Bits & bobs

Have fun knitting James C Brett’s cleverly textured twiddlemuff and help those with dementia today.

Twiddlemuffs are easy-to-make hand muffs that are comforting and therapeutic for Alzheimer’s, arthritis and dementia patients. They use bright and colourful embellishments to encourage movement and brain stimulation. Adding things like buttons and ribbons attracts attention and creates something to twiddle with!

TWIDDLEMUFF

Cast on 66 sts using 4mm needles and your main yarn. Rows 1-12 K all sts ( garter st). Rows 13-20 Starting with a knit row, work in st st. Rep rows 1-20 twice more. Row 61 (K2, k2tog, yo) rep to last two sts, K2. Work five rows in st st. Row 67 (K2, k2tog, yo) rep to last two sts, K2. Cont in st st until work meas 28cm ending with a WS row. Work 20 rows in garter st. Work 6 rows in st st.

BOBBLE SECTION

Bobble row 1 K4, *MB, K7; rep from * to last 6 sts, MB, K5. Work seven rows in st st. Bobble row 2 K8, *MB, K7; rep from * to last 2 sts, K2. Work seven rows in st st. Rep bobble row 1. Cont in stocking st until work meas 48cm ending with a WS row. Next row K1, *C2B, C2F; rep from * to last st, K1. Next row P to end. Next row K1, *C2F, C2B; rep from * to last st, K1. Next row P to end.

Rep last four rows until work meas 59cm ending with WS row. Work four rows in garter st. Cast off.

CONTRAST PATCHES

Cast on 2 sts using 4mm needles and an oddment of DK. Row 1 Kfb, K1. [3 sts] Row 2 Kfb, K2. [4 sts] Row 3 Kfb, K to end. Rep row 3 until side meas 3cm or desired size.

Next row K2tog, K to end. Rep last row until 2 sts rem. Cast off. Make a few patches as desired.

TO MAKE UP

1 Stitch patches to outer side of twiddlemuff, overlapping them to create additional texture. 2 Sew a selection of buttons randomly across the stocking stitch sections and on the patches. 3 Sew the twiddlemuff into a tube along the long edges. 4 Tuck the section with bobbles and honeycomb st into the tube. Secure the folded edge with a line of running stitches. 5 Stitch the cast- off and cast- on edges together at the other end to secure the lining in place. 6 Run ribbon, cords or plaited yarn through the eyelets. 7 Weave in all ends.

Be creative! Use buttons, ribbons, fabric to patches and more make your twiddlemuff

Add cute little bobbles to give the twiddlemuff a raised texture that stands out against st st.

Bright buttons of different sizes are great for fidgeting hands and easily grab attention!

Knit contrast squares, or use scrap fabric, to create patches of interest on the twiddlemuff.