Like many things in life, holding on too tightly when crocheting can cause you more difficulty than loosening up.<\/p>\n
Your hand is an amazing construct and understanding the mechanism of your grip can help you find the perfect one.\u00a0 Barring any injuries or surgeries that have changed the usual configuration, our hands have approximately 23 joints and 27 bones. The difference in number of joints and bones between individuals is caused by the sesamoid bones, tiny little bones that develop within the tendons depending on how we use our hands and on our personal genetics. <\/p>\n
These joints include the marvelous saddle joint of our thumbs which allows that digit to move in opposition to our fingers, distinguishing us from many of the other creatures we share our earth with.<\/p>\n
Our thumb is the only digit of the hand that actually has most of its operating muscles in the hand itself.\u00a0 In contrast, the fingers are primarily moved by muscles in our forearms.\u00a0 That\u2019s why pain in or injury to your arms can affect your grip strength and coordination of your hand movements.<\/p>\n
Much of the pain in crocheting comes from either holding our hook with a \u201cdeath grip\u201d or tensioning our yarn too tightly with the opposite hand.\u00a0 The stress that eventually builds in our hands and forearms can lead to discomfort in our necks and shoulders.<\/p>\n
Too tight a grip can also result in tight stitches. Although there are forms of crochet that benefit from tight stitch work, in most cases it will not produce a fabric that you will be happy with. Kevlar is great stuff, but it\u2019s not that comfortable for a snuggly sweater or warm hat.<\/p>\n
Smaller hooks can allow you to make snug stitches when needed without causing injury to your hands. Try playing with your gauge by swatching to see where the match between hook size, desired gauge and hand comfort is for you.\u00a0 Experimenting with various ways of holding your hook can also give you options if you run into hand pain.<\/p>\n
Whether you prefer a knife or pencil hold for your hook there are some general rules about choosing the best hook for hand health:<\/p>\n
The search for the perfect hook can be a bit like the search for the perfect mate.\u00a0 You may have to try a number of different ones before one you find a good match. Unlike your lifemate though, if you find a hook you sort of like but the handle isn\u2019t ideal you can always modify it.\u00a0 Next issue, I will give you examples and ideas of how to modify your hook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Like many things in life, holding on too tightly when crocheting can cause you more difficulty than loosening up. Your hand is an amazing construct and understanding the mechanism of your grip can help you find the perfect one.\u00a0 Barring…
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