Becoming visually impaired hasn’t stopped 87-year-old Christina McIsaac from knitting up a storm.
Recently the Williams Lake resident lost the vision in one eye completely and half of the vision in the other eye due to glaucoma.
At the Seniors Village Craft Fair last Sunday, Christina was selling socks and scarves she’d made.
Sitting beside her was her grand-daughter Leslie Lingholt who also knits sweaters and scarves.
“I also make dog sweaters for other people’s dogs,” Christina said.
In July Christina suffered the loss of her 62-year-old daughter Pat Lingholt to cancer.
The two widows had been living together in a trailer since 2003, but before Pat died she arranged for her mom to move into Seniors Village.
“I moved here in August,” Christina said. “At first I wanted to say I hated it here, but then I said, ‘wait a minute this is my home’, and you know, I just love it here.”
Pointing to the scarves she made, she explained that they were made with arm knitting, where you pull the wool from arm to arm.
She learned the technique from the granddaughter of one of her new friends in Seniors Village, she said.
Originally from Coulter, Man., Christina came to Williams Lake with her late husband Gerard McIsaac who was working for BC Rail at the time.
For 15 years she worked at Boitanio Cleaners in the mall as a seamstress doing alterations and repairs.
“I forgot to tell you that I’ve won several ribbons at the Fall Fair for my knitting,” Christina said, as Leslie rummaged through the socks and pulled out a white pair that had won first prize.
Smiling Christina said it relaxes her to knit.