Stitches

How do you handle the pain in your fingertips from knitting?

I have been on a knitting frenzy for the last week. Now the tip of my index finger on my right hand is very tender. I know that it is not carpal tunnel. Any suggestions on how to desensitize the finger that you use to push back your needles with?

Public Comments

1. Never had that problem myself but you could try one of those rubber finger covers. They probably still sell them in office supply stores. Originally they were used to flip through stacks of multiple papers with speed and ease.
2. dont knit
3. 2 baby aspirin before it hurts and before you start then you already have some in your system before you get started at all with hand work also have some one massage your fingers and hands it does help a lot when they are getting so tired just stop for a minute and have them massaged and then go on
4. I never push though with my index finger. I just pull through. It goes faster and doesn't hurt. I think that knitting with one of those plastic things on your finger would be really frustrating, but would help with the pain I guess. Here's another thing to try, and after more than 30 years of knitting (I'm 41), I'm starting to try this: switch your knitting style from throwing to what they call Continental Style. Your right hand doesn't do near as much work. Here is a youtube video demonstrating it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRLFl36tDY The folks at our local yarn store have been suggesting I switch to this method for a while. It's hard to get used to doing it differently, but I'm getting it. And, it would surely help with the issue of your index finger.
5. well i have trouble with fibromyalgia where my muscles cramp from the repetative motions of knitting and crocheting, so i have to stop often and relax my hands for a few minutes, when it gets to where its causing a lot of pain as you describe, just take a day off, and let your body relax, then taking one day off and doing something else would also help you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the knitting again. kay,
6. concentrate on the pain in your wrists:)
7. Using your index finger to push your needle back through your stitches is very poor technique, so you need better knitting skills, my dear, and it can be very hard to unlearn a bad habit. It also suggests to me that you are keeping your tension too tight for your needles to move easily through the stitches, a sign of a novice knitter or a very stressed one. You need to relax, let up on the tension you hold your yarn under and remember that your yarns should hug your needles, not strangle them so you have room to work. If you find that you have problems with your gauge being off, change needle sizes down if the gauge is too large, up if too small. Remember that pattern needle sizes are suggestions not commands and you need to use the needles that get you gauge with the yarn you are using (btw, make sure you use the recommended yarn type--not necessarily the brand name--of the pattern, using worsted yarn for fingering will cause you to be way too tight). The suggestion to try switching from English style knitting (yarn in the right hand, wrapping or throwing it around the needle) to Continental style (yarn in the left hand is wrapped or picked by the needle) is also an excellent one. I went from the one to the other about 20 years ago and never looked back. It was horribly awkward for about 6 months (you have to retrain the pathways in your brain) for me, I'd knit English style for over 30 years at that point, but I can now knit with yarns in both hands, picking and throwing as needed for fair isle work with great ease. I also found my tension and working gauge to be far more even and easily maintained for long periods of knitting. I do have carpal tunnel and bursitis in both shoulders, as well as osteoarthritis of the spine and find that unless I'm knitting with huge needles and large numbers of stitches long bouts of knitting don't usually bother me too much.
8. Wow, talk about condescending. I can't believe mickiinpodunk would talk to someone like that. I am just getting starting in knitting and sometimes have the same problem. You could try wearing a bandaid on that finger, or I recently saw a knitting thimble that covers the finger and helps control tension as well. Alternatively, you can try sliding the yarn instead of the needle, which I do sometimes.