Keep Your Arms, Hands and Wrists Happy in the New Year

If you’re like me, you’ve probably started a new knitting project or two with great enthusiasm in the past couple of days. Or maybe you’re just planning to knit more in the new year. Either way, you need to be mindful of what all the sitting and knitting is doing to your body, and if you have repetitive strain injuries like I do you really need to stretch and rest often. (This is one of my resolutions this year, since I’m going to be doing a lot of knitting for my next book.)

Knitting Daily has been thinking about this, too, and recently published some tips for stretching the fingers, wrists, head and neck (originally from a 2012 issue of Interweave Knits) that are really helpful.

Perusing Pinterest I found a few videos from Mala Yoga studio in Brooklyn, which include a wrist stretch using the wall and a quick stretch to repeat that works the arms, wrists and hands. There’s also one for a supported fish pose you can do in your chair that’s great for people who tend to hunch over their knitting (or their computer).

I also like these tips on yoga for carpal tunnel from my About colleague Ann. They remind you to be mindful of your wrists while building strength.

Doy you ever stretch before, during or after knitting? I’d love to hear the moves you use.

[Photo via Knitting Daily.]

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply