knit and tonic

Yarn Bowl Love . . . and a Back Story.

So last night, Girlfriend asked me if she could sew a pillow and a quilt for her American Girl Doll. And I said "yes . . ."

Back in the day (look at the pretty yarn bowl pictures), my grandma--the one who taught me to knit--would just take an old cardboard oatmeal container, poke a hole in its top, and use it as a yarn "tamer," if you will. I think some of her versions had contact paper covering them. She'd just place them between her feet on the floor.

Then, Girlfriend brought up some Liberty London (30 bucks a yard) and some imported Japanese double gauze (cha-ching!) and asked if she could use it. And I said, "uhm, no . . ."

Nowadays, they have all sorts of yarn bowls that function the same as the re-purposed oatmeal containers, but many of them are made by artisans. (See how cute the bird is on mine?)

Girlfriend settled on some leftover squares, set up her Janome Hello Kitty machine and got rolling. I started making dinner in the adjacent room. She's been in kids' sewing club for about a year and, as I sauteed onions in the pan, I remembered how she used to sit on my lap to sew with her machine. Now, I mused, she's on her own! Look at how she's laying out those squares and the batting! So grown up! (Keep looking at the pretty pictures.) Listen to that machine go! Vroom vroom!

When I was approached by the company, Uncommon Goods, about accepting a Birdie Yarn Bowl for review, I thought it would be fun. After all, I seem to be the last knitter to try such a thing (I guess I thought that is what leftover oatmeal containers were used for), so I may as well see what they're all about and how they work.

It took me a few tries before I got it to work for me. My first instinct was to place my yarn cake in the bowl and put it on the floor at my feet much like my grandmother did, but it didn't seem right. Then I placed it next to me on the couch. Still, it didn't seem quite right. The third try, I put it on the ottoman across from me with one of the slots turned away and wow, it sure tamed that yarn. Usually, I place the cake next to me on the chair and I can't tell you how many times that thing will pop up off the chair and fly across the room.

While I stirred and watched basketball I heard a noise. A mewing of sorts. A definite mewing. Hmmm. I wonder what that is, that mewing. And then I thought I heard a tiny sob.

Uncommon Goods doesn't just have yarn bowls like these. It's a website that has an interesting mix of useful, artisan items like this, but also an array of funky gifts. By the way, this yarn bowl came with a note explaining the artist's story about how she makes these yarn bowls and why she features birds on her unique bowls (keep examining the pretty pictures; you'll thank me later).

Back in the kitchen. The mewing. The tiny sob. I realized it was Girlfriend! I ran to her. There she was, eyes wide open. Mouth wide open. Barely breathing. And then I stepped closer.

She sewed her finger, friends.

All the way through.

Right through the fingernail, all the way to the other side.

We had to remove the needle from the machine and extricate her finger from under the foot. 

I cut the thread (which had been drawn through her finger along with the needle).

I covered her eyes.

Then, we counted to three.

It was not pretty.

Keep looking at the pretty yarn bowl pictures above.

BTW: The picture here is only a re-enactment. All of us in the household are still shuddering.

Yes, she saw a doctor.

Yes, she got a tetanus shot.

Yes, she will sew again and very soon, but . . .

. . . not until she cleans her fingernails.

Wash.

I like knitting caps from the top down. The nice thing about doing it this way is that as long as you know 
your gauge you just cast on eight stitches and increase at eight points every other round until you have the correct circumference. Then, you knit in rounds until it is almost long enough and do a quick rib edging and you're done!

Unless you're me.

My dad is a Broncos fan. Normally, I don't take orders because people don't usually wear what I knit them unless they are my husband or daughter and it's a pair of socks, but it's my dad. He's in his 70's. I'll knit him a hat. Why not?

So I bought this great Baah Superwash La Jolla in his team's colors and got started.

I didn't swatch.

But that's okay, I thought. I can just swatch as I go!

I gently fell into The Trap.

I knit happily.

