Knitting Comfortably. How to Release tension while knitting.

How I taught myself to release tension while knitting, so I could knit comfortably.

Learning a new technique takes focus and concentration.  When learning a new stitch or pattern we can hold tension in our bodies that we don’t even realize. 

We learn how to stand and focus while practicing yoga.  How to observe ourselves and focus inward.  With time we begin to notice areas that we might be holding more than others.  As we become more proficient with our poses, we can find a balance between holding too much, straining, and softening our holds to allow our muscles to work without overdoing…working into the pose stronger with time.  This allows us to gain strength without injuring our bodies or going beyond the limits of our joints.  Develop strength with a softer focus and patience while concentrating softly.

Years ago, I started going to a knitting store once a week for a few hours to learn how to knit again.  I hadn’t picked up my knitting for years and wanted to learn how to knit for my kids.    I was so excited about learning how to improve my knitting skills and being with other knitters that I didn’t realize how tightly I was holding myself.  

I was focused on learning everything I could so I could knit better.  I loved learning and visiting others, but I would leave with neck and shoulder pain.  I would come home sore and unsure how to release the pain.  Since then, I’ve learned with my yoga practice how to step back and feel how I hold myself while knitting.  What areas am I holding in my body, and how tight am I gripping my needles? Yoga taught me to connect with myself and listen to my body.  

When we knit, we want to do a good job but also be comfortable.  To hold the needles and yarn we need to grip and move but we can also adjust how tight we hold and how to move without straining.

Now I teach knitters how to practice yoga.  The main thing I want them to learn is to learn how to observe themselves and open themselves to letting go so they can knit comfortably.   I want to teach them to trust in themselves and be open to the creativity they hold inside themselves. 

To knit efficiently we need to stabilize areas of our body so other parts can move to complete a task.  But when a muscle is shortened and contracted while holding a position the flow of blood to the muscle is restricted.  This causes pain and sometimes injury.  The safest positions for our bodies put the least compression on our joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerve and vascular tissues.  But….knitting can’t be done in these positions all the time.

To complete our projects, we sometimes need to move into awkward positions that cause strain on our bodies.  We need to be aware of this and try not to stay in them too long or hold them too intensely.  It is challenging to stop what we are focused on and recognize that our body needs a break.  Yoga can teach us to use the skills we learn on our mats to observe ourselves as we knit. 

Try this exercise with me as an example of how we hold ourselves as we knit….This experiment demonstrates how you can sense and feel how you hold yourself when you knit. 

Come to a comfortable sitting position in a chair. 

Let your arms rest at your side in a relaxed posture.  Now take your right hand across your chest to rest on your left shoulder.   The muscles under your hand should feel soft and relaxed.

Now move your left arm away from your side and hold it out in front of you. Grasp your hand like you do while knitting posture with your arm in front of you.  Notice how the muscle tightens under your hand and feel your shoulder tighten in your back.   This is also how we hold ourselves when we drive or work on a computer. 

Finally keeping your right hand where it is, keep your left hand in the knitting position and drop your left arm back to your side.  You should feel the muscles under the right hand relax and your shoulder loosen in the back, even though your left hand is still in the knitting position.  You just put your body back into its neutral position which is better for your body.

Let’s repeat the experiment and learn how to change how you hold and exert while in position.

Let your arms rest at your side in a relaxed posture.  Now take your right hand across your chest to rest on your left shoulder.   The muscles under your hand should feel soft and relaxed.   Now move your left arm away from your side and into your knitting posture.    Notice how the muscle tightens under your hand.  

Stay in this knitting position and let’s add some breath to learn how to release tension.  Inhale, draw your breath in through your nose, and exhale open your mouth.  Do you feel that extra level of softening in your muscles?    This technique takes time and patience.  Learning new ways to sit and adding yoga breathing while knitting can increase your level of comfort. 

While practicing yoga we begin to look at ourselves and discover our hidden tensions.  What habits are we repeating while we knit and how does this self-observation teach us how to make our knitting more comfortable? 

As knitters, we enjoy knitting so much that we continue to knit even when it’s not comfortable. Sometimes we don’t notice that we’re not comfortable until we feel pain or develop an injury……Now you have a tool, your breath and softening, to help you make your knitting more comfortable.

Want to learn more about knitting and yoga? 

Join me for my next Yoga for Knitters Course.  

Link to the waiting list.

You’ll be happy that you did when you sit down to knit your next project.

Thank you,

Pam