Bedtime Story (18/11/2015)

Jennifer's Jumper

Jennifer's Nanny loved to knit,

Though she wasn't very good at it.

She knitted horses that looked like donkeys

And her stitching always came out wonky.

Jennifer's wardrobe was full of knitted stuff.

Jumpers, hats, scarves - she had more than enough!

But every time Jennifer thought her wardrobe was full,

Her Nanny just went out and bought more wool.

One wintry morning, Nanny came round

And from inside her bag, came a rustling sound.

"I've knitted you something," Nanny cried.

Her bag had another jumper inside.

The jumper was green, the jumper was itchy.

The jumper was the opposite of "titchy."

It was big - enormous!  Too big for Jen,

Who rolled her eyes, thinking: "Here we go again..."

The jumper simply didn't fit.

Jennifer was much too small for it!

It featured dots and zig-zagging lines,

In colours too bright for poor Jennifer's eyes.

"Thanks, Nanny," Jennifer politely said,

Before rushing to hide the jumper under her bed.

She loved her Nanny, but it didn't seem fair;

she kept knitting her clothes she didn't want to wear!

For days, then weeks, the jumper stayed hidden.

In the meantime, Nanny knitted scarves and mittens,

Until Jennifer's wardrobe was overflowing;

She couldn't shut the door without woollens still showing!

Finally, Jennifer could take no more

And she flung open her wardrobe door.

"These woollen things are taking over my room,"

She groaned, with a sense of gathering gloom.

So Jennifer grabbed a large black bag

And filled it with all the woollens she had.

Did she feel bad?  Yes, quite a bit!

But the jumpers Nan knitted didn't even fit!

From under the bed, Jennifer pulled out

The too-big green jumper and said without doubt:

"This knitwear is too much; it must go, today.

I'll take it all to the charity shop right away."

Jennifer marched straight out of the house, 

Closing the door as quietly as a mouse.

She rushed down the road, but began to feel bad;

When Nanny saw what she'd done, Jen knew she'd be sad.

But Jennifer pushed on, with her head in the air,

Though the cold wind was starting to blow her long hair.

In fact, the weather really wasn't that nice.

Poor Jennifer's fingers were like blocks of ice.

She paused for a moment and opened her bag.

Out of the woollens, she managed to drag

A pair of pink gloves, to warm up her hands.

Jennifer tugged them on and felt glad.

But after a while, she stopped once more.

The weather was colder than it had been before.

Jennifer shrugged: "I would be daft

If I didn't try wearing a hand-knitted scarf!"

Her hands and her neck were now nice and warm,

But Jennifer's head was exposed to the storm.

She opened the bag and - fancy that!

She had her pick of her Nan's cosy hats!

Yet something still didn't feel quite right.

Jennifer coughed and her chest felt tight.

Her body was cold and she knew how to feel better;

She needed to wear a nice, hand-knitted sweater!

Jennifer pulled out the big, baggy, green jumper

And when she put it on, she realised her blunder.

It was cosy and warm and didn't really itch.

Best of all, Nan's love was in every stitch!

Jennifer turned on her heels and ran home,

Knowing how wrong she'd been to have moaned.

When she arrived, her Nanny was there

And Jennifer hugged her tight without care.

"Thanks for my jumper," Jennifer said.

"And the scarf and the gloves and the hat on my head.

I love them so much, I don't mind admitting.

Please Nanny, never ever stop knitting!"

And to this day, Jennifer's wardrobe is full

Of all kinds of clothing, made out of wool.

She's always warm when she wears a scarf or a glove.

And she's cosiest in jumpers, knitted with love.