Then, I measured the gauge.

I knit again happily knowing my target number and was having so much fun that I did a few too many increases.

So I stopped doing increases.

And kept knitting.

Then I realized that I had finished more than half the 100 gram/234 yard ball...

For a hat.

Something must be wrong.

So I tried it on.

Uh oh.

Then I ripped.

Then Loretta tried it on at the point where I should have stopped increasing. (Isn't she a natural beauty?)

And then I finished.

And let it sit in some soap and water.

Perfect size before washing.

Too long after washing. I'm going to have to school him in the fabulousness of slouch caps at the ripe old age of 70-something.

Friends, never wing it. Wash your swatches before you knit. This Baah relaxes. It is perfect yarn, but had I washed a swatch first, I would have known.

Yarn is just like the clothes you buy. Fabric, too. After you wash them, they behave differently. Always.

P.S. London Blue and California Poppy if you're into the "vintage" or "classic" Broncos colors. I only know this because I did my research.

Everything is Going to be Alright. And a Recipe for Fingerless Mitts

Not all knitters like to knit to recipes. Personally, I'm all for them, but I do know many people who aren't that keen. But, that's okay.

Just like it's okay to be analytical. And I think it is just as okay to be someone who wings it and veers off the path with or without fear. I'd be thrilled if I were more analytical, however.

But speaking of Girlfriend, she wings it. We had a meeting with her teacher the other day. Apparently, Girlfriend lays down her thoughts on paper sort of messy-like. When the teacher said that, I replied: "I get it. Disorganized thoughts; disorganized paragraphs. She likes to write, though. She will work it out. I'm not concerned."

And then the teacher surprised me by saying: "It's because she is an artist."

You know, so many people over-value things like jumping really high, "training" their newborn to pee in a potty, or reciting the Canterbury Tales whilst demonstrating how to split an atom using their toes as props.

Call me a hippie, but I tell you what: I'd rather have her happily navigating her future through whatever it is that makes her tick than a lot of things. Imagine her at the local soccer league: misery incarnate. 

So, she's an artist. She may not make a million dollars when she grows up. But I do know this: She rocks a bandanna and is a happy child.

And she won't take off that damn tie-dye shirt.

So, here's a recipe. If you don't like recipes, Google "Free Fingerless Mitts Pattern," and I'm sure you'll find one you like!

Fingerless Mitts Recipe the Knit and Tonic Way

1. Swatch!
2. Take a measurement of the circumference of your palm (or recipient’s).
3. Using double point needles cast on enough stitches to equal your hand measurement, rounding to a number that will accommodate your chosen rib pattern. If you’re concerned that it will be too loose, go down a needle size for this portion of the mitten. Keep it simple by rounding to an even number and do 1x1 rib. Place a marker and work for about 1 - 2 inches.
4. Work a couple rounds of stockinette.
5. Start your thumb gusset: Work to where you want to start your thumb gusset (it can be anywhere. Just keep track and do the same thing for the other mitt). Place a marker, increase 1 stitch, place a marker and work to end. (I just do make-ones).
6. Work 2 rounds.
7. Increase Rnd: Work to the first gusset marker, slip it, increase 1 stitch, knit the center stitch, increase 1 stitch, slip the marker and work to the end. You will have 3 gusset stitches.
8. Work 2 rounds.
9. Continue working an increase round as in step 7 and working 2 rounds even until the gusset measures about 3” wide for an adult and about 2.5” for a child. If the height of the gusset doesn’t reach the place on your hand where the thumb separates from your palm, work an extra few rounds without increasing. Typical gusset heights are between 2 and 2.5” for an adult. For children, aim for between 1.75 to 2”.
10. On the next round, work to the marker separating the gusset stitches, transfer the gusset stitches onto waste yarn, using backward loop method, cast on one stitch and work to the end.
11. Continue working the body of the mitten in the round until it reaches about an inch under the knuckles (or about 1" less than how long you want it to be).
12. Next rnd, decrease 1 stitch so your stitch count is the same as it was when you began your Stockinette Stitch.
13. Change to 1x1 rib (or the rib you used on the cuff) for about an inch (a little less for kids). BO in pattern.

