I made the knitted version of the project twiddles twirls flower. Travelling in a car and plane gave me the opportunity to patiently knit 40 tails from 10cm to 15 cm in length. The knitters will know these as icords.
Cast on 3 stitches using a 3.5mm circular needles. I used just the needle part and not the cord.
Knit 3 and do not turn your work. Slide work to opposite end of needle and keep knitting until you reach desired length (anything from 10cm to 15 cm). Cast off.
Keep making them until you have enough to make a flower. Darn in the tails. Fold each icord in half. If you have used different colours, arrange them, then thread strong cotton though the middle of each one until they are joined. Wrap the cotton around the icords and attach to the cuff firmly. Shape the icords like a flower. You might like to put a button or little flower in the middle made from the pattern below.
Such fun to make and can be used for endless possibilities on your twiddle creations. Look for the French knitting top tip story too.
Looking back over my stories and the examples I have posted, I realised there are not many knitting examples. We all need new challenges, so I have been focusing on providing some knitted twiddle items.
Knitting project twiddles twirls (you might know them as curlicues or curly cues or even curly Qs) instead of crocheting was so much fun. My granddaughter called them twirls, so twirls they are.
I used double knit yarn and cast on 20 stitches.
Row 1: I knitted into the back and front of every stitch. I now had 40 stitches on my needle.
Row 2: I purled across all 40 stitches.
Row 3: Cast off all the stitches loosely.
One twirl is made. I made two more, sewed them together and attached them to the cuff with a project twiddles button. I made another 5 and stitched them onto a twiddle cuff where I joined the two ends together.
A knitted cuff with knitted twiddle items.
Whether you knit or crochet, trust me, you can have so much fun making these twirls. Do have a go.
I am grateful to Maniototo Wool for the simple story of how to make project twiddle twirls /curlicues. Find the story at” https://www.maniototowool.co.nz/knitting-curlicues/
Twiddle twirls are my favourite item to add to my twiddle projects, my blankets, children’s gifts, in fact any excuse to make and use them in some creative way. When away from home, I have odd balls of yarn with me that I turn into twirls ready to place on twiddle cuffs, muffs or mats.
Mats and a cuff with twiddle twirls
Crochet and knitting people will know these as curlicues. When I was making these twirls I asked my granddaughter what to call ‘it”. Twirls, she said. So Project Twiddle Twirls they are.
Making a twiddle twirl I find that the smaller the hook or knitting needles the better the twirl. I use 3.5 mm crochet hook and knitting needles and double knit yarn. But as you make them you will find what size hook, needles and yarn works best for the result you want.
Knitting Instructions Cast on 20 stitches (more if you want a longer twirl), knit into the back and front of every stitch (kfb) across the row. Cast off. Darn in your ends and you’re are ready to use it.
If you want to make a curlier twirl, knit into the back and front and then front (kfbf) of every stitch across the row and then cast off. This way can be tight to complete the row but well worth the perseverance.
Crochet Instructions Chain 20 stitches (more if you want a longer twirl). Turn and in the second chain from the hook put 2 single crochet stitches and in every chain back to the beginning. Finish off.
You can turn your twirls into a lot of interesting features: legs for your octopus; make a twirly flower; add them to your edging on your mats; something to play with inside a muff; or an additional fun finger activity on other twiddle items. The opportunity is endless.
Apologies to all the knitters! I realised that I have been sharing my ideas from my own crochet journey and forgotten about all the knitters. So this posting is for you!
Knitting like crocheting is a soothing activity. More research around about that than for crocheting. If you are new to knitting, trust me, that as you build up your confidence and your frustration diminishes, you will feel calmer and enjoy what you are doing.
The beauty of project twiddles is that you don’t have to do fancy stitches or use quality yarn. Use those leftover balls of yarn to create a mat or muff. Invite a friend or two over, or meet in a café, and knit small mats together. Have a laugh together as you create your mats.
This pattern is lots of fun. It is knitted on the diagonal in garter stitch, often called C2C (corner to corner). And it fits in well with Project Twiddles principle that size is not important. Here is my attempt:
I used double knit yarn and size 4.00 m knitting needles. You could use bigger needles and thicker yarn, and lots of different colours.
I started with one stitch on my needle and increased one stitch at the beginning of every row until I had 120 stitches. To increase, you knit into the front of the first stitch but you do not slip the stitch off the left needle. Instead, knit into the back of the same stitch and you should end up with 2 stitches on the right needle. You can vary the number of total stitches but you need at least 120 for a small mat.
