Mirfield's Lottery-winning knitter gives something back in lockdown

The group she is in have turned their attention to knitting twiddlemuffs for the elderly after previously using their skills to knit for premature babies and animals caught up in the Australian bush fires. And they are appealing for others to put their time in isolation to good use and join them in their campaign.

Grandmother Susan Crossland, 56, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire, did not knit for years after being taught by her grandmother as a child. But she took it up again as a way to relax and help others after winning £1.2 million on the National Lottery.

She said: “I knitted pouches for kangaroos and koalas who were left without mothers in the Australian fires, I knit for neonatal units for local hospitals, little hats, cannula sleeves and octopuses for babies born early, and then I heard about the twiddlemuffs.”

Twiddlemuffs are knitted hand muffs with small items, such as buttons, pompoms, textured and shiny objects, attached, which provide comfort and stimulation for patients living with dementia.

Mrs Crossland continued: “I have tried to get a lot of people on board with it. I love knitting so why not put it to good use? Now we’re all on lockdown, people are trying to find things to do and my thing is knitting.”

She added: “I know I’m knitting for somebody who needs it. It’s quite nice to think it might only be small but I have started giving something back.”