Knitting? I can do that?

November 21, 2014 8:21 PM

Can I learn to knit or crochet with fine motor deficits?

I have a slight, from birth, nonprogressive tremor. I can do most things fine, though I do need to be more cautious when slicing and dicing vegetables. It is noticeable enough when people meet me they think I am nervous (only hand tremors) and my writing isn't very legible.

I would like to learn to knit or crochet. Is it possible and will one be easier than the other?

posted by Aranquis to Media & Arts (15 answers total)

I don't know if it will be possible for you, but it certainly seems likely you can do it.

Crochet is sometimes easier to get a handle on because there's only one live stitch at a time, but it also relies somewhat more with how you move your hands to keep the gauge even, so it might be more difficult to get it to seem right. It also requires a little aim to get your hook through the right stitch, which might be harder.

Knitting has a lot more opportunity to make mistakes and have things go horribly wrong because of the number of live stitches at the time, but the actual actions are simpler and the tension can be a bit easier to regulate based on the size of the needle.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:42 PM on November 21, 2014

I am a knitter (have been much more serious in the past than recently), and I have no experience with physical differences in knitting, except that once I knit a vest while I had a broken elbow casted down to the wrist. So I am a firm believer that you do what you can, however it happens.

The nice thing about knitting and crochet is that they're very forgiving. With most yarns, you can pick stitches apart and redo things over and over. Plus it's pretty cheap to get started; if you want to test it out without laying out a whole bunch of money, you can do so for about 10 bucks at your local cheapo craft store.

So I don't know how much a tremor would affect your ability to work, but it wouldn't take much for you to figure it out based on your own abilities. And if you go to your Local Yarn Store, or LYS (generally selling nicer, kinda indie yarn and stuff), I guarantee that someone there will help you learn.

There are a few different ways to knit: English or Continental (or Combined), sometimes referred to as "picking" (creating a stitch by twirling the needle around the working yarn) or "throwing" (creating a stitch by twirling the yarn around the needle). Whatever method works for you is best; there's no wrong way to do it.

Either way, you'll have to stick one needle (or a hook) into an existing stitch. If you struggle to touch specific points together, like writing on a specific line (regardless of legibility), maybe this will be more difficult for you. But it's worth trying. Your LYS will likely have some stray balls of yarn lying around, too.

Like any beginning knitter or crocheter, you should start with a medium (worsted) weight yarn that is smooth. The most common cheapo yarn is Red Heart or Lion Brand Wool-Ease, but they're mostly acrylic and don't have a ton of give. I think it's easier to work with 100% wool, so look for Lion Wool or Patons or something or other. Cascade 220 at the LYS.

So go for it! And if you have trouble doing it, no worries. People will probably be really encouraging of you no matter what, because that's just what knitters are like.
posted by Madamina at 8:45 PM on November 21, 2014 [2 favorites]

I don't knit but I crochet up a storm. I would say that crochet can definitely be done with a tremor (I know two people who crochet with medical issues that cause intermittent tremor and coordination problems), although you might need to be more careful with your choice of material. Stick to chunkier weight yarn, because you need to poke through the loops of previous stitches pretty precisely and a fatter yarn will yield bigger loops, and be much more forgiving in terms of how even your stitches need to be for uniform texture.

A lot of crochet is maintaining an even tension with one hand while using the hook with your other hand, which I can see being a problem for you. But because there are so many techniques for holding yarn, you can probably find one that works okay for you. (Or make up your own!)

Crochet works up faster than knitting, although it also uses more yarn over all. Once you're a little familiar with how it should look, it's fast to recognize if you've made a mistake and pull out your work to that point - knitters I know will mess up a count and thirty rows later be very off-pattern. That doesn't seem to happen nearly as much in crochet. But because you'll be working a lot slower, you might find crochet more repetitive.

Luckily it's not a very big investment. Buy crochet hooks with big handles, and some worsted weight yarn in a color you love. Look on Ravelry for a really simple pattern. I suggest this infinity cowl, which is just rows of double crochet.

The hardest part for you might be sewing things with a tapestry needle. Buy a needle threader doohicky, definitely. If you get into granny squares or other motifs, look into ways to minimize ends that need sewing in.
posted by Mizu at 8:48 PM on November 21, 2014 [5 favorites]

I spent nearly a decade crocheting despite some pretty severe carpal tunnel that meant my hands were weak and shaky, often to the "i can't sign my name" level. While it took a while to regain the stamina for crocheting lost in the last (worst) couple years before surgery, I did get there. I always found it much each to crochet. Yes, I had to guide the hook, but the tension for the piece was determined by how I held the fabric as a whole in my other hand, making it much less dependent on steadiness.

That said, I've seen pretty shaky elderly ladies and men both knit and crochet... so I think either is DO-able. I'd just warn - don't give up too early because you confuse the early "learning" and gauge troubles that pretty much every new knitter and crocheter has with "I can't do this because of issue"... because we all had those, and it takes varying amounts of time to get past them.
posted by stormyteal at 8:56 PM on November 21, 2014

Yes! You can do either with a tremor! Crochet would probably be better. I prefer crochet because of the freedom in design. I find that I have to be more steady with knitting but that could be because I dislike knitting so very, very much.
posted by myselfasme at 10:00 PM on November 21, 2014

I know a woman who has one arm and knits expertly. It can be done.

