Sit Up and Get a Grip: Ergonomics for Crocheters

---

For many of us, crocheting is play, but learning about the ergonomics of crocheting can help us enjoy our craft even more. Ergonomics, derived from the two Greek words ergon, meaning “work,” and nomoi, meaning “natural laws,” is the science of finding ways to efficiently perform work comfortably and with minimal risk of injury.

One of the most important factors of ergonomics is keeping the joints of the body in neutral position. This is the natural position in which the body’s joints will rest when the muscles are relaxed and balanced. We’ll look at the best posture and lighting for crocheting.

A: Light shining over shoulder onto work and not into side of eyes
B: Relaxed angle for sight line.
C: Pillow on lap keeps weight of project off wrists and allows shoulders to be fully relaxed.
D: Feet flat on the floor or on a low footrest.
E: Wrists held in relaxed neutral position while crocheting.
F: Low-back support; if your chair doesn’t have enough support, add a pillow.
G: Elbows close to body.
H: About 90-degree angles at elbow, hip, and knee.
I: Andee Graves uses an ergonomic chair with five adjustments that allow her to change the configuration to suit that day’s tasks. If your work, like hers, calls for long periods of crocheting, you may want to consider an ergonomic chair.

In this crocheter’s corner, she has a daylight bulb in a lamp that shines over her right shoulder. She has a couple of pillows that support her back and allow a more “upright” position for her spine. When working on larger projects, she uses a pillow in her lap to reduce the weight her arms and hands are supporting.

She works with her elbows close to her waist and generally sits in a cross-legged position for long periods. This would not be ideal for everyone. When she needs to put her feet down, she uses one of the numerous boxes of yarn as a footrest.

Posture/Seating

The only rule you need about posture is “listen to your body.”

While you are sitting there having a lovely time with your hook and yarn, take a moment to check in with what your body is telling you. Pain is simply information, not the enemy, and it can help you avoid permanent injury. If you are beginning to feel uncomfortable or have twinges of pain, pay attention. Do you need to change the way you are sitting? Often small adjustments to your posture or the addition of support accessories can make a world of difference.

The ideal posture for ergonomic crochet is sitting upright with your feet on the floor or on a small footrest, shoulders relaxed, and elbows close at your side. Extending the arms outward from the side of the body while working can place strain on your elbows and wrists, as well as shorten the muscles of your shoulders. If you regularly feel like your shoulders and arms are “tight” after crocheting, try dropping your elbows.

Holding up the weight of a project while stitching can put stress on your hands, wrists, and elbows. To avoid pain, work with your project on a table or a pillow on your lap.

Lighting

Use good lighting and get your eyes checked regularly. Poor lighting or vision can adversely affect your posture, causing pain. Keep your light source where it will illuminate your work best. A lamp shining over your shoulder is better than a bright overhead light. Best of all is working by a sunny window. If you depend on a lamp for your light, look for a “daylight” bulb or treat yourself to one of the specialty lamps offered in most craft stores.

When working with dark-colored yarns, it is common to find yourself squinting, bending closer to your work, or lifting the fabric closer to your face. This causes tight muscles in your neck and shoulders and sometimes even your back. Eventually that can lead to problems in your hands, wrists, and arms. To help resolve this, place a white towel on your lap or work surface.

Get a Grip

Understanding how your grip works can help you find the most comfortable grip for you. Barring any injuries or surgeries that have changed the usual configuration, our hands have twenty-three joints and twenty-seven bones. These joints include the saddle joint of our thumb, which allows that digit to move in opposition to our fingers.

The thumb is the only digit that has most of its operating muscles in the hand itself. In contrast, the other four fingers are moved primarily by muscles in our forearms. This is why injury to your arms can affect the strength of your grip and the coordination of your hand movements.

Whatever hold you use, the tightness of your grip affects your comfort level most. The crocheters who most commonly suffer from injury and discomfort are those who have a “death grip” on their hook or tension their yarn too tightly with the opposite hand. This leads to increased stress in our hands and forearms that can mean discomfort in our necks and shoulders.

Typically, new crocheters tend to hold the hook too tightly. Even those of us who know better may find ourselves doing this when we are learning a new technique.

Tips for Better Crochet Ergonomics

There is not a single best way to hold your hook. The two most common ways are the knife (or overhand) hold and the pencil (underhand) hold. Each method affects the muscles of the arm and wrist differently.

Switching between hook holds can also help you avoid injury. Experiment with different hold styles and modifications that are comfortable for you. You may want to use different holds for different projects. For instance, projects that call for snug stitches worked with a small hook might be best worked with a knife hold. Try the knife grip with Tunisian crochet as well. Experiment with various hooks by swatching to find the best match between hook size and style, desired gauge, and hand comfort.

Related: Compare Crochet Hook Materials

One of the most important factors of crochet ergonomics is keeping the joints of the body in neutral position. This is the natural position the body’s joints will rest at when the muscles are relaxed and balanced.

Tensioning the Yarn

Keep the yarn-tensioning hand relaxed with the yarn feeding easily through the fingers. With the tensioning style shown, you will control tension with the wrap around the pinky finger. Hold your work with the third finger and thumb. Tension may change depending on the twist and fiber of the yarn, as well as the dryness and roughness of the crocheter’s skin.

The Pencil Hold

For most stitchers, using this hold means the motion of crocheting comes more from the fingers and the flexor/extensor muscles of the forearm. The best type of hook to use with this grip is flat handled or has slightly cushioned handles.

The Knife Hold

For most stitchers, using this hold means the motion of crocheting comes more from the wrist and elbow rotators. The best type of hook to use with this grip is one with either an egg-shaped handle [affiliate link] or a flat handle.

The Modified Knife Hold

This position reduces the stress on wrist, forearm, and elbow. This grip works well with most handle shapes, and it’s the hook hold I use the most. I developed it while working with my chiropractor when I had overuse problems from crocheting. The hook is with the first two fingers over the top of the handle, tip of the thumb balances the handle, end of the handle is between the second and third finger. The third and fourth finger are relaxed and providing balance under the hook handle.

Now, combine posture, lighting, and grip with gentle stretching, and you’re on your way to greatly improve your comfort level when crocheting.

Originally published 1/20/2022. Updated 1/9/2023.

---

Andee Graves is a self-confessed geek with a passion for math, medical science, art, design, and dark chocolate. You can read more about her design journey at mamas2hands.wordpress.com.

---

Learn at your own pace with Interweave Crochet Workshops!