I learned to knit with the hand that still works

Dear Delyara, A stroke weakened my right hand, the hand I had used to knit for forty years. I stopped completely because every attempt reminded me what I had lost. An occupational therapist suggested trying adapted needles and learning more work with my left hand. I became irritated. I did not want a new way. I wanted my old hand back. Months later, boredom changed my mind. My first scarf was terrible—uneven, full of dropped stitches, one end wider than the other. My granddaughter loved it. Today, I finished a small blue hat for her new baby. It took three weeks. Before the stroke, I could have made it in two evenings. She put it on the baby immediately and sent photographs to everyone. Hobbies sometimes survive by becoming slower and less impressive. The joy was not proving I could knit as before. It was watching something leave my changed hands and still become warm enough for someone I love.