Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

How to Sit, Stand and Knit to Relieve Pain

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shoulder roll gokhale methodI have been pretty well sidelined from knitting all week after I overdid it on Monday, so it was finally time for me to watch the video that Liat Gat shared about relieving shoulder, neck and back pain for knitters.

The video features Esther Gokhale, developer of the Gokhale Method, which aims to give people posture and movement that’s more natural. She’s known as the Posture Guru of Silicon Valley and has lots of great tips for positioning your shoulders (she’s doing the shoulder roll on Liat in the picture), sitting properly, taking frequent breaks from sitting (she calls for every 15 minutes, which I don’t think many knitters will do, but it would be good for us), stretching when you stand and lengthening the neck to keep us from hunching over our work.

She sells props that help make the training process easier, but just watching the video and doing what you can with what you have might at least make you more mindful of how you sit when you knit and how long you do it.

Do you ever have pain when you knit? I’d love to hear what you do to counteract it.

[Photo via Liat Gat.]

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Free Knitted Crown Pattern for Kids and Adults: A Sweet Handmade Dress-Up Idea

There’s something wonderfully charming about a knitted crown. It’s playful, useful for the dress-up basket, and just the sort of small project that gives a leftover ball of yarn a proper purpose. Much better than letting it roll around the cupboard for another three years.

This free knitted crown pattern for kids and adults combines a simple garter-stitch band with shaped triangular points. The mustard-gold colour gives it that storybook crown look, although pink, purple or woodland green would be equally lovely.

A Manageable Next Step for Beginner Knitters

The construction is the appealing part of this design. Everything is knitted flat, so you won’t need double-pointed needles or experience joining stitches in the round.

You knit the band first, then work each crown point separately over a group of 12 stitches. Paired decreases gradually narrow each triangle, giving you a small, repeatable section to concentrate on.

I’d describe this as a confident beginner knitting project. You’ll need to know how to knit, work two types of decreases, hold unused stitches and sew a simple seam. There are several yarn tails to weave in, so a little patience with finishing will help.

Three Sizes With Room to Personalise

The pattern includes three sizes, with seven, eight or nine crown points. Choose by the wearer’s head measurement rather than age, and check your gauge carefully. Yarn stretch will make a noticeable difference to the fit.

For birthdays, an embroidered initial would be a sweet finishing touch. Contrasting yarn diamonds could suggest little jewels without adding hard embellishments.

What to Know Before Casting On

This is a soft knitted crown, so expect gentle points rather than a rigid costume accessory. A springy wool or wool-blend yarn should give the shaping more support than a very drapey yarn.

The stitch calculations have been checked, but the design has not yet been sample-knitted. The accompanying image is an illustrative mockup, so the finished texture and proportions may vary with your yarn and tension.

For a small handmade birthday accessory or a cheerful addition to the dress-up box, this is an appealing idea. And if an adult needs a matching crown for supervising the royal household, the larger size has that covered too.