sore hands

What size needles do you usually use? You might try a project that uses big needles (#11 or 13, for instance). I find that anything smaller than a 10 hurts my hands.

Emma's Mom wrote:

Have you tried knitting with different needles? I usually use long straight needles (one jammed under my right arm), this means my right shoulder (which has been treated poorly for many years) gets sore. If I use circular needles (but knit back and forth on them rather than knit in the round) then this forces me to alter my knitting style and take the pressure off my shoulder. I'm not sure if straights vs circulars will help with sore hands but maybe something to try. Keep warm to keep limber and maybe have a chat with your doctor. I hope you get some relief soon. Best wishes.

Maybe you need different needles - bamboo isone possibility. Or maybe circulars.

Higs, Katherine

On 29 Sep 2006 11:33:12 -0700, Emma's Mom spun a fine yarn

1. although I AM one of the 'ladies' here, there *are* gentlement here as well.
2. size of needles, as per some unenlightended suggestions have nothing to do with sore hands, it's tension, tension, tension!... do you knit English/American? If so, sugeest taking up Continental/German style.
3. Straight needles, aluminum needles are terrible hand offenders... switch to circs whenever possible, and use natural materials for both your needles and your fibre.
4. frequent breaks, and doing hand excercises can assist.
5. Doing a load of dishes helps a LOT. I know it sounds sexist, but it's true... (long story, which I don't have the time or inclination to tell at this moment.

JM2C, Noreen

It could be you might be knitting very tightly with a lot of tension on the yarn then. Don't do this in the middle of a project, but once you start a new one, try knitting looser with less tension. You can still keep guage by changing needle sizes, like using a smaller needle when you knit looser. Or if you are not making actual clothes, it doesn't matter on many tthings what the gauge is. If you are a person who is prone to this kind of thing, you also need to pace yourself, like stopping for a miunute between rows to give your hands a chance to relax. Sounds like a nuisance, but if you are watching tv, it kind of works out natural if you just make a point to look at the tv and let your hands go still when you do, every few minutes, just even for 5-15 seconds.

I use lightweight bamboo needles whenever possible (if only I could instantly restock my supply with all bamboo... ).

I used to like working with all cotton. Then I worked with some nice, soft merino wool. I now hate working with cotton. The type of yarn makes a huge difference on my hand pain level. I love the way cotton looks and feels though, so I have to have something else to work on at the same time so I don't overdo with the cotton.

I had previously avoided using small needles and small guage yarns, erroneously thinking it would be more painful. I discovered using tiny circulars with tiny yarn the easiest thing of all for my hands. There is almost no weight of the project to cause stress on them.

Now that the weather is cooling off here, I need to make an effort to keep my hands warm enough. So I understand how washing dishes may help :)

Welcome to the group!

BB

I don't think it's necessary to slag the suggestions of others while offering your own. And I beg to differ with you on your opinion that the size of needles has nothing to do with it. My hands tend to get sore when knitting with small sock needles. I put up with it, take frequent breaks, stretch out my fingers and run my hands under warm to hot water - but definitely not dishwater (laugh).

Shelagh

On Sat, 30 Sep 2006 12:06:30 -0500, Shillelagh spun a fine yarn

:sigh: Noreen