Using a loom to help me with my special interest, as an Autistic mother and wife. Goals: Turning a ¨therapeutic hobby¨ into a self-sustaining activity.* Sharing my experiences as a mother with ASD (and Fibromyalgia), raising a son with ASD. My son and I have really gotten into loom knitting... It's helped us a lot, at holding his tantrums and my social anxiety at bay during outings, errand runs, a
nd appointments. He's started on a hat, and excited to donate some of the "collars" that we've made to Cape Cod Doxie Day 2014 and possibly a local animal shelter! He's very hopeful, that given really nice, colorful collars, they can't help but find loving, fur-ever homes... (God, but do I love that boy sometimes...chip off the old block!)
In addition, with the keen eye for bargains at tag sales and flea markets, my husband has helped me to stockpile enough yarn to make hats and scarves, bags and water bottle holders...and I'm also currently working on a colorful afghan for my generous husband, and chair covers for my boss. Several people have suggested that I sell my items, and I thought that it would really help to pay for supplies for our much needed ¨therapeutic¨ hobby! Thus, I've decided to give it a go, and offer the things that I've made relatively inexpensively, so that I might be able to continue buying more yarn to work with. My son, (I've nick-named Skippy), has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high functioning form of Autism. This often makes social interactions awkward (due to missed social cues), causes him to become overstimulated and anxious, throw tantrums when he can't express himself properly or transition from one situation to the next. Trying to find relaxing and inexpensive recreational activities is difficult, and trying to keep him focused on a task is often frustrating (ADHD is just one of many conditions which can be classified under the umbrella of ASD.).
*Handmade Loom-knit items available for sale, from a smoke-free (not pet-free) home; decorative animal collars made by my 12 year old son and I (who are on the ASD spectrum), for local animal shelter/rescue donation
