Project #4: Twiddlemuff

Today's project was inspired by a crafting group that meets at my local library.  The group makes a variety of different items for several local charities.  One the recent projects is something called a "Twiddlemuff".

If my Internet research is accurate, "Twiddlemuff" is a generic name for a thick, double-layer, knitted (or crocheted) open-ended tube with small items (key, jingle bell, pom-pom, etc.) attached to the outside.  It appears that the concept began in the UK several years ago.  There are lots of examples of knitted and crocheted Twiddlemuffs on Ravelry.

A Twiddlemuff provides an outlet for fine motor activity, mental stimulation, and emotional comfort for, among other groups, those with dementia. Rather than pick at their clothes (for example),  individuals can "twiddle" with the little attachments on the muff, which also doubles as a hand warmer.

Here is a photo of my first Twiddlemuff, made from yarn stash, but not from swatches:

Side note: I discovered that there is also a commercial version of Twiddlemuff in the UK. It serves the same function, but the commercial muff is a factory-made stuffed animal with a tube down the middle and small plastic bits 'n' bobs sewn on.  The library knitting leader tells me that that is the "other" Twiddlemuff.

And then she proceeded to let me know that using swatches to make the knitted muff is NOT the same thing as what the group makes for the dementia care facility and that charity knitters don't even make swatches anyway and most wouldn't even know what a swatch is in the first place.

(!?)

So . . . now I've peeved a second charity knitting founder by sharing how to Make Things from textile debris. (Things that I make just for fun. Things that I'm not likely to sell. Things that I make to keep craft scraps out of the trash.) It occurs to me that I am "diluting their brands" with my ugly little creations.  Oh well.

(Getting to the  s w a t c h m o n s t e r  part, I promise!)

Using knitted or crocheted swatches to construct a Twiddlemuff is fairly easy, depending on what you have to work with.  After constructing both the outside and the inside of the muff, the finished length of the tube will be about 10 inches long.The width will be something like 18 inches in circumference.

(British patterns call for a tube that is 12 inches long and 24 inches in circumference, but our library group's muffs are shorter and narrower, for what it's worth. Both sizes will do the job, but the shorter length may be less likely to catch on a sleeve.)

From my collection of gauge swatches, I figured out which ones could be aligned to the correct dimensions and then sewed them edge to edge with whipstitch.  I used a strong, mercerized cotton yarn and a large-eyed blunt needle.

I'm not crazy about this color combination, but that is beside the point.  It is more important to include a variety of surface textures as well as visual contrasts.

The next steps will be:
* sew the short ends together to make a tube
* pick up and knit 40 stitches around one end
* knit circularly for an additional 10 inches
* pull the new tube inside the outer tube
* sew the lining to the outer tube
* add the doo-dads . . . . hopefully you get the idea!

Until next time,
s w a t c h m o n s t e r