I taught myself to knit as a teenager & had terrible hand position - “thrower” with the right hand & very slow. I basically gave it up & bacame a crocheter, but always loved the look of knitted projects. Recently, I’ve picked it up again & started working on “flicking” & my speed has at least doubled, maybe tripled ... in knit stitch. The purl stitch is still very awkward & that is what is causing tension in my right hand (plus hours of knitting rather than taking a rest!). The mitts have K2 P2 ribbing, including 16 rows at the cuff which is a long slog & lots of purl stitches. I need to work on purl technique with a ‘swatch’ where if I drop stitches or screw up, it won’t wreck a project.
Today, I took some ibuprofen & the plan has been to knit an hour, then rest for at least 15-30 minutes. Bacon therapy gave me a rest of at least an hour. No ‘cramping’ so far today & when I get the 2nd mitt done (working on it now) for the Christmas present that is “due” this weekend, I’ll probably take a break for a couple of days. Hopefully, since this is the first time I’ve had this issue, it will resolve. I got my new needles on Saturday & I’ve pretty much been knitting non-stop since & I’ve well & truly overdone it.
Took a look at that ‘onion’ pattern - it really is beautiful & the variegated yarn makes it even prettier. I’ve saved it for future reference. Thanks & Happy New Year to you!
Qiviut- You and I learned to knit the same way. I never heard of flicking, so just watched a few youtubes to find out what you are talking about. Very interesting! I have been knitting the thrower way since I was 11...found my mom’s WW2 knitting needles in a drawer and got her to show me how to knit. I no longer knit on straight needles, just circulars, so that helps with wrist comfort. Improving speed would help, especially as I consider my stash and how many more productive years I have to get through it all... not to mention the fiber for spinning... agh ;)
How are things up there in Alaska? Are you on the coast or in the interior?