Many crafters, crocheters, knitters and so forth know this: We’re working happily for hours, but when we (have to? ;-)) finish, we feel pain: in the neck, in the shoulders, in the elbow, in the wrists and perhaps in the hips.
Once I read an article from a crocheter, where she said, that she had to work the whole day long (about 10 hours a day if I remember right). She then discussed different ointments that she had tried over the time.
I must say that I was shocked: Such pain is a real drawback on life quality, but there must be a way without drugs and pharmaceuticals.
Later I got those pains myself and I had to figure out, what I want to do against.
After a certain research about RSI (see also links below) I found a way which sounds way too easy and trivial, but which works for me.
And which is one of the most difficult things to do for me, too ;-))
I just take my kitchen timer and set the clock to 15 minutes.
Every 15 minutes, when the alarm goes, I go up from my chair, stretch thoroughly, sit back again and continue (this takes me less than 10 seconds!).
That is the easy part.
The difficult part is for me to really do it!
And not to say: ‘Just this little row and then…’
Often I forget to set the timer to the next 15 minutes as well.
And it is always a disruption. If I’m crocheting, I have to put he hook and the yarn besides. If I’m sitting at my computer, I have to take my hands from the keyboard (although not my thoughts from the subject!).
I don’t like to be disrupted!
But if I follow my line, I can crochet for hours without any pain at all (I tried it).
Just give it a try if you have problems and tell me then, how it works for you.
I consider making a 30-days-trial from it.
This is a way to approach changes in your behaviour. Sometimes one wants to change something, but it doesn’t work. With the 30-days-trial you give yourself a time to test your new behaviour and then to decide: ‘Yes, that’s it.’ or ‘No, I made a mistake by thinking, that I want this.’
I did another 30-days-trial which helped me to change a habit, but it took me three 30-days-trials until I was sure ;-)
Links:
30 Days To Success
About RSI:
I found the website RSIRescue.com- Repetitive Strain Injury. They have lots of material, hints and tips and help for those who suffer from pain from repetitive strain, not only from the computer keyboard.
First check ‘Our Theory in a Nutshell’ in the left navigational bar. Although they’re talking about ‘How Computer Users Get RSI’ I know from my own experience that the problems of crocheters are similar.
Check also ‘Resources’ in the left navigational bar and then ‘Educational RSI Brochure’, where everything is explained very shortly.
Best, if you check all pages ;-))
It helped me a lot to understand where my problems come from and gave me an idea how to prevent further pain.
Therefore I figured out how to make my own Kumihimo beads.
What to do:
The Kumihimo beads are from fabric and can be stitched however you want. On this photo I surrounded my Kumihimo bead by seed beads and made a kind of