Finishing the Thumb 

Place the reserved stitches onto 3 dpn and pick up and knit 1 stitch over the gap. Join yarn and work a few rounds. Count the stitches and if you have an odd number, decrease 1 stitch. Change to 1x1 rib and work the same number of rounds as you did at the knuckles. BO in pattern. 

Keep notes so when you work the second mitt, it looks the same as the first one!

BTW: I'm using Knitterly Things Vesper Sock Yarn in Rainbow Love. It is fantastic. You could easily make little kids' socks and mitts with just one skein.

Sing Along with Me! A One and a Two and a Three!

One of these things is not like the other,

One of these things just doesn't belong.

Can you tell me which thing is not like the other

By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing is not like the other?

Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?

If you guess which one is not like the other,

Then, you're absolutely right!

Cue in the Sad Trombone and select your favorite George Jones tune. I don't know what happened. Well, I guess I do know what happened. I put the one on the right down, finished the manuscript of my book and then picked up the one on the left without comparing it to the finished one. I counted the stitches on the gusset and thought 13 was what I had done before and finished the tube of the hand in a flight of fancy. "Oh, she's just going to love these mitts!" I thought as I bound off. Then today, I thought it was high time I post about these simple mitts and give you all a nice recipe to work a pair of your own without a pattern. "Yeah! That'd make a great Friday post in a series of no-post days! What a way to break back into posting regularly!"

"Hey, wait a second" I thought as I looked at the nearly finished one on the left, "this here tube for the hand looks mighty skinny."

"But Girlfriend has small hands; she's only 10," the other side of me said.

"Look at that thumb gusset. It's weird," the first side of me said.

The other side: "Yeah, you're onto something there. Wha happened?"

Friends. I have no idea what happened. I do not know. I do know that this happens to me more often than I'd like to admit. Even when no cocktails are involved. In fact, I can tell you that no cocktails were involved with this one. Not a-one.

And I can also tell you that it was 90 degrees the other day. These will not fit Girlfriend next season. 

I will finish the other one properly and give you the recipe. The pair will go to a deserving little girl.

But only after a cocktail. Happy Friday.

May all of you handle your defeats with grace.

Because that is the right thing to do.

Knitting is fun.

I promise I am not grinding my teeth as I type this. I totally promise.

It Has Been Awhile! (But I Wanna Show you Something)

Usually, when I have been gone for awhile it means one of two things: Either I have been super busy with a project or that I have been sick. In this case, it has been both. This fourth book is going to be so fun for all of you, I just know it, but there have been days that I have to make a choice between being ill while finishing up on book projects or being ill and not finishing up on book projects, and blogging instead (while being ill).

Thing is, I get paid to write the books, so you now know why I've been gone. I really don't like talking about my health here (I'm not going to die unless I fall on some train tracks or something), because to tell you the truth, I groan when reading endless tweets and blog posts from others going on and on and on about whatnot. It's like, hey, I'm glad you're on the mend but I might have to block you if I read one more kvetch about your left toe joint being out of whack and about how your herb-ologist has found an extract that will level the air pressure between your fourth and fifth vertebrae but you are hesitant about consuming it due to it being extracted from Musk Oxens' favorite flowers yadda yadda oh, and here's a tip jar. Wink wink.

You get the point.

So onto what I wanted to tell you about: I have a few favorite and very dear sweaters that I wear over and over. These are expensive light-weight cashmere sweaters. Yes, I know, I must have about 200 sweaters I've already knit, it's true, but I typically knit for models and my body is not the same size as a model. In my defense, I do wear a handful of them, but they're the ponchos (yes, I'm a poncho-lover), the shrugs, the boleros and the linen ones. The others live in boxes in my closet. I wear the hats, too. It's just that, in this warm climate, I don't have the opportunity to wear most of the stuff I knit. Light-weight knits? Yes!

