Hello everyone,
I’m struggling with my yarn tension. I literally have to take my fingernails and grab the yarn to pull it down the needle to put it into position to knit. How can I relieve the tension so the yarn isn’t so tight when I knit?
g.fawn,
It takes a little practice, but tension is most likely the result of how tightly you hold on to the working yarn. I know I tend to knit tightly also, but have worked on relaxing my grip over the years. One clue for me is not only how tense my hand may be, but if I am clenching my teeth or (believe it or not, by toes) is a clear indicator of how much tension I am conveying to the yarn. You can change that, but it does take practice and mindfulness. Another factor is how you thread the working yarn between your fingers. There are a number of You Tube videos you can find by searching for “yarn tension” - here is one that I have just found:
You will get the hang of it, I promise, and when you do, your enjoyment will soar!
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Something I heard that might help is to make sure you’re knitting on the “shaft” of the needle and not just on the tips.
Put your needle into the next stitch down to the thickest part. Then wrap the yarn around the part just under the tip. Pull the loop through and then settle it on the thickest part. All the while holding the yarn loosely.
Hth, Knitcindy
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You were right. I wasn’t putting the yarn all the way on the shaft. I have begun doing this and it has helped a lot.
Thank you so much for the suggestion.
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