What do you do when knitting is a pain, literally? One minute you’re happily knitting away, and then it hits you…your back is starting to ache, and your hands feel a bit sore.
I’m sure that everyone who knits at one time or another has had some pain in their wrists or hands. After a while of crafting, your hands are bound to be a little sore. You might also feel it in your back, neck, or shoulders. This probably means you’ve been sitting and knitting for too long without a break.
Tips for avoiding pain while knitting (or crocheting)
Don't forget to take breaks
A simple way to alleviate this is to take breaks often. I know, I know… it can be so tempting to knit one more row, which turns into another row, and then another row after that, and so on, but your body will thank you for the occasional break to walk around and do a little light stretching. Some simple yoga moves can feel wonderful after sitting for a while.
Stretch your hands before starting
If your wrists and hands are sore, try some stretches. There are a lot of hand and wrist stretches that are great for knitters! Find some you like and use them often.
Here’s how you do my favorite stretch for the hands and wrists:
Hold your arm out in front of you with your wrist flexed like you're making a sign to stop. Keep your elbow straight and use your other hand to gently bend the wrist and fingers back towards you. Hold this stretch for a couple of seconds, then switch and do the same thing with your other hand.
Click here to watch a video with a complete hand and finger stretch routine (the video is only 3 minutes long!). Keeping this routine can save you from a lot of future problems.
Sit up straight
Something you can do while you’re knitting that will help with pain in your back, neck, or shoulders is to make sure you maintain good posture. Sit up straight and don’t slouch or bend your neck too far forward. Your shoulders should be relaxed, and your elbows should be by your sides.
By taking a break every so often, stretching your hands and body, and focusing on good posture, you will be able to continue knitting for hours upon hours, which is what we, as knitters, all want, isn’t it?
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