But back to the light-weight cashmere sweaters that I love and actually wear. I spend a pretty penny on them, but I wear them over the course of many years and purchase maybe ONE a year. I have a couple that are more than 12 years old. I know this because I used to wear them to work with pencil skirts and high heels. And I felt fabulous. Now?

. . . not so much. But I can still wear them (the sweaters; not the pencil skirts) because they are timeless. Worth the investment. I highly recommend it if you want to save your money and buy just one item that will last. (Find them off-season and get one on sale if you can. If you troll thrift shops, you can find many there, too.)

The problem with this lovely cashmere is that it pills. This is the trade-off of soft, fine knits. They pill. Shucks, you reach out your window to pay the guy at the McDonald's drive-thru or carry a purse, and your sweater pills.

I normally use a sweater shaver, not the ones with the vacuum and the batteries. There's no way in heck I'm going to press on my light-weight cashmere with one of those! I use the almost-as-scary sweater shavers with blades and teeth. These things freak me out, too.

Until I found out about the Lilly Brush. Seriously. This thing is so cool I cannot believe it.

The Lilly Brush lives in a red plastic tube that you can carry with you anywhere. If someone saw it, they'd think that either 1) You have a hidden tampon in there or 2) You have some folded-up bi-focals. Hah. Come to think of it, I guess it'd depend if you're pre- or post-menopausal what the snoopers would think is in that tube.

Anyway, it's just a brush. They say that it'll take pet hair off of things, and I did try that, but it works better on de-pilling sweaters. The nicest thing about it is, you can press as hard as you want and move it in any direction without fear of ruining the sweater. This thing is a revelation. I no longer will use that thing with the teeth. I will never use that thing with the motor and the batteries. I will never use a straight razor unless I'm smoothing out a felted ukulele case, because, really? You can't ruin one of those.

Highly recommend. You can find a Lilly Brush here.

(Back to health; honestly, I'm just dealing with something that screws with my equilibrium. You can probably tell by my writing style, anyway, so I thought I'd take all doubt away and give you that tidbit thereby giving myself an excuse.)

<---------- The "After" photo. Took maybe three swipes. 

People in Line, Yarn Crawl L.A. and a Tote Giveaway

I was at my local quilt store about a year ago and all these giggly ladies kept swarming in and out. Everyone was cheerful. So, I automatically thought, "Hey, this quilt store beats the heck out of The Store that Shall not be Named." You know the one I'm talking about: The one with all the coupons. The lines. The long lines. The long, long lines. The lines lined with seas of dead, sad stares. Sad stares that tell you sorry tales of time spent in that long line, pretty much no matter what. Pretty much no matter what if you try to get there when pre-school and elementary school are in session or if you strategize and go when there aren't any active coupons.

You are pretty much screwed no matter what in this store that shall not be named.

All I know is, is the last time I went when elementary school was in session and when there were no fantastic coupon or sales going on there were 26 people in front of me with hollow, sad stares. The carts overflowing with plastic flowers, styrofoam, printed paper and scissors.

It's a wonder the employees don't climb up on one of the thread displays and fling themselves off and to the ground.

It's a wonder I don't climb up on one of those displays and fling myself off just thinking about it.

It's a wonder I even ever go back.

Sorry for the tangent but I couldn't help myself. Problem is, sometimes you need a grommet.

Which brings me to this: Turns out, the happy peppy ladies wandering in and out of the quilt shop were on some sort of quilt shop crawl. I had never heard of such a thing, but apparently there is such a thing. The closest thing to a quilt shop crawl that I've ever been on was an afternoon of winetasting.

And come to think of it, with the right group of friends, I'd totally do some sort of crawl that doesn't involve wine. Like, a yarn crawl.

