By Jenn Watt

Published Jan. 14 2019

As a holiday project a group of knitters decided this year they’d put their needles together and whip up a batch of special creations especially useful for people with dementia Alzheimer’s and autism called “twiddle muffs.”
The colourful knitted sleeves are covered in baubles and beads especially on the inside of the tubes which gives the users something to twiddle reducing anxiety and agitation says Susanne James one of the organizers of the project for the Rails End Knitters.

The concept was first brought to the knitting circle by Chris Bond.
“It was truly a group effort: various members of our group donated yarn buttons baubles beads and their time to knit twiddle muffs over the past few weeks” James wrote in an email to the Echo. “[Jan. 3] we put the finishing decorations on them and completed 16 beautiful hand-made twiddle muffs.”
The twiddle muffs were destined for several social services organizations in the county including the YWCA in Minden Point in Time Extendicare Highland Wood and Hyland Crest.

The Rails End Knitting Circle meets the first Friday of each month at the Rails End Gallery in Haliburton from 1 to 4 p.m. Everyone is welcome; it’s free for gallery members or by donation for everyone else. Typically knitters bring their own projects to work on with this twiddle muff project being an exception. “Tea and treats are always served and there’s never a shortage of laughter and interesting stories” James says.