I love stories about how people use knitting to help others, and thankfully there are lots of ways that we can use our needles for good. The staff and patients of Southmead Hospital in the UK (as well as other volunteers) have been busy making “twiddlemuffs,” knit muffs that feature a variety of textures, buttons, knit flowers and little toys, which are used by dementia patients to keep their hands warm and busy.
It’s frustrating for patients who have been active (and maybe even crafters themselves) to not be able to see or concentrate long enough to do activities they used to enjoy, and these knit objects give them something to focus on, as well as tactile and mental stimulation.
The hospital had been the site of a knitting program, and joined forces with a local knitting group to provide after-work knitting times for staff and yarn for the project.
You can find a pattern on Ravelry if you want to get a closer look.
There have been untold numbers of stories about the health benefits of knitting, and the latest one making the rounds on the Internet comes from Yahoo! Makers and covers a study at Northern Arizona University looking at Textile Therapy, or how working with needles and yarn — or a needle and thread, for that matter — provides mental health benefits.
Clinical psychologist Ann Futterman-Collier studied 60 women with varying levels of stress and had them either write, craft or meditate and keep track of their mood during the activity. People who made something with their hands showed the greatest “mood repair” including decreased negative feelings and less inflammatory response in the face of stressors. Yet another reason to keep your needles close at all times!
[Photo from the Yate and Sodbury News.]