I knitted one row without increasing.
Then I began decreasing one stitch at the beginning of each row by knitting two stitches together, until only two stitches were left.
I knitted these two stitches together, and then cast off the one remaining stitch.
I was surprised how soft and squishy the finished mat was. Knitting C2C allowed me to revisit an old technique I had forgotten about and provided me with lots of fun. If you forget to increase or decrease, drop stitches, make holes, it does not matter as it will be decorated and mistakes covered up.
The dark blue line in the photo shows the one row without any increasing or decreasing.
The attachments are on the mat and it is backed and edged.
I have backed this mat with flannelette. Hemmed it on the sewing machine but I chose to hand stitch it on using blanket stitch.
My knitting and crocheting is timeout therapy for me. I enjoy the rhythmic flow of knitting and crocheting. It’s a very peaceful time, a wonderful experience.
So when I get questions about ‘how many stitches do I cast on’ or ‘what size chain do I make’ or ‘how long do I make a twiddle blanket’, I know that there is a certain amount of anxiety to make the piece right.
I want to reassure you that any instructions are just that, instructions for you to interpret. When you make a blanket ( I prefer calling them twiddle mats) and you think the size is right test it out by putting it on your lap and visualize someone playing with the twiddle items. If the size feels right, then it is!
A twiddle muff is usually around 60 centimetres (24 inches) in length, then folded in half. If you only do 38 centimetres (15 inches) that’s ok as you can make a twiddle cuff.
Currently I am making small twiddle mats around 38 centimetres (15 inches) square. I intend to back them by turning in each corner to make a finished twiddle mat. I am enjoying playing around with ideas . I know that what appeals to some patients doesn’t to others so I like making a variety. And I get my dose of timeout therapy and get my creative juices flowing.
So a very important message from me, is please settle into creating pieces that you enjoy making. All creations no matter what size can be used in someway.
Happy creating everyone!
Sandra @ Project Twiddles
One small piece, edged with bobbles ready for some twiddle items and to become a mat.
One small piece that becomes the twiddle muff in the next photo.
Making something is not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s fine.
Sometimes it is about the lack of motivation to finish the work in progress, affectionately known as a WIP. Or you haven’t enough time, a family member needs you, the pattern is too hard, too abstract, not interesting enough to hold your attention, you are in awe seeing other people’s work. And there is the uncertainty of the times we live in which saps your energy and motivation.
We all have these times so here are some tips to help you move on.
Find a moment for you, sit down and crochet or knit just one row. When I arrived home from work I would always sit and crochet or knit a couple of rows to make the transition from the outside world to the comfort of my home. Pick up your WIP for a few minutes. You will be surprised how moments like these help you in making progress with the item.
Talk with someone about what you are trying to do and how you are feeling about it. Maybe someone at work over coffee, the phone or Zoom. You will be surprised how just talking about the situation makes you feel better and how many people are in the same situation as you. Unfinished or discarded WIP are a common problem. You could even crochet or knit while you are talking! A few minutes at a time is all you need to make progress.
Try making something small to contribute to a larger twiddle creation. You don’t have to make the whole twiddle muff, mat or cuff. Maybe you like making small flowers for someone else to attach the twiddle mat, muff or cuff. That’s great.
What is important is that we all find what we like doing and get pleasure from doing it. Making twiddle muffs, mats and cuffs for others to enjoy should not be a chore. We, the makers, benefit too. For me, the rhythmic and repetitive nature of crocheting or knitting a row has a soothing and calming effect.
Have a look at the story in the Blankets section on project twiddles website (www.projecttwidles.com) titled Creating a twiddle blanket/muff. This story is in 4 steps. Maybe you want to try only one of these steps. That’s awesome. There will be someone who loves assembling the twiddle creations using your contributions.
I am often asked this question, mainly because crocheted and knitted blankets are not usually backed, unlike quilted blankets.
You might be more familiar with the term lining which serves the same purpose as backing. For twiddle mats this means, attaching an additional cover to the back of a mat or blanket to make it warmer, sit better on a lap, and to protect the stitchings (threads) on the back of the main piece.
Backings (linings) can be crocheted or knitted; made from flannelette or flannel; or other materials such as calico. I rummage around in remnant bins and find pieces that I can use.
