I recently started knitting (have only done 2 scarves) and have found that it does a number on my left pointer finger. It started to callous and crack within the first few hours of picking up this wonderful craft. I tried using a thimble, but it’s just too rounded and bulky to be of any benefit. I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong or if anyone else has had this problem. Both my sister and mother knit and neither of them have ever experienced this. I end up wearing a band aid all the time because (with 4 young children) I don’t often get a chance to “plan” my knitting time, but end up just picking it up and knitting a few rows whenever I get a 30 second break. Are there any other solutions out there?
I’m going to guess that you are a tight knitter and holding the needles like they may try to run away. I know b/c that’s what I did when I started knitting. I still do it when turning sock heels in magic loop two at a time.
Try to loosen your grip a little and not pull the yarn so tight.
Good Luck and happy knitting:knitting:
Experiment with other ways of holding your yarn in addition to loosening up your grip on the needles and yarn. Look at Youtube for lots of different ways knitters hold their yarn and needles.
also try different types of needles…
straights kill my hands and wrists (arthritis plus carpal tunnel) so i can do maybe 10-15 minutes with them, circs i can go a few hours before having to take a break and the dpns i can go quite a bit longer… i have the 7" ones and i’ll be ordering the shorter ones from knit picks after the first of the year…
I am right handed.
I knit the Scottish way with one needle held under my right armpit.
This takes some pressure off my wrists. You might be able to relax your hands more this way.
I can’t use circular needles like this but it has never posed a problem for me.
I had issues with that when I first started knitting. I used to look down at my fingers and there would be indentions in them from pushing the needles. I don’t know when it happened but somewhere along the way I stopped pushing the needles.
Try learning to work the yarn without touching the needles. What I mean by that is try to get the stitch off the left hand needle without using your finger to push the needle back through the stitch. Instead, use the right needle to pull away from the left needle so that you pull the stitch off the needle.
Try switching to circulars. I hate working on straights now because they are just unwieldy.
I wish I could remember how I stopped pushing the needles. I think it just evolved with my style of knitting.
My guess is also that you are holding your needles a bit too tightly. This often happens when people are just starting and they are terrified of dropping a stitch (25 years and I still do it sometimes, especially when doing something unfamiliar)
Follow the advice of the folks here and I bet you will soon find yourself knitting in comfort and ease. I wish you luck in your knitting projects. It’s honestly the best therapy after a tense day at the office for me.
I’m relatively new; I got calluses when I started working with a 100% wool superbulky yarn. That’s the sweater I’m working on now. Its not so bad so more but I limit my knitting time at one sitting and don’t try to do 20 rows in one sitting like I once did.
I took a break from it and knitted something with some soft DK weight and the calluses went away.
Look for a leather quilter’s thimble - I think it would work better if you are worried about the callus. I also have calluses from my cross stitch - I hate working with a thimble and the end of my right middle finger really toughens up after a while.
That was what I was thinking of. You can find them in the sewing/quilting sections of craft stores. I think they would work better than a band-aide, at least you wouldn’t have sticky stuff on your finger.
I’m a new knitter as well (just finished my first project, a scarf knit in Malabrigo Merino worsted…that stuff spoiled me!) and I had the same issues. It was because I was knitting so tight that instead of just using the needles to slide the yarn off the other needle, I had to push down on the left needle to get the yarn off. I have a teeny, unnoticeable callous there, but it doesn’t hurt anymore like it did! :cheering:
Thank you everyone. It is from pushing down on the needle to release the stitch, but the funny thing is, I don’t even knit tightly. In fact, I’m a bit too loose for my own taste. But if I try to tighten it up all my rows come out just a bit different so I stick with what is “natural” for me. After looking at me like I was crazy, my husband just shrugged and suggested that I knit myself a little finger sleeve. lol. IT WORKED!