I've been knitting like a madwoman! I currently have two sweaters on the go and I am loving working on both because they're so different.
There's my vanilla wedding shrug in a cashmere/merino/silk blend and DK weight:
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Geez can someone turn the lights on? |
And then there's my dark purple KAL sweater in 100% peruvian wool and bulky weight:
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That's better. |
Because they're so different I can switch to the other when I get tired of the first and vise versa - this results in pretty much non-stop knitting. The only problem is - I'm getting hand cramps, finger cramps, and twinges all in my arms.
I know all about over-use injuries. I've had them before. But in the past the injury was from something I didn't want to do like working, so this is a whole new feeling because basically I'm a knitting addict and I will knit through the pain just on principle.
So I'm going to try and change my "grasp" (read: mangled claw of death) because I know the one I'm using is an ergonomic nightmare - this is what it looks like:
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"I am not an animal!" |
I use the crease between my first and second knuckle to hold the yarn and maintain tension. My middle finger pretty much does all of the knitting and now does the majority of the complaining as well.
My new technique looks more like this:
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What's that tingling sensation? Oh it's my proprioceptors turning back on. |
As you can see there are a lot less kinks going on in my hand in general and I'm going to try to minimize my throw as well - keep it as small as possible.
So far this has helped quite a bit in terms of pain, but I'm concerned that the new technique will change my gauge. A frightening prospect when you're 2/3 of the way through a beautiful sweater. Wish me luck!
Anyways, I'm really curious how others hold their yarn and maintain tension. Let me know in the comments if you have a particular technique that works well for marathon knitting sessions. Or like stretches or yogi chants or anything else keeping you comfortable while you knit for hours on end.