Could you knit a sweater this well? How about without your sight?

For those of us born with all of our senses in good working order, the thought of losing one of them – particularly our sight or hearing – probably doesn’t make you feel too optimistic. However, there are people born without one or the other (or even both) who get on just fine without it.

Even if you lose your sight or hearing later on down the road, as so often happens with age, you can take solace in the fact that through perseverance you can still do some pretty amazing things, as Twitterer @leica_lee‘s mother did.

▼ “A sweater knitted by my completely blind mother (81 years old). She would put down a counter for each row she finished knitting, relying only on her memory and calculations. I don’t know anything about knitting, but this is quite impressive.”

https://twitter.com/leica_lee/status/790177809469583360

@leica_lee went on to explain more about her mother in the comments: Her mother began knitting when she was a second grader in elementary school, when she ended up in the hospital with scarlet fever. She received a pair of knitting needles and thread from her own mother and was taught how to knit. The nurses would praise the beautiful scarves she made.

Because she had a number of siblings, she gave up on going to university, and instead went on to a school that taught knitting, crocheting, and dressmaking. She was then able to use her skills to make clothes for her family.

As someone who had once learned to knit and only managed to get through maybe four rows on my first attempt at a scarf, I can personally say that knitting takes a lot of concentration and even more perseverance. Even more impressive is that @leica_lee’s mother had to relearn everything – knitting included – after losing her sight. @leica_lee explains that her mother didn’t want to give up anything she had been able to do prior to losing her sight in her 40s, and so she just kept at it, even the housework.

What a wonderful example to keep on pursuing whatever we set out to do, no matter the hindrances; although there may be something holding us back, we just have to find a way to work around whatever impedimenta may be standing in our way.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@leica_lee