When My Grandma Went Viral

I always thought my grandma was a pretty typical old lady. She baked cookies, knitted sweaters for all the grandkids, and kept an absurd number of butterscotch candies in her purse “just in case.” But everything changed the day Grandma discovered TikTok.

It all started innocently enough. My cousin Bella thought it would be “cute” to show Grandma how to make short videos. “You’ll love it, Nana,” Bella said. “It’s just like those funny cat videos you always forward us—only better.”

Grandma took the phone, squinted at the screen, and muttered, “So, this is what the kids are doing instead of getting married these days?”

That’s where we should have stopped.

The First Post

The first video was simple. Grandma showed off her latest knitting project: a scarf that somehow had an accidental pocket big enough to hold a ham sandwich. Bella thought it was adorable and uploaded it with the caption: “When your grandma’s knitting goes rogue.”

To our shock, the video racked up 10,000 views overnight.

“People are watching me knit?” Grandma asked, genuinely baffled. “Don’t they have hobbies?”

Despite her confusion, Grandma was hooked. She spent the next week learning TikTok slang. She called it “tickety-tock” and referred to hashtags as “pound signs,” but she mastered it faster than anyone expected.

“Did you know there’s a thing called ‘going viral?’” she asked me one morning, her eyes sparkling. “I think I’d like to try that.”

A Star Is Born

Her next video featured her knitting a sweater while rapping about purl stitches. Somehow, she made it rhyme with “I’ve still got my riches.” By the end of the day, it had over a million views. Grandma had officially gone viral.

The family group chat exploded.

Uncle Jerry: “Why is Mom famous on the internet?”
Mom: “She’s knitting AND rapping. It’s weirdly impressive.”
Bella: “Granny’s trending!!!”

What followed can only be described as chaos. Suddenly, she wasn’t just my knitting grandma; she was @GrannyWithTheGoodStitch, TikTok’s newest sensation. People flooded the comments with requests:

• "Can you knit me a hat that looks like a cat?”
• "Do a dance challenge while knitting!”
• "Teach me how to crochet a boyfriend, please.”

Grandma took it all in stride. “If I can raise four kids and survive disco, I can handle this,” she said, before attempting her first TikTok dance trend.

Watching her attempt the “Renegade” while knitting a sweater was both inspiring and terrifying. “Grandma, please don’t dislocate your hip,” I begged.

“Nonsense!” she replied. “This is how the young people connect these days.”

Fame Hits Hard

Within weeks, Grandma had sponsorship deals rolling in. A yarn company offered her a lifetime supply of merino wool if she’d knit with their product on camera. An herbal tea brand sent her boxes of tea to promote as her “creative fuel.”

She even got invited to speak on a live stream about “modernizing traditional crafts,” though she spent most of the time complaining about how kids these days don’t sew their own buttons.

At first, the family thought her fame was adorable. But then things got...complicated.

The Transformation

Grandma started using TikTok lingo in real life.

“Dinner’s ready, Nana!” I’d call.

She’d shout back, “BRB, fam! Granny’s doing a collab!”

She started wearing oversized sunglasses indoors and answering every phone call with, “Granny with the Good Stitch, how can I help you?”

Even her wardrobe changed. One day, she strutted into the living room wearing a custom-knit sweater with the words #Trending emblazoned across the front. She’d added sequins for dramatic effect.

“Grandma, where’s your cardigan?” I asked.

“Cardigans are so last year,” she replied, flipping an imaginary scarf over her shoulder.

Fan Encounters

The first “Stan,” as she called them, was a teenage boy who knocked on our door holding a ball of yarn and a pair of needles.

“Hi, Mrs. GoodStitch—I mean, Granny,” he stammered. “Can you, like, sign these?”

Grandma, never one to turn down a compliment, obliged with a flourish. “Stay cozy, kid,” she said, handing back the needles like a rockstar signing a guitar.

The next day, two more fans showed up, one wearing a hand-knitted sweater that looked suspiciously like one of Grandma’s designs.

By the end of the week, she had a P.O. box overflowing with letters, gifts, and a rather unsettling request to knit someone a life-sized horse.

Grandma’s Diva Phase

As her fame grew, so did her attitude. Grandma started referring to herself in the third person.

“Granny doesn’t just knit scarves anymore,” she declared during Thanksgiving dinner. “Granny creates wearable art.”

She also developed a fondness for dramatic entrances. At one family gathering, she showed up wearing sunglasses, a feather boa, and a sweater that said #YarnQueen.

“You wouldn’t understand,” she told me when I asked why she was acting like this. “It’s the influencer lifestyle.”

Even her cookie baking changed. Instead of her usual chocolate chip, she started making elaborate “yarn-themed” desserts to post on TikTok.

“These cookies are shaped like knitting needles,” she explained, holding up one that looked suspiciously like a burnt pretzel.

The Intervention

It all came to a head one night when Grandma announced she was considering a brand deal with a company that sold glitter-infused yarn.

“But glitter gets everywhere,” my mom protested. “Do you really want to deal with that?”

Grandma waved her off. “The fans demand sparkle,” she said, flipping her boa dramatically.

That’s when we knew we had to step in.

“Grandma,” I said gently, “don’t you think this has gone a bit too far?”

She looked at me for a long moment, then sighed. “Maybe you’re right. I got into this because I love knitting, not because I wanted to be some sort of...Internet icon.”

Relieved, we all nodded.

“But,” she added with a sly grin, “I’m definitely posting one last sweater video before I retire.”

The Final Post

Her farewell video was a masterpiece. She knitted a sweater live on camera while narrating the entire process like a nature documentary.

“And here we have the rare Granny Stitch in its natural habitat,” she whispered, pretending to sneak up on her own hands.

The video ended with a heartfelt message to her fans: “Remember, it’s not just about the yarn—it’s about the love you weave into every stitch.”

It hit 10 million views within 24 hours. Fans flooded the comments, begging her to come back full-time.

A Legend Lives On

Grandma eventually scaled back her TikTok antics. She still posts the occasional knitting tutorial, but the days of viral dance challenges are behind her.

Every now and then, when I hear her chuckling to herself while scrolling through her phone, I wonder if she’s planning a comeback.

After all, you can take the granny out of TikTok, but you can’t take TikTok out of the granny.