Weird Tips for Better Knitting
I know there are lots of videos and blogs with tips for knitting. I’ve watched and read a lot of them, I’ve learned a lot and definitely suggest watching and reading all you can if you are serious about knitting (or any craft for that matter). The thing is most of those blogs/videos are about the knitting itself, tips on how to become a better knitter, on things like counting rows or things beginners should know. What I want to talk about today, however, are weird things that don’t seem to get the same “coverage” in the knitting tips department. So here goes nothing…
I know you’re probably wondering “What’s with the Rubik’s Cube?” We’ll get to that soon – really. But first let me explain a couple of things about me…
I have jobs other than knitting. I don’t just sit around and knit all day, as much as I’d sometimes like to. Therefore, I do a lot of things with my hands and some of these things can be messy, or hard on my skin. Just a few things I do on any given day are as follows: working with materials such as chemicals, oils, greases, glues, woods, and various (possibly rusty) metals; cooking with things like onions and garlic (smelly), or chopping veggies like carrots (leaving color on skin); cleaning with bleaches or other harsh chemicals, and working outdoors in cold and dry conditions. None of these things are particularly good for your skin and in the end not very good for your knitting. The chemicals and greases can leave residue on your skin which can be picked up by your yarn. Also, strong smells from things like onions or bright colors from things like carrots can transfer to your yarn as well. Any drying of your skin or damage to your fingernails can cause things like hangnails which will catch on your yarn (especially fine yarns) leaving unwanted tufts on finished projects. The result of these problems on your finished projects may not bother you but they can deminish the look and feel of the knitting. There are relatively simple ways of preventing these problems which will improve the final knitted piece.
One thing I do to help prevent transferring smells, colors etc. to my knitting is I always wear gloves (usually nitrile) when I’m performing any task with my hands that could cause dryness, damage, discoloration, smell transfer or chemical transfer to my skin. I don’t wear gloves when I’m knitting because for me a lot of the skill of knitting is very tactile and being able to feel what I’m doing is almost as important as seeing what I’m doing. Wearing gloves when performing other tasks allows me the freedom of not wearing them while I am knitting. I also keep my hands clean, my fingernails trimmed, and use lotion whenever I need it to keep my skin as clean and smooth as possible when knitting. I have also used a wax bath for my hands and found it to be quite beneficial. If you have something like this or another routine you use for skincare of your hands, I can attest that keeping up with that routine will help your knitting. And, if I notice any kind of “anomaly” such as a hangnail I stop knitting and take care of it right away. I think caring for your skin and nails can be the difference between good knitting and great knitting.
(Here’s where the Rubik’s Cube comes in).
Another thing of huge importance is keeping your hands themselves in good working order. There are several ways to do this and several different things to take into consideration. First, it’s important to take breaks from knitting and do several various hand stretches. Don’t “try to finish this one thing” if you are experiencing pain…just stop and come back to it later (a lesson I currently relearned – see my last blog for details). Doing “different” things like playing with a Rubik’s Cube or other tasks that make your hands and fingers move around (but in different directions than knitting) is great. I also stand up and just “shake it off” – not just my hands but my arms and legs as well because sometimes when knitting you can lose track of time and end up sitting for long periods. It’s important to get up and stretch or walk around once in a while. Setting a timer to make sure you actually get up is a great idea, especially if you’re the type to get “lost” in your work. Also, if you are the type of person who concentrates hard and looks directly at your knitting for long periods, consider stopping occasionally to look away and focus on other things – it’s good for your eyes.
Check out articles and videos online about maximizing breaks at the office as they have several good ideas that also apply to taking breaks while knitting.
If you’re very serious about knitting (or anything that requires your hands) or you do it professionally, I would suggest an exercise routine designed for your hands specifically. I am currently looking into one that’s designed to strengthen your wrists, hands, arms and shoulders in preparation for doing hand stands. Although it’s not designed specifically for knitting, it’s designed with strength and dexterity of the hands in mind and that’s why I’m sure it will help me a lot. You could also consider getting hand massages and/or manicures. The massages would help loosen up your hand muscles and the manicures would help your skin and nails be in the best shape possible for knitting. (Also, it’s a good excuse for a massage and a manicure).
I know these tips are kind of weird and they may even seem obvious but I realized that someone may need to hear them anyway.
Especially if this “someone” was eating Doritos during the Super Bowl (like I may have been) and noticed how they needed to be more careful. LOL.
Hope these tips helped but no matter what happens just Stick to the Knitting 😊
