Do you sometimes get a painful feeling in your hands and fingers while knitting? Maybe even after only 5 minutes? Here is how to get rid of knitting pain.
Observe where your knitting pain comes from
Firstly, observe excactly where you are hurting. Is it your cramped fingers, hands, wrists, arms or maybe a combination? Then stop and take a break. Wait at least until the pain has completely disapeared. Otherwise, you might develop something lasting.
You are probably holding your knitting work the wrong way and with too much tension. This is often the case for beginners. Not only your grip, but also the knitting will likely be too tight. The needles should lie loosely in your hands with as little muscle tension as possible. If you would like to know how I hold my needles, you can read more about it in my article on how to hold knitting needles.
Notice your knitting habits
Do you recognize yourself? First, make sure your knitting pain is entirely gone. Then, go ahead and pick up those needles again. Practise holding them without knitting. Where are your fingers? Are they clenched? Are your wrists curved sharply? If so, make some adjustments to create a natural softly bended shape. You really don’t need to squeeze the needles. They will not run off, I ensure you.
It can also be very helpful to look at your posture. Make sure you are in a comfortable chair or couch, support your back and relax your shoulders. You might have been pulling your shoulders up or bending your neck too far. Some pillows could help. It is all about teaching yourself good knitting habits.
Practice to release all tension
Then start knitting slowly and observe your movements. Try to make no unnecessary or unnecessarily large movements and keep your arms and shoulders relaxed. Find the tension in your movements and work to make it dissapear. Force yourself to relax that part and notice what happens if you do so. Also, try to make your movements smaller. Erase all unnecessary movements from your routine.
A little goes a long way
This will take time and many sessions, but awareness goes a long way. Stop everytime the knitting pain returns and try again later. You will slowly start to notice improvement. Just keep a close eye on your movements and any tension and you can enjoy knitting a little bit longer every time.
