PURLS OF WISDOM
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I
t’s been a frustrating few months!
The Accomplished Knitter was not
impressed by my apparent over
reaction to my last project – lacy fingerless
gloves. I’d followed a pattern, worked with
ultra-fine wool and actually completed a
project, but then I put the two gloves side
by side! Despite the care I took, keeping
notes of each finished row to avoid
mistakes, I somehow managed to produce
two completely di erent gloves, which the
Accomplished Knitter found hilarious!A BRIEF RESPITE
Since then my knitting has been curtailed
due to nerve damage in my right arm and
wrist. Twisting, turning and even holding
knitting needles has been impossible for
several months, which has increased my
frustration. It’s only recently that I’ve felt
able to pick up my needles once more but
even knitting a few rows has been painful.
After some research I’ve realised that pain
in fingers, wrists and arms is a common
problem for serial knitters. After searching
on YouTube, I’ve found a wide range of
exercises and I can honestly say that
stretching, twisting and manipulating my
fingers and wrist every twenty minutes or
so is keeping the pain at bay and enabling
me to knit in short sharp bursts. Hopefully,
practising the exercises regularly will
continue to improve my condition.EXCITING EXPERIMENTS
I decided that rather than pick up a project
and be frustrated by lack of progress, I’d use
the time to experiment using di erent-sized
needles – taking things to extremes since I
had already been accused of that! I may not
be producing anything useful but it’s been
fun exploring and comparing the results.Kath Garner finds the perfect excuse to step
out of her comfort zone and try something new...Pushin th imit
by experimenting
FROM THE VERY SMALL...
I started with a variety of needles I already
had, mixing and matching sizes for di erent
results but that led me to thinking about what
else I could use. At a party bu et I spotted a
pair of unusually large cocktail sticks pinning
sandwiches together which were very quickly
pocketed! They look like mini knitting needles
and being so small, put no pressure on my
painful wrist. However after pushing the wool
over the rough surface I ended up with a
number of painful splinters in my thumb!...TO THE VERY BIG!
Bearing in mind The Accomplished Knitter’s
comment of taking things to extremes, I did
wonder what I could try next. The answer
came to me on a walk through a local wood
with my other half. Stepping over a fallen
branch and knowing that he can’t resist a
challenge, I couldn’t help but comment, “I
wonder if it would be possible to make a
pair of knitting needles from something like
that?” “Of course,” he responded, hoisting
the branch over his shoulder without another
word. Several hours later I was presented
with a pair of rather long (and very heavy)
needles, carefully carved to a point and
sanded thoroughly. Choosing a thick wool, I
cast on and found it surprisingly satisfying
as my creation grew. But the weight of the
needles put extra pressure on my wrist and I
soon found that a few rows at a time were all
that I could possibly manage! So, what have
I learnt from all this? Well, I would tell the
Accomplished Knitter that I do listen to her
every word and that taking things to extremes
can be both fun and rewarding!Got a story to tell? Share your knitting
world with us by contacting us at the
address on page 26.I’M LOVING...
Exploring and experimenting
I’m trying out unusual and di erent-sized
needles, including cocktail sticks and
needles made from a tree branch! There is
no time like the present to experiment!I’M MAKING...
Miniature knitting cards
These special makes are for my crafty
friends, inspired by a project found at a local
wool show. It’s such as simple idea, but it
makes a lovely change to a standard card.I’M SHARING...
The importance of exercise
I’m having to do finger, hand and wrist
exercises to avoid or ease annoying aches
and pains. I recommend checking out
YouTube for lots of helpful examples.