I enjoy the creative aspect of making twiddle mats, muffs and cuffs. Sometimes though I am out of ideas. This is one story where I emerged from what I call, “playing in the mud”.
I was asked to make a twiddle mat for a friend’s family member. Her favourite colour is green and she liked flowers. It was a while since I made flowers I spent a couple of days finding some favourite patterns and making lots of different flowers. I was unsure what the finished mat would look like so thought that making lots of flowers would help me immerse myself in the project and know where I was heading.
Making small twiddles like flowers is not my preferred activity. I alway look for easy flowers to make. I decided that by making lots of different types and using a range of colours I could build up my flower stash for other projects. Here is what I chose.
The snow drops flower pattern is from a maker I often rely on to provide me with wonderful ideas, Golden Lucy. Remember the hydrangeas Hydrangeas Flower Well, here are the snow drops https://www.goldenlucycrafts.com/crochet-snowdrop/
From my collection I used:
The Eight Petal flower Eight Petal Flowers
Coral Flower Twiddle Coral Flowers
Twiddles twirl flower Project Twiddles Twirls Flower or the knitted version which is so much fun Knitted Project Twiddles twirl flower
What to do about the base piece? Green is the recipient’s a favourite colour and I needed 2 pieces for a front and backing. I found a smallish green rectangle piece in my stash and decided I could make it bigger by crocheting around the edges. An idea emerged that I could cover the whole base with lots of flowers and the tree colour that was a strong green would be minimised.
I also found a ball of double knit yarn of mixed green shades to increase the size. This would be the border. I crocheted in cream bobbles and the mat was starting to emerge. When I placed the flowers on the mat the colours started to gell together. This was an exciting moment for me as I realised a twiddle mat was emerging.
Over time I have built up a large repertoire of twiddles for restless hand and minds. Not all twiddles have to do something – like a buckle or zip or beads or buttons and button holes. Some twiddles encourage touch. Maybe by touching the flowers, a memory emerges and a moment of calm and peace occurs. It is interesting that some recipients do prefer the touch aspect, moving their hands through twiddle items. We, the creators don’t often get feedback but it is worth remembering that recipients respond differently.
I always like to include a pocket.
And this time I put a daisy on the backing:
My green twiddle mat with a field of flowers has turned out really well. I am hoping it will sit on the recipient’s lap providing many memorable moments.
Happy creating everyone!
Sandra @ Project Twiddles