So when the people at Yarn Crawl L.A. approached me to mention the event on my blog that runs from April 11 - 14 in the L.A. County area, I said, why not? After all, talking about the quilt store crawl I witnessed would give me an excellent, guilt-free opportunity to engage in my ninth-favorite activity: Kvetching about my horrible waiting-in-line experiences at The Store that Shall not be Named.

Check out the activities and schedule here. One of my favorite yarn stores, Unwind, is having cocktails and snacks Thursday through Saturday until 10:00 p.m., plus, Stephen West is debuting a new pattern exclusively that weekend. When you go there, you can pick up the "Safety Scarf" pattern and join a KAL and get a 10% discount on Manos Maxima to make it.

Now, I know not all of you can join in, but everyone is welcome to leave a comment and be entered into a giveaway for a Yarn Crawl L.A. tote bag. I can give away more than one, so be sure to leave a comment.

I'll announce winners later this week! And, if you win and are joining the Yarn Crawl, you can make arrangements to pick your tote bag up at one of the participating yarn stores you visit.

 COMMENTS CLOSED. WINNERS ARE BEING NOTIFIED.

Yarn Deal Alert

Elann.com, for many years, has been one of the reasons that my stash has overflowed. Their prices are amazing, and they ship quickly. I always found that to be one of the most exciting things about Elann. I'd order, and just about two days later, I'd find a big box of yarn on my doorstep. Now, that could be the proximity of their offices; nevertheless, I've always received my order quickly.

So imagine my surprise when they contacted me asking if they could feature one of my patterns, the Yogini Bolero, on their website to highlight a new yarn that they would sell, Plymouth Yarn Grass, which is a combination of cotton and hemp.

They're offering the yarn for only $3.98 a ball.

And if you are knitting a Yogini Bolero, and purchase that yarn, just know that I'm getting gauge on size 6 needles. Not that we all knit at the same tension or anything. I just thought I'd tell you about my experience so that rather than just going with what the yarn ball or your pattern says, you need to do a little swatch with whatever size needles that helps you obtain the correct gauge.

Happy Knitting! (Oh, and this is my Yogini Bolero so far. I can tell that it will drape even nicer than my samples due to the fiber content.)

I Just Spent . . .

. . . a week knitting two swatches. Two swatches. TWO swatches. TWO SWATCHES! (Oh, and notice my broken shades. Oy.)

I admit, the better part of those approximately 25 hours I was wearing pajama pants. The same pajama pants day after day. They were nice and stretchy. But still. A week spent on knitting TWO swatches is really just too much for me to handle.

I have not ever, in my recent adulthood--or should I say, my "mostly adulthood" since I'm well over the hill by now given my real age and the added years and years that this past week has aged me--have experienced frustration of this level.

When I was a kid, if I tried something, say, a cartwheel, and couldn't do it, I'd try again and maybe a third time, and if I still couldn't do it, I'd shrug and try something else. And these days, if I'm faced with a new challenge, say making French macarons, I try. I may fail. Then I consult and try again. Maybe I fail again. And I might even fail a few times more. If I continue to fail, I throw up my hands, chop the macarons, and use them as some sort of topping and move on.

And when it comes to knitting, and this is a confession of sorts, whenever I encountered knitters who were extremely frustrated, I usually shrugged and muttered, "Hey, it's just knitting. You know: knits and purls! Yo ho!" I guess I'm admitting that I just didn't understand and thought the frustrated people should react more like me, you know, so what? You're frustrated? Move on! Enjoy life!

After all this time, friends, I have met my match. The Lifted Increase(s).

There's a right-leaning lifted increase.

There's a left-leaning lifted increase.

Oh, and didja know that you can do these on wrong-side rows, too? Oh, and these have no resemblance in terms of stitch maneuvering to the right-side ones. We're talking apples and oranges.

Unfortunately, my brain just doesn't want to deal with them. And if you're not familiar, as I was not, they aren't those nice little make-one's. These are funky blankety-blanks--oh, I don't even know what to call them because if I say words like "orphan," "red-headed," "step-yadda," "left-toenail," etc., I'll be in big trouble. But, you get my drift. 

