My mother was a knitter and
while I was intrigued as a child, I never did quite get the hang of it. I had trouble with my stitches being too
tight and I hated picking my fingers as I tried to manipulate the needles, so
it didn’t take much to discourage me.
You can’t begin to imagine how beautiful the handcrafted Norwegian sweaters
that she turned out were. Unfortunately
we kids took it all for granted. If I
had thought of knitting as an art form I might have appreciated it more, and
might have been more interested in the process.
It is an art form. Have you ever
looked closely at the workmanship involved in doing a cable knit or a
multicolored pattern?
Do you think it could be
easier now? An article in the new
Arthritis Today magazine (January/February 2010) tells us that knitting can be
physically and emotionally therapeutic.
That sounds good, but if pain and stiffness are an issue you may have
been forced to give it up. Deep down you
are probably wondering if you could try it again.
Researchers have actually
come up with solutions to some common problems.
For example: If you find coarse
or fluffy yarns are too hard on your hands, you might find that something soft and smooth with a light or medium gauge
easier to work with.
Medium sized needles are
recommended rather than the thin or thicker versions because they are easier on
the hands. Good wooden needles are also
warmer to the touch, and circular needles allow the knitting to sit in your lap
versus letting your arms take all of the weight. These are some simple adjustments and if have
been knitting for a long time you have probably discovered them through trial
and error.
There are other new products
on the market like Handeze gloves (a glove made of Lycra that comes will full
or partial finger coverings) that supports hand muscles and ligaments. Gloves like these help control further pain
and swelling associated with repetitive motion.
Another gadget that I can’t even visualize is something called Stitch
Simple (www.knittingaid.com) that
supports you wrists and holds the bottom end of the needles. Your hands have to manipulate only the needle
tips to form the stitches. Last but not
least a Knitting Board (also found at www.knittingaid.com)
weaves and hooks across a loom-like device to produce a double-sided material
without using needles at all.
If knitting is your passion
or you would love to learn a truly timeless art form, you might enjoy taking a
class or joining a workshop to see what is available.
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