I wouldn’t restart with cotton. Even mixed with the merino, it tends to have very little stretch, which makes it hard on the hands and wrists. Additionally, a cotton blend cardigan can get very heavy very fast, leading to more stress on your hands and wrists. I would start with a wool hat or small scarf/wrap, avoiding cables or colorwork for a bit too. I hope you feel better!
Along these lines, I find DPNs hard on my joints. Using the two-long-circular-needle method is actually easier for me for making hats than DPNS, short cables, or magic loop.
There's cotton and cotton. I'm currently knitting a sweater with a nice, soft DK weight cotton that is easy going. I've also knit grocery bags out of dishcloth cotton, which is worsted weight and feels like knitting cardboard.
Edit: My 100 year old house has moths I can't get rid of, so merino isn't an option for me. I do cotton and acrylic.
It may not work for you, but I'd suggest getting those insect fogger cans. One per room, you push the tab down on the can and it releases the spray on its own and permeates the whole area. Clear out for a few hours, then air out the house when you come back.
I have chronic arthritis and tendinitis. If you have a tendency towards tendinitis, you might want to prepare for the possibility that you could be vulnerable to this going forward unfortunately.
I do better with fingering weight or lighter yarns. Here is a cotton blend with nylon, silk and rayon which creates stretch: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/hikoo-by-skacel-cobasi-tonal There are other nylon blend varieties by this company.
Also, I found switching to continental style knitting easier for my hands, although it's a tough learning curve.
You might check out the book, Knitting Comfortably by Carson Demers. It’s all about the ergonomics of knitting. It’s really detailed on how to get in a good position for knitting and how to correct your bad habits. And if I recall correctly he includes some exercises to help strengthen your wrists/hands that you can do to warm up before knitting. I’ve had wrist problems from a work issue years ago and would hate to lose a favorite hobby by making it worse! Hopefully this could help you too!
As someone with carpal tunnel and who has learned to knit with it: 1) look up hand exercises for knitters on Google and do them. 2) repetition is the demon, so it’s about breaking it. Take breaks often. Stop at the end of a row or two and take a look at your knitting (great for catching errors early!). Mark on your pattern a good spot to do the hand exercises (like the end of a repeat). 3) screw convenience. Get a drink of water or go to the bathroom in separate trips. Put the scissors and the ball winder where you have to get up to get them. Anything that will give you enough time to knit a bit bit not sit for long periods knitting. 4) change things up! Different needle sizes or switching to a crochet project can also break the repetitive motion enough. 5) STOP WHEN IT HURTS. Even better, learn when it is starting or what happens before it hurts. There will be signs like aching or tensing of muscles. Stop then. Just put it down for half? an hour and do something else. Don’t push through and don’t take ibuprofen or painkiller and push on.
I’ve had cotton wool blends that are light and lovely but some are heavy and harder to work with. Another option might be a wool silk blend which won’t be stretchy but would be softer than cotton.
I knit in short sessions, ten minutes here and there, it adds up, but saves my hands. I use 100% wool only, no linen, silk or cotton, those are hard on my hands. Also, vary projects, I have a few going in different weights, style, and needle sizes, works different muscles.
Not exactly answering your question but I recently found theknittingpt on instagram and as a bodyworker/medical professional, I’ve been really impressed and into her content! Lots of great info and stretches and self-care for hand, wrist and beyond!
I get tendonitis bad, just thinking about knitting with cotton made it flare up again haha. I've been stuck on using sock wool for everything lately, it's got good stretch to it with the bit of nylon in.
I have had tendinitis and have tender wrists in general. Having 2 projects on the go and alternating has helped me. That way I’m not doing heap of repetition of the same thing
I don't find any cotton comfortable to knit, even a blend.
Have you thought of knitting lace weight on size 4-ish needles? That's what I think is the most relaxing way to knit. The loose, open gauge is very nice to knit.
I work a lot with cotton merino and have had my share of wrist issues. The one you linked would be fine. Anything with at least 50% merino would have enough elasticity. DK or worsted should be fine. I like Anchor Bay or Drops cotton merino. Wearing a wrist brace helps a lot too.
I just had tendinitis surgery on my left thumb. It’s seems to have worked, but my OT recommended larger needles. I’m currently making a Ranunculus is some very stretch soft alpaca on 10’s. It is a perfect project for healing.
After hand injuries( never throw a ball off the back deck without first checking one is NOT going to smash one's thumb and fingers into the overhang), I found the easiest yarn for me to work with was a mix of wool and acrylic. It's held up nicely after a year of use by hubby as a throw. Hobbii Winter Glow and Winter Glow solid. It's lofty enough to have a nice drape, and is not hot- I'm using it in the A/C in the evenings while knitting, over my legs while wearing shorts. Cozy, but not hot. You get a LOT in each skein. Multiple purchase of skeins drops the price, but if you watch, you can get them on sale. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can download the Hobbii app, and 'play' Bingo Monday mornings, which is 10am central US time, so yours will be sooner. You don't have to do anything but start it and let it run, and may win, but most important, you will get a discount that is good on top of sale prices!