If I am using flannelette or flannel, I place the twiddle mat on top of the flannel and cut around the flannel leaving about 1 cm extra to hem the material. I sew around the edge using my sewing machine. Sometimes I will use the sewing machine to sew directly onto the twiddle mat. If I am away from home, or feeling like doing some rhythmic hand stitching, I will hand sew the backing on using blanket stitch.
If the blanket is large, I only back the middle area where I have attached twiddle items.
Often I make a backing from old jumpers or discarded knitted /crocheted pieces. Leftover granny squares are good for this. I am more likely though to just crochet or knit a piece to use. I attach it to the main piece with single crochet stitches. Regardless of the type of backing I then have fun crocheting a border. I use these opportunities to learn new crocheting techniques.
It really is over to you, and what suits you best at the time.
Elderly, unsettled patients often fidget and pick at their sheets, clothes and skin. Twiddle muffs, cuffs, mats and blankets are an ideal solution– giving patients something to do with their hands. So the twiddle items, particularly the buttons, have to be attached securely.
I use embroidery thread, dental floss and linen thread to secure the item to the twiddle blanket, mat, muff and cuff. For buttons I will often finish off with yarn if I want to add in a colour. However, if you use thick yarn to attach a button the holes in the button will full before the button is securely attached.
If a patient pulls and tugs at a button, I do not want the thread to break or unravel. A loose thread is an attractive beacon for a patient who is restless and unsettled, and they will pick away at the loose thread. All ends must be well woven in.
How do I make sure that the item has been securely fastened? I get my husband Paul to do the safety test by pulling and tugging on the item.
Over time we have learnt a lot about making and distributing twiddle creations and we will share these tips with you.
We benefit greatly from the creative activity in making these twiddle muffs, blankets, mats and cuffs, and we love the idea of gifting these to Royal Melbourne Hospital patients. But uppermost in our thinking at all times is the benefit to, and the safety of, the patient.
So, keeping that in mind, let’s enjoy ourselves while we crochet and knit.
My fear is leaving a pin or needle in a twiddle creation!
Assessing each twiddle muff, cuff, mat and blanket is an important aspect of the making, collecting and distributing of twiddle creations for recipients.
We want to prevent an agitated and confused patient pulling on a twiddle item and breaking the thread that secures the twiddle item to the muff, cuff, mat and blanket, or finding that drat pin or needle. The twiddle creation should be a simple and safe gift to calm the patient, not to cause harm.
So what to do? The creator should:
Make sure that everything is sewn on tight so they cannot be pulled off, and that there are no loose threads or hazardous parts like sharp objects.
Use unwaxed, non-perfumed dental floss which is very strong, or embroidery thread, to attach items like buttons to the twiddle creation. Finish off with coloured cotton or wool.
Have someone to do the final check by twisting and pulling the items, and checking thoroughly for pins and needles before any twiddle creations are handed over to the hospital.
I don’t like a lot of dos and don’ts, however overtime I have accumulated a lot of learnings to improve the safety of my twiddle creations.
I avoid using any item that could restrict a recipient’s fingers or hands. I like trying out new crochet stitches but once again I keep clear of lace work or stitches that promote gaps where finger or cannulas could become trapped.
I have found that some wool textures are unsuitable, particularly those with loose fibres that can be easily pulled out, as these can be a choking hazard.
While it is lovely to use any large pieces of ribbon, lace or velvet the material should be secured well to ensure that it stays attached to the twiddle creation.
Some creators incorporate old keys, key rings, nuts and washers. These should be assessed to see if they can harm the patient or even the medical staff. Nothing sharp or potentially sharp should be on the twiddle creation.
For safety reasons check that the following items are not used or present: sharp edges or points, pins, safety pins or badges, brittle items or items that might snap easily, items that have been attached with glue or adhesive backing or glue surfaces, items with screw-on backs, items which contain liquid, like glow-sticks, or water sealed in beads.
I love pompoms. They can be quite engaging but most of them fall apart. So check carefully if you use them to see if the strands can be pulled out.
I recommend that you don’t use any items that can be pulled to bits, such as plastic or paper flowers, feathers, paper and foam items.
Lastly, if you know where your creations are going, check with the place or organisation what they require. I have found that each place or organisation has its own set of rules. During Covid-19 many ask that you pack each creation in a plastic bag with your name and date of packing on it. It’s up to the organisation to remove the plastic bag prior to giving the recipient your twiddle creation.
At the Royal Melbourne Hospital these twiddle creations are gifted to the recipient and they take them with them when they leave the ward.
