learning a new way to knit?

[bethie]

Hello, beginner here. A very happy excited beginner.

Last weekend I spent several hours working on my first projects, dish clothes to give my mom and MIL for mother's day. Anyhoo, by the end of the weekend I was very sore in my neck, back, and hands. I am using the needles in both hands, wrapping the yarn, using my hands and fingers a lot etc...... Some books have warned taht this "beginner" method of "fisting" the yarn can lead to repetitive stress injury.

Do I need to try to learn the continental method of knitting?

And, how long do each of you spend knitting each day or on a weekend day? Now, I am working on matching stripped cloths and am really only doing it every other day or an hour or so but still feel sore in my hands :(

Any advice?

[Teiris]

I'm a beginner too and was getting really sore. The gals here told me it was probably the way I was holding my needles etc. I would hold them really tight, and I'd tense up. I got sooo sore that I couldn't even knit the next day! So, since then, I've just been trying to relax, and whenever I notice myself getting tense, I relax myself. Also, we're not used to holding the needles and doing those movements, so we're bound to get a little sore


I don't think there'd be any reason to switch, unless you felt more comfortable doing so.

I knit when I have free time. Between work and all that, I can only get a few rows in at a time. My hands are sore too, nbut I wiggle my fingers and stretch them, and it seems to help a bit

[rebecca]

It's very common; I think that we all got sore when we began to knit or if we knit too long without a break. You are using muscles in different ways as you knit & your body has to get used to it. I highly recommend taking breaks & stretching while knitting...stetching before knitting is actually a good idea, too.
OOPS, forgot to add..I knit several hours a day :D

[Ingrid]

I think it's like any new activity. New muscle usage causes soreness, and after a while you don't get sore anymore. Make sure your body is supported and you're not hunched over or tense. Take frequent breaks and stretch your fingers. I knit English style and can go for hours without getting sore, but when I got back into knitting after years away, my hands ached at night.