So, this past week I knit, and then I ripped. Then I knit and then I ripped. Then, I got highlighters and highlighted charts like a new college student. Then I got up and fixed a cocktail. I did this day after day after day. And then it hit me: I finally get it. I finally understand what knit-frustration feels like.

Whether it is a knit or a purl or a twist or a yarnover, or if you're reading a chart and end up with too few or too many stitches and are frustrated, friends, I understand.

I'm sorry for being so flip all these years.

(A colleague of mine, a long time ago, called me "flip" during a review and I guess, in all honesty, I am.)

Signed, 

 

Confused and Now I Understand and I'm Sorry Please Forgive Me.

 

Stay, Don't Go.

It just occurred to me that my mom died about 10 years ago just a few days ago. I say "about" 10 years ago because I'm not the type of person who keeps track. I know that it might be ten or eleven years ago. It might even be nine (but I'm thinking 10), except I do know that it was in February. That she died, that is.

Oddly enough, her sister, my aunt, is suffering right about now. She has a cancer that has spread to her bones and her brain, too.

She left her belongings behind in the Bay Area and is now spending the rest of her time with her daughter in Texas.

The other day, she left me a voice message. She said: "Oh Wendy, I want you to knit me something. I want to feel your knitting around me now. It's not too cold here, but it would be nice to have a cardigan. I don't want a hat. I just want to feel you hug me with your knitting."

Oh my.

I love my aunt Sandy, my mother's sister. The one who sat with her in her last days while I cried nearly 300 miles away and didn't have the strength to be there as well. And now she is having hers and I don't know exactly what to do.

And knitting a cardigan would take me so much time. Probably too long. A cardigan would take me weeks.

And then it hit me. I have boxes and boxes of samples that I knit over the past five years for my books. I have them sitting all around the joint, in boxes! 

So, I gathered up a yoked eyelet cardigan, a pair of lacy socks, a triangular shawl and some fingerless mitts. Colors of cinammon, peaches, sea glass, and cornflower blue. 

I'm not good at this stuff.

BTW: Vesper Sock Yarn. Rainbow Love. Fingerless gloves but with thumb gussets. I can write down the recipe if you want me to.

Follow-Up to Your Questions on Knitting Injuries, Pics of Exercises and a Winner

I admit it: The idea of being injured by knitting used to be a joke to me. Seriously. When people talked about such things I'd roll my eyes. Nowadays, I'm the one who is first to say that I can't roll my eyes anymore because, when I do, I get nerve pain down my right arm. Well, I'm kidding about that, but it is, for all intents and purposes (love saying that), just about true.

Another thing that is true is, that I think I might deserve a medal for my latest bout of epic white-knuckle knitting (Ha! another knitting joke that only we can appreciate). I can't show you the project because it'll be featured in my next book, but what I can show you is the leftover yarn. Talk about nearly having a heart attack.

Lindsay, our resident expert on knitting injuries, physical therapist and all around good gal, has read through all your comments/questions and since she's so smart, instead of just answering a few, she addressed multiple problems into a nice, neat article, just for us.

Here it is:

As a physical therapist I see many people with over-use injuries, however I had no idea how many of my fellow knitters had such symptoms!  All of your comments were great, and I wish I could get to each and every one.  Instead, I am going to try to address some of the trends that emerged.  Absent this helping you, feel free to email me at Lindsay@sfsspt.com, and I’ll do my best to answer your question or direct you to where you can find it.

Many of you wanted to know about issues with carpal tunnel and knitting.  Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve, which runs on the inside of your wrist, gets inflamed and irritated, typically from sustained positions of holding your wrists up (hello knitting and typing!)  The best things you can do for this include trying to modify your position by keeping your wrists as relaxed as possible as well as keeping your arms close to your body.  Also important is taking breaks and doing some stretching.  Important to do is a wrist extension and wrist flexion stretch.

