In 2020 my yarn club, Flint Handmade's Yarn Brigade, decided to make "twiddle muffs" for a patients with Alzheimer's and dementia at a local nursing and rehabilitation center. So over the course of a year, I found an unexpected creative outlet that pushed my crochet skills to new levels.
The mixture of techniques and textures that I use to create these cuffs, mats, and muffs is endless and the need is great; not only are they useful for late stage Alzheimer's and dementia patients, but people with autism spectrum disorders can also find these tools therapeutic.
This site is a record of my creations and I plan to update it with newly finished projects. I do not work from a single pattern, instead I incorporate a wide variety of stitches, techniques, appliques, yarn textures, and decorations to create these mats, muffs, and cuffs. See the Stitches and Techniques page for links to some of my favorite components and a list of books in which I regularly find stitches.
My name is Liz. I'm based in Flint, Michigan, and I have been crocheting since 2010. My mother taught me the basics of crochet over a Christmas break during college. I initially started out making blankets and scarves as gifts or for donating to organizations like my high school's annual auction or Project Linus. I joined Flint Handmade in 2017 after I moved to the area. Joining this organization has expanded my portfolio of projects and techniques, as well as my charitable activities with Operation Warm Up Flint, though I still love making blankets.