The Blue Sweater

My grandmother knitted me a blue sweater when I was ten. It was too big, itchy, and the sleeves were uneven. I hated it.\n\n"Try it on," she said, her old hands trembling.\n\nI put it on and told her it was beautiful. I lied.\n\nShe passed away two years later. The sweater sat in my closet for years.\n\nWhen I turned twenty-five, I found it while packing for a move. I put it on. It fit perfectly now.\n\nI wear it every winter. It's still a little itchy. The sleeves are still uneven. But when I wear it, I feel her arms around me.\n\nI wish I could tell her I'm sorry for lying. But more than that, I wish I could tell her I love it now. Not because it's beautiful. Because she made it with her own hands, for me.