Yoda granny

Before Parkinson’s I had always been fit and healthy.  When I was young I played a lot of sports and I competed in athletics.  I have always been very competitive.  I was a young mother and I wanted to be a young and trendy granny playing football and chasing my grandchildren around.  My son delayed having children until his thirties but I could still do all the things that I had hoped for with my grandsons.  Then this summer Parkinson’s arrived and I am slower and stiffer, more tired and feeling very saddened by no longer fitting my self image.  Then something happens to make me smile and think ……

A couple of months ago my five year old Star Wars obsessed grandson asked me to knit him a stuffed toy.  I didn’t really think much about it except to think that he really wouldn’t want such an ‘uncool’ item.  Then a fortnight ago we visited again and the first thing he asked for was his soft toy.  I felt mortified!  I managed to put things right and he climbed in to my knee as we surfed on the ipad for a knitting pattern.  He decided on Yoda from Star Wars.  Here is the result which I am just about to send to him.  It’s not the best example so I hope he likes it!  It took me hours to make. My doctor suggested that I knit to help with the fine motor skills and I actually enjoy doing it although I don’t normally mention it to people as it doesn’t fit in too much with my silly self image.  The important thing is the five year old likes having a traditional, knitting granny upon whose knee he can climb even if it is to surf the Internet and he likes the idea of having a granny who can knit him soft toys to cuddle  ….. and me?  I like this image too!

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