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Here's a great tip: rubber finger tips from office supplies to avoid poking your finger when knitting

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wendyinwonderland

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
#4 ·
I'm not much of a knitter, but when I do try, I ofen end up poking my fingers too.
That's a clever idea .... to use those rubber fingers. I remember using them in my early working days in the office when I had to go through reams and reams of documents, counting or searching or filing or whatever .

As for clever tricks...
I recently sanded down a 'too pointy' crochet hook to a smooth rounded head .... I'm pleased as punch at the result.
 before

 after

Thanks for asking 🌼 🌼
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#7 ·
I like that idea. If I’m not being careful, my index finger will get sore from using it to push back on the needle. I know I’m not supposed to do that but it hasn’t stopped me. My needles aren’t even that pointy, but I’ve heard stories of bloody fingertips from knitting on very pointy needles.
 
#10 ·
My tip: break the habit of poking yourself with a sharp object. Self-harming is not good. When I was first using some really sharp skinny sock skewers aka knitting needles I ripped my finger tip with the needle point and I wasn't pushing on it. I put a band aid on my finger. The band aid made knitting so much harder. By the time my finger healed I had learned to keep a healthy distance between sharp pointy object and finger. No more band aid, no bloody yarn, no more problem. I realized very early on when learning to knit that a bad habit like pushing on a needle that can inflict damage is a bad idea and worked to avoid letting it become a habit.
 
#11 ·
GrumpyGramma said:
My tip: break the habit of poking yourself with a sharp object. Self-harming is not good. When I was first using some really sharp skinny sock skewers aka knitting needles I ripped my finger tip with the needle point and I wasn't pushing on it. I put a band aid on my finger. The band aid made knitting so much harder. By the time my finger healed I had learned to keep a healthy distance between sharp pointy object and finger. No more band aid, no bloody yarn, no more problem. I realized very early on when learning to knit that a bad habit like pushing on a needle that can inflict damage is a bad idea and worked to avoid letting it become a habit.
Click to expand...
When I was a novice knitter, I used to push the needle point with my index finger. It got quite sore if I was using sharp pointed needles when knitting lace. It was a bad habit I needed to break and figured out a better way. Pain is a great motivator when you need to change a bad habit. Instead, I rest the needle tip parallel to and resting on the side of my index finger which I use to slide the needle point off as I knit the stitch off the LH needle. I hope this makes sense. It just takes a bit of practice to get used to it.
 
#12 ·
Years ago, on the KnitList, someone offered the solution I use when a fingertip becomes sore. Instead of pushing with the tip of a finger, let the point of the needle rest between that fingertip and the needle it’s holding, and then push. No punctured fingertip, and knitting proceeds painlessly.

For me, never pushing the lefthand tip into the upcoming stitches isn’t an option. I’m happy for those who’re able to knit without doing that.
GrumpyGramma said:
My tip: break the habit of poking yourself with a sharp object. Self-harming is not good. When I was first using some really sharp skinny sock skewers aka knitting needles I ripped my finger tip with the needle point and I wasn't pushing on it. I put a band aid on my finger. The band aid made knitting so much harder. By the time my finger healed I had learned to keep a healthy distance between sharp pointy object and finger. No more band aid, no bloody yarn, no more problem. I realized very early on when learning to knit that a bad habit like pushing on a needle that can inflict damage is a bad idea and worked to avoid letting it become a habit.
Click to expand...
You’re wiser than I. Kudos!!
 
#13 ·
If you have a Dollar Tree near you, they have pink smooth protectors in the craft section for $1.25. You get several pair. Haven't used the ones from office supply, but I would think the nubs might get caught on the yarn. So if they in fact do, Dollar Tree has a solution.
 
#14 ·
Cure yourself, you need to change the way you knit, you're doing it wrong? I call BS!

Some of us use needles that are very sharp and not all of us knit the same way.
I use a leather thimble when using 000 to 00000000 needles with no apologies.
 
#15 ·
I think when it comes to sharp needles (my favorite for most projects) then people need to find out what works best for them. Be it rubber tip or alterring the way they're knitting. I tried protecting my finger with a grip but that made knitting more cumbersome for me so I opted to conciously change how I was using my index finger. It too was slow going at first but now I no longer use my index finger the way I once did and no more sore finger. The joys of knitting is sometimes just finding out what works best for YOU and sharing it in case it might work for another. Thanks for sharing!
 
#16 ·
Jessica-Jean said:
Years ago, on the KnitList, someone offered the solution I use when a fingertip becomes sore. Instead of pushing with the tip of a finger, let the point of the needle rest between that fingertip and the needle it’s holding, and then push. No punctured fingertip, and knitting proceeds painlessly.

For me, never pushing the lefthand tip into the upcoming stitches isn’t an option. I’m happy for those who’re able to knit without doing that.
You’re wiser than I. Kudos!!
Click to expand...
I can't say I never use my fingertip on the tip of a needle but only if it's not sharp enough to cause pain or injury. Ripping my finger open with a very pointy needle was my real wake up about handling needles safely. I'm not sure if I needed to get blood out the yarn that time or not. I hadn't developed the habit of always doing the poke my finger thing so not doing it wasn't that difficult. I suppose if I really watched what I do when I'm knitting I might say how I move the stitches on the needle without poking myself every time but it's just how I do it and don't really think about it. Anything on my hands or fingers when I'm knitting really is a problem for me so that band aid had to go and never come back because I was knitting carelessly.
 
#18 · (Edited)
It depends on the way you knit. We often get hand, wrist and joint pain as we age, but we shouldn't cause self inflicted pain while knitting. Do what you can to change the way you knit according to how you knit. If you can't do that then use whatever notion or gadget helps you knit comfortably. As I always say, different strokes for different folks!
 
#20 ·
spins2knit said:
Cure yourself, you need to change the way you knit, you're doing it wrong? I call BS!

Some of us use needles that are very sharp and not all of us knit the same way.
I use a leather thimble when using 000 to 00000000 needles with no apologies.
Click to expand...
I don't use any finer than 0000 BUT I did have a set of size 7 cubic dpns that were so sharp that I cut them in half and turned them into darts! When I first opened the packaging one fell out and gouged my leg on its way to the floor.
As long as a knitter is achieving the result they want they are doing it CORRECTLY!!!
 
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Jessica-Jean
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