Nine Inspired

Bye Bye Wrist Pain

5 changes I made to my crochet habits

Photo by Alexas Fotos

Quarantine = more time to crochet, yay! Well it turns out that I had a little toooo much time because I actually injured my wrist by crocheting too much. Not yay. 🙁

I know a lot of other hookers who have struggled with the same thing so I wanted to share my experience. I hope that you find it helpful to your own crocheting adventure!

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I broke up with my crochet hooks

You never forget your first crochet hooks. I’ve had mine for as long as I can remember. They’re metal hooks in bright colors. My favorite hook, the size 5 mm in the gorgeous blue color, has been used so much I’ve rubbed through the paint in patches. It was really hard to let them go. 

I wasn’t sure about my new hooks at first. New relationships can be so awkward! But now that I’ve gotten to know them I loooove my new ergonomic hooks. The wide soft grip is much easier to hold in my hand and my stitches are so nice and even!

I splurged on a yarn winder

Even thinking about rolling up a ball of yarn makes my hand cramp. It’s my second least-favorite crochet “chore” (first is weaving in ends of course!). I have even tried to pawn off this arduous task on my boyfriend and my child. Neither of them are particularly good at it, though. (Don’t tell them I said that!)

And don’t tell me to just not roll my yarn into a ball. I’m not sure how anyone manages without it. What do you do when you’re halfway through a skein and you have to frog the last 20 rows? The resulting yarn vomit tangles up faster than headphones in my pocket. It’s so much nicer to just be able to roll it back up into the ball. 

I gave my wrists some much needed TLC

Supportive wrist brace? Check. 

Lavender-scented heating pad? Check. 

A few days off from crocheting? Check. 

I’ll be honest, it was excruciating not being able to crochet for that long. And sitting still for long periods of time with a heating pad on my hands isn’t my idea of fun. But I would much rather put in the work now than to try and power through it and do irreversible damage to my hands. It was so worth it!

I set limits for myself

You probably know that people with ADHD have a hard time focusing but did you also know that some people with ADHD struggle with hyperfocusing? This is a very intense sort of concentration that leaves very little room for anything else. 

Dinner? Never heard of it. 

Bathroom break? It can wait. 

Bedtime? 5 more rows! 

As I’m sure you can imagine, this tunnel vision is the perfect disaster recipe for overdoing it and injuring yourself. Even if you don’t have ADHD I’m sure you can relate on some level. I think this feeling is especially catching when you’re nearing completion on a project. It’s so tempting to just stay up all night finishing it! 

Knowing my own limitations, I have now started setting a timer for my crochet sessions. I started with 15 minute timers and then added a few more minutes every few sessions as soon as I felt like I could handle it without reinjuring my wrist. 

I found a stretching video I love

I use the FitOn app for workouts and such (not as often as I ought to). I recently discovered a video called “Rest your Wrists” It’s only 4 minutes long which is the perfect amount of time for a quick stretch before a crochet session. I feel like it warms up my wrists and my brain because there are a couple silly exercises that remind me of that thing where you try to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time. Try it! It’s really fun.

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I hope that my little journey of self-discovery has inspired you to make some positive changes in your crochet regimen! Be kind to yourself. Listen to your body and give it what it needs to be healthy and productive. <3

Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips and tricks for easing or preventing crochet wrist pain. I love learning from all of you. 🙂

Happy Hooking! 

Love, Angela.