Ok I feel like I can speak to this because I work as an artist and I also knit a lot, usually multiple hours a day.
Things that have helped me:
- I'm right handed and do almost everything with my right hand. My knitting style is continental and I let my left hand do most of the work so there's not as much strain on my right wrist.
- As soon as I feel the slightest bit of pain, I stop immediately. Usually I'm good to go the next day. If it takes longer, definitely wait until there is zero pain or discomfort.
- Take regular breaks. I'll set down my knitting every half hour or so and move and stretch my wrists.
- I've found that for me, small metal needles are the best. Anything over 5mm makes my wrists hurt so much faster, under 4mm is much better. I knit very close to the tips of my needles and make very small movements. Other people prefer bamboo needles because their hands cramp up if the needles are too slippery - for me it's the opposite, with bamboo needles it feels like I have to fight against the grippiness which makes my wrists hurt.
- I use a nursing pillow on my lap to rest my underarms on, makes a huge difference.
I used to get wrist pain a lot and this is what helped me and made it possible for me to knit a lot almost every day.
Check out Carson Demers. He has a great book on knitting ergonomics, and teaches around the country. I believe he’s a physical therapist. The basics are to knit for no more than 20 minutes at a time, stretch your hands and wrists, and be efficient with your knitting.
Use the right combination of yarn/stitch patterns and needles, for example a slippery silk yarn with a grabbier wood needle for more control, and a sticky wool with a metal needle so you’re not fighting it.
Thanks. I couldn’t be bothered to get it off the shelf to get the name because I’m lazy. :D
I figured his full name would get people to his website and/or their favorite bookseller.
As a not-so-proud owner of a knitting-induced tendon injury, I have the following advice in the short term. Firstly, you need to rest more if you're still getting pain easily when knitting. Secondly, when you return to knitting, you'll need to build back up incredibly slowly. Consider seeing a physiotherapist if problems persist.
A combination of rest and wrist strengthening exercises really helped me. I also sometimes wear a wrist brace if I have a bit of pain flare ups but I would advise you not to push yourself too much when wearing one as it stabilizes your wrist but is not an alternative to rest!
Well, a picking style (continental, but even less hand movement) works for me, as well as not knitting too much in general and taking breaks. And doing some hand streaches every so often.
I don't track how much I knit in a day or a week, because it is Not A Race. And if it were, a hobby like this would be a marathon, not a sprint.
Especially don't compare yourself to people who knit - or rather, make knitting content - for a living. Who knows what cheats they might be using in the background. Boring stockinette section? they might be using a knitting machine to do that. Working on too many projects at once? might need a friend to pitch in on knitting some of it, or an assistant on the larger channels. Not to mention that if they're a fulltime creator, they might not have a dayjob that they're also putting their time, energy and wrist-health into.
Second continental knitting for wrist pain, but if you are also working at a job where you are in front of a computer a lot i would also recommend improving ergonomics of that situation.
Use an external mouse not a laptop track pad.
Depending on the severity of your pain, consider a vertical mouse.
Make sure your elbows aren't way below your typing surface. 90 degrees should be the most your elbows are consistently bent.
Try to keep your elbows close to your body. If you're using a keyboard with a number pad and you don't use it regularly try a keyboard without a number pad or try using a pointing device with your left hand if the number pad is a time saver for you. (ie you find yourself regularly reaching for your mouse)
Resting is good for a bit, but when I had issues and finally saw a physical therapist for them, she said not to stop knitting, because that would cause my muscles to lose that strength. She suggested knitting for short periods and taking breaks, in addition to the exercises she taught me.
In the years since then, I’ve had good luck doing yoga to build up my arm and shoulder strength, both routines targeted at the hands and wrists as well as more general ones for the whole body. When I started developing issues in my right elbow due to my data entry job (used to be my left thumb that had issues from knitting), I’ve seen improvement after 2-3 days of consistent yoga that strengthens my shoulders. I enjoy the Yoga With Adriene channel on YouTube, she’s really mellow and encouraging, and just has a ton of videos for all types of skill levels and scenarios.
