CROCHET PAIN – Craft Gossip

Sadly, annoyingly, this topic has been on my mind lately. I’ve started wearing a splint at night for sleep and it’s helping. I DO NOT want to get into advice giving here. A crochet blog is not the place for medical advice sharing. But, I have looked around on the web for ideas that might make crocheting easier on me. So, I’m gonna share a few of those ideas.

First, this looks funny but might be very helpful and the accompanying article has some good hints:

crochet-hook-with-foam-0709

http://www.craftycrafty.tv/2007/09/dont_give_up_crochet_because_o.html

There are other hooks available that call themselves ‘ergonomic’.What does ‘ergonomic’ mean? Here’s a good definition:

Ergonomics is the science of adapting the job and/or the equipment and the human to each other for optimal safety and productivity.

It makes sense to me that if a hook fits my hand nicely and I keep my elbows close to my body while crocheting, I’ve created the safest way for the muscles, tendons, bones, and nerves in my upper extremities to crochet safely. The thing about keeping elbows close to the body came from #1 Nancy Nehring during a class I took in 2001, and #2 Laura, the hand therapist I worked with after I broke my left wrist a couple years ago. I figure that’s good information – and, even if it’s not written in granite by the world’s leading orthopedist, it can’t hurt, right?

This one is hand turned and available at the site linked below it.

http://www.woodbyc.com/other_goodies1.htm

Here are some other ergonomic hooks that are widely available (Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, Walmart). Check them out to see if one might work for you.

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I love a good themed sock, even though I don’t knit them all that often. I guess maybe it feels like why take all that time to knit something I can only use for a couple of weeks a year?

But honestly a lot of things we knit don’t get a ton of use and we still love them. And I’m all about bringing the whimsy whenever possible, so why let people who buy themed socks have all the fun? (Also people are not looking at your socks so go ahead and wear the seasonal socks all year. Probably no one will notice unless you tell them.)

The Hey There Pumpkin socks from Fiber and Fern Designs would be cute to knit and to wear throughout the fall. They’re not strictly Halloween socks, but you could wear them for that. You can also wear them to the pumpkin patch, and to any even through Thanksgiving that needs a little more fun.

Of course if you wanted to make them Halloween socks you could use duplicate stitch to make little faces on some or all of the pumpkins. Or even just one one random pumpkin on each sock to give a reference to Halloween but still make them wearable and on theme throughout the fall.

The socks use three colors and have a German short row heel. There are options for knitting them as short socks or calf length socks. The pattern has three sizes for small, medium and large women’s feet (roughly US shoe sizes 6.5 to 7 for size small, 8 to 9 for medium and 10 to 11 for large).

The pattern is written with instructions given by stitch count or the placement of markers, so you can use whatever your favorite method is for sock knitting in the round, whether that’s magic loop, DPNS, a short circular or two circulars.

You can find this pattern at Fiber and Fern Designs on Etsy.

[Photo: Fiber and Fern Designs]

Knit Holiday Socks for Any Time of Year

Free Knitting Pattern – Knee High Socks

Learn to Knit Socks with this Easy Ribbed Sock Pattern

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