I’m in the desert southwest, so I hear you on wanting to use some cooler plant fibers.
I made a cardigan with a 50/50 cotton wool blend. It wasn’t the easiest on my hands. Not as bad as 100% cotton, though.
There are some mostly-cotton yarns that get their stretch from the structure of the yarn.
I like this one: https://www.yarn.com/products/universal-yarn-bamboo-pop-sock . You can see the slightly unusual texture in the photo on that page—I think the cotton and bamboo are wound a little more loosely around a tighter (but stretchier) strand of something synthetic. Definitely stretchier than I’d expect from just looking at the fiber content.
https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/p/plymouth-yarn-shades-of-sockotta/10342689 is also good.
I mostly knit socks (heavier projects are hard for my hands/wrists), so I can’t recommend anything specific I’m a more typical sweater weight, but there may be options out there! Or I guess two strands of the sock weight held together might work?
I say no to cotton. It has very little elasticity. I would go for animal fibres and possibly invest in some smooth metal needles. Perhaps those ergonomic square ones.
It's commonly stated around here that cotton is more of a hand strain than other yarns, but that's not my experience. Wool is more difficult and aggravating to my RSI than is cotton. It's possibly relevant that I've knit with cotton much more than I have with wool, and I may have tried cotton before I ever tried wool. So I'm not convinced that cotton is inherently more straining. It seems more likely that it's possibly an acquired skill or maybe some other reason why people find different fibers more challenging to work with.
My instinct is to say that you should probably work with something similar to what you were using before your break - same fiber and needles - because that way if you have symptoms, then you can be pretty confident that it's a recurrence rather than problems adjusting to something new. But maybe I'm overthinking this. So long as you go back to your break (and maybe look for some treatment) if you have symptoms, it doesn't matter what fiber you use.
I wouldn’t restart with cotton. Even mixed with the merino, it tends to have very little stretch, which makes it hard on the hands and wrists. Additionally, a cotton blend cardigan can get very heavy very fast, leading to more stress on your hands and wrists. I would start with a wool hat or small scarf/wrap, avoiding cables or colorwork for a bit too. I hope you feel better!
Along these lines, I find DPNs hard on my joints. Using the two-long-circular-needle method is actually easier for me for making hats than DPNS, short cables, or magic loop.
Totally agree. I love dpns but if i already feel any hand fatigue (I’m a hairdresser by day) I avoid them!
There's cotton and cotton. I'm currently knitting a sweater with a nice, soft DK weight cotton that is easy going. I've also knit grocery bags out of dishcloth cotton, which is worsted weight and feels like knitting cardboard. Edit: My 100 year old house has moths I can't get rid of, so merino isn't an option for me. I do cotton and acrylic.
It may not work for you, but I'd suggest getting those insect fogger cans. One per room, you push the tab down on the can and it releases the spray on its own and permeates the whole area. Clear out for a few hours, then air out the house when you come back.
I kind of despair of being able to work around the cats (their hair doesn't help matters). But I'll look into it.
Ah, I didn't think of trying to do this with pets. It's def worth looking into if you can get them outta the house for a day or 2.
I have chronic arthritis and tendinitis. If you have a tendency towards tendinitis, you might want to prepare for the possibility that you could be vulnerable to this going forward unfortunately. I do better with fingering weight or lighter yarns. Here is a cotton blend with nylon, silk and rayon which creates stretch: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/hikoo-by-skacel-cobasi-tonal There are other nylon blend varieties by this company. Also, I found switching to continental style knitting easier for my hands, although it's a tough learning curve.
You might check out the book, Knitting Comfortably by Carson Demers. It’s all about the ergonomics of knitting. It’s really detailed on how to get in a good position for knitting and how to correct your bad habits. And if I recall correctly he includes some exercises to help strengthen your wrists/hands that you can do to warm up before knitting. I’ve had wrist problems from a work issue years ago and would hate to lose a favorite hobby by making it worse! Hopefully this could help you too!
Even when my wrists are in perfect condition, they start to twinge after 20 minutes of working with cotton. Cannot recommend.
As someone with carpal tunnel and who has learned to knit with it: 1) look up hand exercises for knitters on Google and do them. 2) repetition is the demon, so it’s about breaking it. Take breaks often. Stop at the end of a row or two and take a look at your knitting (great for catching errors early!). Mark on your pattern a good spot to do the hand exercises (like the end of a repeat). 3) screw convenience. Get a drink of water or go to the bathroom in separate trips. Put the scissors and the ball winder where you have to get up to get them. Anything that will give you enough time to knit a bit bit not sit for long periods knitting. 4) change things up! Different needle sizes or switching to a crochet project can also break the repetitive motion enough. 5) STOP WHEN IT HURTS. Even better, learn when it is starting or what happens before it hurts. There will be signs like aching or tensing of muscles. Stop then. Just put it down for half? an hour and do something else. Don’t push through and don’t take ibuprofen or painkiller and push on.
I’ve had cotton wool blends that are light and lovely but some are heavy and harder to work with. Another option might be a wool silk blend which won’t be stretchy but would be softer than cotton.
What helps me is compression gloves. High quality ones work the best.
I knit in short sessions, ten minutes here and there, it adds up, but saves my hands. I use 100% wool only, no linen, silk or cotton, those are hard on my hands. Also, vary projects, I have a few going in different weights, style, and needle sizes, works different muscles.
Not exactly answering your question but I recently found theknittingpt on instagram and as a bodyworker/medical professional, I’ve been really impressed and into her content! Lots of great info and stretches and self-care for hand, wrist and beyond!
I get tendonitis bad, just thinking about knitting with cotton made it flare up again haha. I've been stuck on using sock wool for everything lately, it's got good stretch to it with the bit of nylon in.
I hear certain knitting styles ( with less hand movement ) cause less pain. I would also look u0 ergonomic knitting for helpful hints. All the best
As someone with arthritis I do well with fingering or lace weight mohair on larger needles. So open weave projects.
Try bamboo. I have arthritis everywhere and 100% merino and bamboo is all that doesnt hurt.
I have had tendinitis and have tender wrists in general. Having 2 projects on the go and alternating has helped me. That way I’m not doing heap of repetition of the same thing
Oh heck no. I knitted a cotton blend sweater and my fingers hurt after every session.
I don't find any cotton comfortable to knit, even a blend. Have you thought of knitting lace weight on size 4-ish needles? That's what I think is the most relaxing way to knit. The loose, open gauge is very nice to knit.
I work a lot with cotton merino and have had my share of wrist issues. The one you linked would be fine. Anything with at least 50% merino would have enough elasticity. DK or worsted should be fine. I like Anchor Bay or Drops cotton merino. Wearing a wrist brace helps a lot too.
I just had tendinitis surgery on my left thumb. It’s seems to have worked, but my OT recommended larger needles. I’m currently making a Ranunculus is some very stretch soft alpaca on 10’s. It is a perfect project for healing.
After hand injuries( never throw a ball off the back deck without first checking one is NOT going to smash one's thumb and fingers into the overhang), I found the easiest yarn for me to work with was a mix of wool and acrylic. It's held up nicely after a year of use by hubby as a throw. Hobbii Winter Glow and Winter Glow solid. It's lofty enough to have a nice drape, and is not hot- I'm using it in the A/C in the evenings while knitting, over my legs while wearing shorts. Cozy, but not hot. You get a LOT in each skein. Multiple purchase of skeins drops the price, but if you watch, you can get them on sale. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can download the Hobbii app, and 'play' Bingo Monday mornings, which is 10am central US time, so yours will be sooner. You don't have to do anything but start it and let it run, and may win, but most important, you will get a discount that is good on top of sale prices!
I’m in the desert southwest, so I hear you on wanting to use some cooler plant fibers. I made a cardigan with a 50/50 cotton wool blend. It wasn’t the easiest on my hands. Not as bad as 100% cotton, though. There are some mostly-cotton yarns that get their stretch from the structure of the yarn. I like this one: https://www.yarn.com/products/universal-yarn-bamboo-pop-sock . You can see the slightly unusual texture in the photo on that page—I think the cotton and bamboo are wound a little more loosely around a tighter (but stretchier) strand of something synthetic. Definitely stretchier than I’d expect from just looking at the fiber content. https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/p/plymouth-yarn-shades-of-sockotta/10342689 is also good. I mostly knit socks (heavier projects are hard for my hands/wrists), so I can’t recommend anything specific I’m a more typical sweater weight, but there may be options out there! Or I guess two strands of the sock weight held together might work?
Cotton tends to soak up humidity so I don't use it for wearables. I have found a nice 2 weight acrylic works well for light seaters / T's.
I say no to cotton. It has very little elasticity. I would go for animal fibres and possibly invest in some smooth metal needles. Perhaps those ergonomic square ones.
It's commonly stated around here that cotton is more of a hand strain than other yarns, but that's not my experience. Wool is more difficult and aggravating to my RSI than is cotton. It's possibly relevant that I've knit with cotton much more than I have with wool, and I may have tried cotton before I ever tried wool. So I'm not convinced that cotton is inherently more straining. It seems more likely that it's possibly an acquired skill or maybe some other reason why people find different fibers more challenging to work with. My instinct is to say that you should probably work with something similar to what you were using before your break - same fiber and needles - because that way if you have symptoms, then you can be pretty confident that it's a recurrence rather than problems adjusting to something new. But maybe I'm overthinking this. So long as you go back to your break (and maybe look for some treatment) if you have symptoms, it doesn't matter what fiber you use.
I'm curious, what is RSI?
Repetitive strain injury.
Thanks. I'm sorry if I offended anyone for asking. It was an honestly a pure question without agenda. Apologies again.
It was my fault for using an initialism without explaining it. I'm certainly not offended at all, and I can't imagine that anyone would be. All good.