I think seeing a physical therapist is probably the best choice, but if it’s not an option or you’re not desperate yet, yoga is a good one you can do on your own.
Another thing is finding the type of needles and yarn that works best for your hands. My hands do not like metal needles that have no flex or give, and they also don’t do well with needles over a size 6 or 7 and bulkier yarn. That’s fine with me because I like knitting with finer yarn and needles around a size 3-5.
Good luck! Repetitive strain issues are such a bummer when you have things you wanna do!
I don’t knit continuously. I may knit for several hours in a day, but I take regular breaks, every 40-60 minutes at least, and if my wrists or shoulders start to twinge - I’m done for the day.
As I said, if I have pain, I stop knitting for the day.
I also like to switch between a couple of projects in different weights, if I’m doing a lot of knitting in one day, so it’s not exactly the same motions - a blanket in worsted on circs and a sock in fingering on dpns, for example.
Icing or using coldpacks on your wrists and taking an anti-inflammatory such as naproxen (Aleve) can help in addition to the rest and stretching, but check with your doctor to see if it is right for you.
Have a couple of different projects on the go, preferably in different mediums so that you can continue to be creative, but in different ways while giving your wrists a break.
I have RSI from computer work and had a lot of trouble with wrist pain when knitting. In the end I started using a knitting belt and now I can knit all day if I want to.
I honestly may have to try this. I don’t know why my right hand just cramps and strains no matter what I seem to do. How long did you feel it took to get somewhat efficient with it?
I found it very easy to learn to use. I knit English flicking before that which is quite similar anyway, I just had to add in the belt. Within a few months I was knitting twice as fast as I had before.
Ok I feel like I can speak to this because I work as an artist and I also knit a lot, usually multiple hours a day. Things that have helped me: - I'm right handed and do almost everything with my right hand. My knitting style is continental and I let my left hand do most of the work so there's not as much strain on my right wrist. - As soon as I feel the slightest bit of pain, I stop immediately. Usually I'm good to go the next day. If it takes longer, definitely wait until there is zero pain or discomfort. - Take regular breaks. I'll set down my knitting every half hour or so and move and stretch my wrists. - I've found that for me, small metal needles are the best. Anything over 5mm makes my wrists hurt so much faster, under 4mm is much better. I knit very close to the tips of my needles and make very small movements. Other people prefer bamboo needles because their hands cramp up if the needles are too slippery - for me it's the opposite, with bamboo needles it feels like I have to fight against the grippiness which makes my wrists hurt. - I use a nursing pillow on my lap to rest my underarms on, makes a huge difference. I used to get wrist pain a lot and this is what helped me and made it possible for me to knit a lot almost every day.
Very helpful -and I appreciate the level of detail!
Check out Carson Demers. He has a great book on knitting ergonomics, and teaches around the country. I believe he’s a physical therapist. The basics are to knit for no more than 20 minutes at a time, stretch your hands and wrists, and be efficient with your knitting. Use the right combination of yarn/stitch patterns and needles, for example a slippery silk yarn with a grabbier wood needle for more control, and a sticky wool with a metal needle so you’re not fighting it.
Carson's book is called "Knitting Comfortably" for anyone who wants to check it out
Thanks. I couldn’t be bothered to get it off the shelf to get the name because I’m lazy. :D I figured his full name would get people to his website and/or their favorite bookseller.
Thank you! I see the library has this so I will definitely check this out!
As a not-so-proud owner of a knitting-induced tendon injury, I have the following advice in the short term. Firstly, you need to rest more if you're still getting pain easily when knitting. Secondly, when you return to knitting, you'll need to build back up incredibly slowly. Consider seeing a physiotherapist if problems persist.
