For an assortment of reasons including missteps of my own, this ended up being an epic project with about 234,000 stitches. I needed to finish it on deadline. I'm very fortunate I had left June and July mostly unscheduled for 2026. I am also a fast knitter. Even for me, this was a challenge. I had to pause and think about both how to meet the deadline and how to do it without damaging my body. Here's the approach I took.
Before I start, let me insert standard disclaimer about not offering medical advice. My point is to tell you what I did not what you should do. But I also want you, dear knitter, to know that it is possible to knit a lot without pain. If knitting is causing discomfort, then please consult with the helpful medical professionals in your life such as a primary care physician, physical therapist, or licensed massage practitioner.
The first thing to do is evaluate how you knit. How much extra motion are you introducing? Are you using one hand to do everything? Does a specific joint or area move a lot more than the others? If the yarn is in your left hand (continental), is your left thumb doing a lot of work?
I'm fortunate that many years ago Carson Demers was out here in Atlanta for STITCHES South. I took his class on knitting ergonomics. I've also read his book, Knitting Comfortably. Carson has spent a lot of time watching people knit. One of the things he discovered is that the Irish cottage method of knitting works well for many people. It is both fast and easy on the body. If you've watched my videos, you know the way I knit is based on that method. Yarn is in my right hand. I flick the yarn with my index finger — other people carry the yarn differently and flick with a different finger. My hands never let go of the needles. I use my left hand needle to pull the old stitch over and off. Movements are small and shared across both hands.
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| how I knit quickly and efficiently with yarn in right hand |
If you prefer the yarn in your left hand, then the Russian way of knitting by wrapping purls clockwise may be better. The important thing is to watch what you do and evaluate it.
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| how to purl efficiently with yarn in left hand |
Also think about how you position your entire body. Again, I normally don't worry much about this. Knitting fourteen hours in one day is different from knitting for an hour or two in the evening. For my massive deadline knitting, I sat in a gamer chair. I put the armrests up not down — I did not want my elbows or forearms resting on a hard surface that might disrupt movement and blood flow. I used plenty of light, including a flood light in the ceiling and the ring light in a magnifier. I positioned the magnifier so I could sit upright. I didn't want to be curled up forward over my knitting, like Gollum coveting the One Ring. I wanted to be upright where I could easily see everything happening in the room, including feline antics. I also used a step stool to elevate my legs. The gamer chair has multiple settings. Thus, I was able to make adjustments to ensure I could sit comfortably at length.
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| a good place for knitting and stitching |
I took lots of breaks. Again, I don't normally do that if I am knitting for pleasure in the evening. I took a break every hour or two. That meant getting up, maybe getting a cup of tea, walking around, maybe stretching a bit. For awhile I was watching recorded Olympic curling matches, so taking a break every 4 or 5 ends of competition worked well.
Stretching is not something I typically worry about. I am bad about exercise and stretches. But for this epic project, I needed to pay attention to my body. Most nights I stretched out on the floor. There are different stretches you can do, so consult those nice medical people. The important thing is that if you keep a muscle group in one position — either contracted or expanded — for a long period of time, then it is good to get the muscle group into the opposite position for awhile.
Near the end of this project I scheduled two hours with a massage therapist. By that point, I had done everything except binding off. I was very happy I did not notice any signs of carpal tunnel and he did not, either. This was part of my recovery plan. I asked my body to do something strenuous — the knitting equivalent of an ultra marathon. I needed to reward my body with care, rest, and recovery.
I'm delighted to report that, to the best of my knowledge, I haven't suffered any ill effects. If you are embarking on an epic knitting quest — or perhaps racing against the holiday knitting deadline — spend a little time thinking about what you can do to limit the damage. You'll be glad when your body will continue to do what you ask of it, without objection.
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