How to Avoid Pain When Knitting

When you aren’t knitting comfortably, your body will start to exhibit pain that can lead to injury. That’s why we’re covering ways to improve your posture, safety, and efficiency in knitting, so you won’t have to stop doing what you love.

Take a Break to Stretch and Move Around

We’ve all been there: getting so wrapped up in a project you lose track of time and forget to take care of yourself. Being in a fixed position while knitting for so long will have you feeling pain in your hands, arms, shoulders, and many more parts of your body.

Although knitting brings amazing benefits for your mind and body, too much of a good thing can be bad. This is why it’s very important to take periodic breaks if you plan on knitting for a long time. Try timing yourself or setting a recurring alarm to remind you to stop and get up from knitting. It can also help to put the alarm clock in a different room, that way you can’t avoid getting up to turn it off.

When you’ve taken a break, try out some hand stretches! These are good for warming up and reducing stiffness.

Check Your Sitting Posture

Similar to office ergonomics, being in the proper position to knit is crucial to avoid pain and injury. As you’re sitting, keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed. Also, make sure your thighs are parallel to the floor. Be sure to avoid crossing your legs – your feet must be touching the ground to take some of the strain off your back. Lastly, choose a chair with an armrest to support your elbows.

Bonus: Try knitting on the go! You don’t have to stop knitting to get your body moving. Put your yarn in a small bag and take your knitting project for a nice stroll.

Keep Warm

Did you know the cold makes your muscles stiffen and tighten? While knitting in a cold environment, your muscles will be tenser, and repetitive movements could cause pain more easily. Pick a warm room and park yourself there. If you have a fireplace in your home, that’d be the perfect place to go.

Bring out the wool! You probably have a few wool projects from the past that you can use for this purpose. Pick out a cozy sweater or shawl from your collection to stay warm while you knit something new.

After sitting down with a project, it would also be helpful to use heat to relax your muscles. You can use a warm compress or heating pad on your neck, shoulders, and back. And if you’re going for a shower, turn up the heat to turn your bathroom into a sauna! Your body will thank you later.

Try New Knitting Needles

Every knitter is different, so what works for someone else might not work for you. Either way, we had to bring up circular needles. Circular needles, as opposed to straight needles, tend to be more versatile. They involve two hard tips joined together by a flexible cord. Working with circulars will make it a lot easier for your body because the needle holds more of the weight of the project.

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