I’ve been knitting for a few months, English style. My left wrist is getting increasingly uncomfortable and I’m wondering if there’s a commonly recognized, most ergonomic way to hold needles.
The way I hold needles is the same way as the videos on this website, with the exception that the right needle sits on top of my hand rather than my hand over the needle. My right wrist gets tired eventually but the pain isn’t as bad as my left wrist. The left wrist gets tired more easily because I’m constantly shifting the loops up the needle with the index finger.
Did a lot of you experience the some pain when you first started knitting? Did the pain go away or did you have to switch to a different holding position or switch to continental? Continental looks uncomfortable to me since the left index finger is up holding the yarn, so I haven’t tried it.
I think most of us have figured out different ways that work for us. I knit english, and (wait while I check myself)I hold the left needle between my thumb and index finger, curling the ring finger and pinkie under the support the needle further on. (I never realized I did that.) I tend to use my index finger to push the right needle through as I finish a stitch. When I use straights, I usually prop the right needle on my lap because I tend to let go of the needle when I throw the yarn. I can use circulars OK (particularly once I get the first two or three stitches done), but dpns give me fits because of the way I hold needles.
I find that sometimes my wrists will hurt and I’ll need to set my knitting aside for a few weeks. I’ll either crochet or do cross-stitch, and then I can go back to my knitting.