For really stiff fingers, including trigger fingers, as well as those hoping to avoid finger pain and tightness while knitting maybenefit from doing what is referred to as ‘tendon gliding.’  It is a series of movements which stretches out the tendons that run on your palm to each joint of your fingers.  Follow the series 1-5 a few times when you are taking a break from knitting.  Opening and closing your fist as well as spreading your fingers can also help.  Many people find that heat is helpful to warm up the hand and reduce stiffness.  Using a heating pad, or even wearing fingerless gloves, can keep your hands from getting cold.  

Which brings me to bracing.  I prefer that my patients DON’T wear a brace while they knit.  Understandably it may be the only way that you can knit without pain, but my concern would be that you are basically training yourself towards relying on a brace while knitting.  If you experience popping in the fingers and wrists it isn’t typically an issue unless it is painful.  A lot of time the joints are releasing built up pressure from the sustained positions they are in.

The other thing that a lot of people commented on was upper back and neck issues.  Looking down at your knitting can put a lot of strain on the back of your neck.  It’s important to strengthen your postural muscles (the muscles between your shoulder blades which frequently get sore and tired after knitting for a while).  The general strength exercise I recommend for while you are knitting is to think of pinching your shoulder blades together behind you.  It is equally important to work on keeping your shoulders relaxed, and avoiding ‘hunching’ the shoulders.  Stretching the upper trapezius muscle can help with this.  To stretch the upper trapezius bend your neck to one side (bringing the ear to your shoulder), then gently turn your nose down the floor (or as I usually say to smell your armpit).  You should get a good stretch to the back side of your neck.
 

Lastly, many people asked what I am working on.  I am currently working on this.  Its the second one I’m working on (I made one for a family member for the holidays).  I love the simple elegance of their patterns, as well as the ease of just knitting and purling.

The best treatment for each individual is different, so while these are general guidelines towards some common knitting ailments they may not be the best answer for you.  There are also more specifics and of course additional exercises that I didn’t go into in effort to cover a variety of topics.  If you are having persistent issues, and especially if any of these make your symptoms worse, you should stop and check in with a health care provider.  Otherwise feel free to email me for more info. Hope these help... and happy knitting!

Lindsay has helped me a ton, actually. She has reminded me to see my doctor and I will be sure to see him. Who knew knitting would do this to me? After running seven miles, five days a week (for years) I ended up with major hip problems and now I can no longer run. Running was the love of my life, really, it was. (Except for a certain guy I know.) But seriously, if you love to knit, and I know you all do, take care of yourselves.

Oh, and the winner of a signed copy of Custom Knits Accessories is Colleen C. I just sent you a message!

And to Think I Thought Knitting Yoga was a Joke . . . Q & A and a Giveaway!

Gosh, it has been years, and I think I blogged about it way back, but I went to this breast cancer awareness knitting event and met up with other bloggers and I was wearing a tank top that said "gin and tonic" (because, eh, why not? Right?) and this dude at one of the booths looked at me and said, "Hey, which one is gin and which one is tonic? Heh heh." 

But what really stood out in my mind about this particular event was that the organizers brought in these yoga instructors and led the crowd with several minutes of "Knitting Yoga." Yes, folks, "Knitting . . . Yoga."

I thought the whole thing was ridiculous.

But I was a newbie. A knitting injury? Yeah, right. 

Fast forward to today. I have so many injuries, that there are days I can barely function. My right arm falls asleep when I lay down. Sometimes the shooting pains in my pinky and ring fingers are so excrutiating I can't even lift a coffee mug to my mouth without dropping it. And it gets even worse: There are weekends I can't grip a tonic bottle cap firmly enough to open it. 

So the other day Lindsay Haas, a physical therapist in San Francisco, who happens to be a knitter and who reads Knit and Tonic wrote me asking if I'd direct my readers to a (really good) article she wrote about knitting ergonomics, I thought, heck yeah. I also thought I'd ask her about a few of my troubles and see if she had some solutions. 

