14 Karat Gold Fill, Glass
When I learned to knit all I thought about was the usual- blankets, booties and maybe a sweater. I learned about yarn, and the proper way to knit without injury and happily knit several dozen scarves, sweaters and baby blankets. Then I heard the siren call of metal, and before I knew it, I was knitting wire instead.
14 Karat Gold Fill knit cuff with Tourmaline
It was certainly quite a change from knitting yarn, but the intricate textures and surprising drape of the resulting jewelry had me hooked. Unfortunately, it is extremely easy to injure one’s self while knitting wire, and after knitting 4 bracelets in the course of one week, I wound up with a repetitive stress injury that prevented me from working for three months. As I went through physical therapy, and restrengthened my wrists, I mentally studied the movements I had been using and researched methods of avoiding such injuries in the future.
14 Karat Gold Fill Hoop Earrings
As a result of my studies I have learned that I should only knit for 20 minutes at a time- even if I feel fine- and that if I plan to finish a bracelet in any reasonable amount of time, I should stop and thoroughly stretch my wrists every 5 minutes. I have been experimenting this week with my new techniques and thought I would share these tips, as well as my latest knit jewelry with my readers to show that even with debilitating injuries, an artist is always learning!
Argentium Silver and Blueberry Quartz
Your work is so beautiful.
I’m guessing it was the tension, in your hand, of pulling wire through stitches that caused the injury. It’s only been in recent years that I’ve noticed any aches in my hands when doing any work – scary! And a lesson in patience, to take it easy.
I’m glad you were able to recover & keep at it.
Thanks, Tammy. Actually, the injuries occurred in my left, non-dominant hand. It seems to be most stressful to “pinch” hold the body of knitting still against the movements of my knitting actions. I have had minor injuries from pulling the stitches through, but that was due to using an incorrect wire gauge. A large part of my problems are also due to the fact that I once broke my left wrist, and it seems to be prone to new injury. One therapist explained that not only am I working against the way my wrist joint is designed to work, but the joints themselves are also “gummed up” with scar tissue. Of course, in my line of work, my hands, wrists and shoulders take quite a beating, but I love the metal so much I simply have to continue to work. I would probably still work the material if I had to use my teeth! 🙂