Hey there! I did some little projects of 30-45min and my wrist felt a bit sore at the end. While I understand that me being new to thoses movements and may still be a bit crisp, I was wondering if there is some absolute don’t hold your tool or yarn like that to avoid hurting myself. For now, I use my thumb to slide the yarn on my hook and both my hands (alternate) to hold my project. I see a lot of yarn around index and project holding between thumb and middle finger and it doesn’t feel stable alenough for me. Should I try again or just de what feels comfortable (even if it’s slower)?
The biggest thing to practice at first is tension. If you are yanking the yarn tight, it will make the rest of the work on the project far more difficult and require a lot more force from your wrist. Looser tension and a more relaxed posture in general will reduce strain. But it really just comes with practice. You’ll get there if you stick with it and find your own rhythm and way to hold your yarn that works for you.
It’s good that you are thinking about your wrists. You can absolutely hurt yourself crocheting. I ended up with a shoulder injury making an afghan last year, and my right wrist gets inflamed if I don’t pace myself.
There are a lot of repetitive motions involved, so all the warnings and best practices about repetitive stress injuries apply. Some projects and yarns are harder on your hands than others (eg, amigurumi and cotton). Regardless of your technique, I think it helps to focus on being relaxed, take breaks, and stretch while working on projects. Also try to keep good posture because it’s all connected. I have a bad habit of curling up like a craft goblin… don’t do that. :)
I would play around with how you hold the yarn and the hook. Lots of people have opinions on the “right way” to crochet, but it really comes down to what will give you a good result and keep you in the hobby long term. My suggestion is see if you can get more comfortable with the movements and make a conscious effort to keep just enough tension/grip so you aren’t stressing your hands. You’ll have to experiment. Best of luck!
