Winding Paddle

thingiverse

I cobbled together a makeshift device for rewinding yarn in no time. It's come in handy when caring for a loved one with dementia - often their fixations and unwanted behaviors can be calmed by a soothing activity, like working with yarn. I give her the task of re-winding this piece and its attached length of string to keep her hands busy, shifting focus away from distressing thoughts. When prompted, I make up stories to encourage cooperation - perhaps mentioning a stray ball of yarn has escaped downstairs, where her pets require her assistance. By joining me at the makeshift workbench with an end of the yarn attached to a paddle-like tool, she eagerly assists in rewinding it back onto the core. Those managing family members with dementia may find this approach helpful as a calming technique. On top of being an efficient way to re-wind, I also find it's surprisingly versatile for handling other tangled materials too. The ideal setup is still on my wishlist: rewinding coils around Tesla secondaries in the workshop, anyone?