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:

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

Next Pattern:

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