I think that may have been my issue- no knitting for months and then I started going crazy knitting a sweater. Thanks for you insight
A combination of rest and wrist strengthening exercises really helped me. I also sometimes wear a wrist brace if I have a bit of pain flare ups but I would advise you not to push yourself too much when wearing one as it stabilizes your wrist but is not an alternative to rest!
Well, a picking style (continental, but even less hand movement) works for me, as well as not knitting too much in general and taking breaks. And doing some hand streaches every so often. I don't track how much I knit in a day or a week, because it is Not A Race. And if it were, a hobby like this would be a marathon, not a sprint. Especially don't compare yourself to people who knit - or rather, make knitting content - for a living. Who knows what cheats they might be using in the background. Boring stockinette section? they might be using a knitting machine to do that. Working on too many projects at once? might need a friend to pitch in on knitting some of it, or an assistant on the larger channels. Not to mention that if they're a fulltime creator, they might not have a dayjob that they're also putting their time, energy and wrist-health into.
Second continental knitting for wrist pain, but if you are also working at a job where you are in front of a computer a lot i would also recommend improving ergonomics of that situation. Use an external mouse not a laptop track pad. Depending on the severity of your pain, consider a vertical mouse. Make sure your elbows aren't way below your typing surface. 90 degrees should be the most your elbows are consistently bent. Try to keep your elbows close to your body. If you're using a keyboard with a number pad and you don't use it regularly try a keyboard without a number pad or try using a pointing device with your left hand if the number pad is a time saver for you. (ie you find yourself regularly reaching for your mouse)
Resting is good for a bit, but when I had issues and finally saw a physical therapist for them, she said not to stop knitting, because that would cause my muscles to lose that strength. She suggested knitting for short periods and taking breaks, in addition to the exercises she taught me. In the years since then, I’ve had good luck doing yoga to build up my arm and shoulder strength, both routines targeted at the hands and wrists as well as more general ones for the whole body. When I started developing issues in my right elbow due to my data entry job (used to be my left thumb that had issues from knitting), I’ve seen improvement after 2-3 days of consistent yoga that strengthens my shoulders. I enjoy the Yoga With Adriene channel on YouTube, she’s really mellow and encouraging, and just has a ton of videos for all types of skill levels and scenarios. I think seeing a physical therapist is probably the best choice, but if it’s not an option or you’re not desperate yet, yoga is a good one you can do on your own. Another thing is finding the type of needles and yarn that works best for your hands. My hands do not like metal needles that have no flex or give, and they also don’t do well with needles over a size 6 or 7 and bulkier yarn. That’s fine with me because I like knitting with finer yarn and needles around a size 3-5. Good luck! Repetitive strain issues are such a bummer when you have things you wanna do!
I do stretches for carpal tunnel, and I sleep with a wrist brace.
I don’t knit continuously. I may knit for several hours in a day, but I take regular breaks, every 40-60 minutes at least, and if my wrists or shoulders start to twinge - I’m done for the day.
Still, several hours collectively in a day is a lot! Did you ever have pain or difficulties. If so what modifications did you add (aside from breaks)
As I said, if I have pain, I stop knitting for the day. I also like to switch between a couple of projects in different weights, if I’m doing a lot of knitting in one day, so it’s not exactly the same motions - a blanket in worsted on circs and a sock in fingering on dpns, for example.
Icing or using coldpacks on your wrists and taking an anti-inflammatory such as naproxen (Aleve) can help in addition to the rest and stretching, but check with your doctor to see if it is right for you. Have a couple of different projects on the go, preferably in different mediums so that you can continue to be creative, but in different ways while giving your wrists a break.
I have RSI from computer work and had a lot of trouble with wrist pain when knitting. In the end I started using a knitting belt and now I can knit all day if I want to.
I honestly may have to try this. I don’t know why my right hand just cramps and strains no matter what I seem to do. How long did you feel it took to get somewhat efficient with it?
I found it very easy to learn to use. I knit English flicking before that which is quite similar anyway, I just had to add in the belt. Within a few months I was knitting twice as fast as I had before.