Thursday, 12 August 2010

Grammy's Peacock Cardigan

Last Christmas my 91 year old Grammy made the trip from Truro, Nova Scotia to Montreal to spend the holidays with us. Seeing as how she is my knitting mentor I thought it only fitting to give her a sweaters worth of yarn for Christmas. She started working on it right away.

She happily knit away at it over the holidays and then continued working on it when she got back home to Truro. She had to take a break from it when she had surgery on her eye, Grammy was almost blind when she started this sweater, and despite still having very poor vision after her surgery she was able to feel her way through the process. Knitting is so instinctual to her and is such a part of the way her hands move that she didn't need to be able to see to finish her sweater. She does know her limits though, I know it was hard for her but she asked me to sew up her finished cardigan pieces and then pick up the stitches for the collar, the fiddly work is just too hard on her (now 92 year old!) eyes.

I was able to finish it for her this summer at the cottage, and man, I don't know that I've ever been so happy about a knit in all my life! When Grammy put on her finished sweater she smiled from ear to ear. I can just picture her walking around her seniors apartment residence strutting her stuff in her Peacock sweater. She is very, very proud of it, and she beams when she wears it. My Grammy is a star, and to think that my simple gift of yarn could bring her so much joy just warms my heart.

Because Grammy and I share a deep, devoted and undying love of all things blue, here are some shots of my Aunt Linda's gorgeous blue hydrangea.

I really need to get one of these (or several) for my garden.