I also thought that I'd invite you to, in the comments area, to write a question of your own and we'll select some and feature them here on Knit and Tonic for all to see. I will also give away a copy of my latest book, Custom Knits Accessories to a random participant. The winning name will be randomly selected on February 13th.

Here are my questions and her responses. Hopefully, by reading through these, you'll prevent some of the crazy injuries from which I now suffer. And remember, leave a question for Lindsay of your own in the comments and when you do, you'll automatically be entered to win a free copy of Custom Knits Accessories.

W: Sometimes I absolutely have to produce samples in a short period of time which means I might knit every day, many hours at a time, for months. I am right-handed, I knit continentally (with both hands) and lately my right pinky finger goes numb and/or I have nerve pain that shoots up my forearm from my pinky.

L: Understandably you can't always control the amount of work that you need to get done.  What’s important is to take breaks. I recommend when knitting is to take a short break every 15 minutes to relax your hands for around 90 seconds, and to get up every hour for five minutes to stretch your legs and back. 

When faced with specific symptoms like yours, I recommend taking breaks even more frequently. Numbness, tingling, and shooting pains are not symptoms to take lightly!  If you are experiencing these you should check in with your doctor or physical therapist. For my patients who get those types of symptoms, I recommend logging how long you can knit before the symptoms start. You may need to set a timer for right before your symptoms start and take a break (for example if your hand gets tingly after 13 minutes, take a break after 12.) Realize that resting does not have to take a lot of time, and it can also help keep you focused and more productive when you are knitting. 

W: Similar to my last question, I have noticed that my entire right arm goes numb when I sleep--even if I'm just sleeping on my back. It wakes me up at night.

L: When the symptoms you get while knitting begin to translate into other activities you do (such as sleeping) it is another indicator that you should seek medical help. To help prevent the development of symptoms, there are specific stretches and exercises that you can do to keep everything in balance. One of my favorites is using a foam roller to target stretching and massaging the upper back. Specifically 'rolling' perpendicular to the spine from the shoulders to about your bra line can help relieve pressure from sitting and open up the chest. Neck stretches as well as wrist stretches can help undo all of the chronic posturing you find yourself in after long periods of knitting.

In terms of strengthening, hand and forearm muscle endurance plays a big part. Also important is your shoulder and upper back strength. Trying to squeeze an imaginary pencil between your shoulder blades while sitting up straight will strengthen some of the postural muscles. Exercises such as kneeling on hands and knees and alternating lifting one arm out to the side will also help strengthen the neck and upper back muscles. 

I've read your article and you state that my feet should be on the floor while I knit. I have a plush rocking chair and I put my feet up on an ottoman. Is this posture thing so important that I can get away with continuing to knit this way?

Being comfortable when you knit is very important. Unfortunately being comfortable frequently seems to result in putting our bodies in bad positions. If you are sitting in a plush rocking chair with your feet up on an ottoman it is likely that your lower back will become more rounded and you will find yourself sitting more on your tailbone than your sits bones. This encourages a more slumped position, causing your shoulders to hunch forward and your head to tilt forward more. When we are in this position it takes more work for our muscles to hold us in place. It also puts more tension on the nerves in our neck and back, which can be a trigger for getting shooting pain, numbness and tingling. Just as with taking breaks, changing your position as you knit can keep your body from acclimating and relaxing too much into bad posture.  Many people benefit from putting a small pillow or rolled up towel behind their lower back, which helps shift your pelvis forward and automatically helps you sit up. And yes, ideally your feet should be on the floor. Watch the position of your knees, they should not be higher than your hips when you are sitting.  Your chair can be cushioned and comfortable, you just shouldn’t get swallowed up by it! 

*Remember to leave a question in comments for a chance to receive a copy of Custom Knits Accessories.*

BTW: I think I'll have to make an appointment to see a doctor. I'll email Lindsay to ask her which type. Oy.