, and possibly writing.

Knitting needle sizes?

One for the knitters and reenactors among my friends.
I'm working with an ACW knitting pattern for gloves. 
"For a lady's size use black Penelope yarn and four steel knitting needles, No, 17
For a gentleman's glove, Balmoral yan or fingering wool will be suitable, and No 16 needles."

It has me cast on 56 stitches and do some rows of k2p2 rib, then continue plain for 12 rounds.

I want to do gloves for a man. I'm trying the rib in DK and 3.5mm needles, after doing some sums to work out probable gauge and resulting probable size, but the resulting rib looks a bit big to me (and to Dave). Does anyone know what size those needles would actually be?