You might like to look into a knitting sheath or belt, which will stabilise one needle while you move the other one.

Another option is to use a long straight needle, hold it upright between your knees, and use that as your lefthand (assuming you're right-handed) needle.

In this case especially, I recommend finding a knitting teacher who can work with you for a few hours until you get the hang of it. An experienced teacher will know how to work around the tremor.
posted by third word on a random page at 10:12 PM on November 21, 2014

You could crochet. Look into Q-hook projects -- big hook, works up quickly. Even if you just learn the single crochet stitch, you can make a quick blanket by holding three strands of yarn together. It looks impressive but is not hard to do at all. Since the project is so chunky, it's easy to see where to place the hook for the next stitch.

You could also look into sewing -- many modern sewing machines have one single button instead of a foot pedal! If you can slice a pizza, you can cut fabric with a rotary cutter.
posted by Ostara at 10:59 PM on November 21, 2014

I have been a knitting teacher. I have seen people with all sorts of physical difficulties learn to knit.

There are blind knitters.

What you need is patience, just like every other person learning a new craft.

I'd send you a link to the Ira Glass quote about creativity but I'm on my phone and it's really early.
posted by bilabial at 3:14 AM on November 22, 2014

Totally do-able. I would also suggest starting with crochet. Crochet will teach you to manage the tension in the yarn with your left hand, which will allow you to slide right into Continental knitting, which is far easier IMO. (Also, for managing tension, you can wrap the yarn around a finger and let friction to the work.)

I actually find big-ass hooks like Q hooks harder for me to use, so I'd look around the craft store at different sized hooks and see what feels comfortable in your hand. It may be the Q hook, but it might be something smaller. Start there.

A teacher would probably help, but I don't think you'd need a special teacher or anything. Everyone has different challenges when learning to knit or crochet. I've taught multiple people to crochet -- the one who took the longest to learn was a life-long crafter with no special challenges, while the one who picked it up fastest had zero crafting background and hadn't seen yarn before that day. It's impossible to predict if it'll be hard to learn -- but I haven't seen anyone who couldn't learn the basics after a few hours.

If you move to knitting, I highly second the knitting belt. (You don't even need a belt to use the technique, though. I generally just stabilized the needles against my body, no big.)

One caution, since I see someone mentioned sewing and rotary cutters above -- I would be very cautious about rotary cutters, and if you do decide to use one, buy Kevlar gloves. (I had a tremor temporarily due to a medical condition, and let's just say using the rotary cutter with a tremor did not end well for me that day.)
posted by pie ninja at 4:49 AM on November 22, 2014

Go for it!
You might want to be careful in your yarn choice. Some tend to split more easily than others. A good firm yarn will be easier to start with. It is too easy to put your needle right through a yarn that is loose and slippery, but the hook will slide around something more tightly wound.
Also, counting stitches is very important, so use something light colored to start as that is easier to see. And no cutesy fuzzy "fun" yarns for your first project-they'll put you blind. I came across some young women in a yarn department buying a beginners knitting book, needles, and fuzzy black yarn to teach themselves to knit one day and just wanted to cry for the poor things. (They had a very know-it-all tone to them or I would have spoken up, trust me)
I don't like the look of the traditional variegated yarns but the color changes help when you are learning to count stitches. There are a lot of yarns now that have more subtle color changes that may be useful when starting out.

Good luck to you, and have fun!
posted by SLC Mom at 8:48 AM on November 22, 2014

Yes, you can do both--especially with a little patience. I actually think knitting would be easier. Use wooden (bamboo! cheap!) needles so they "hold" the yarn better and you shouldn't have too many problems with dropped stitches. It's just so much easier to put a knitting needle in the right spot as compared to crochet, and it's also easier to get an even gauge. Not-genius people can learn to knit without looking because it's easier to put the needle in the right spot, crocheting without looking is much harder.
posted by anaelith at 9:13 AM on November 22, 2014

Benign Essential Tremor? Me too! You can totally do it. One of the things I like about knitting, crocheting, and embroidery is that you don't have to complete the stitch until you're sure you've got it right. If you make several false starts because your tremor is making your aim bad, you just back out and try again. (Unlike drawing or painting where -- dammit! now there's paint in the wrong place!)

Some more complicated stitches where tension matters a lot may be more difficult, or very tight or small stitches with small thread may be harder, but you have to work up to those anyway, and you can do a lot of stuff with chunky yarns and simple stitches!

I have learned, over time, how to compensate for my tremor when embroidering (which I do better than knitting), bracing my elbow in the arm of the chair, using my left hand to help guide my right so the needle hits the right spot on the first try more often, etc. You will too! (With knitting I'm not as good at it and I'm just more like, "eh, if it takes me six tries to get this in the right way, it takes me six tries ..." and I'm just patient about it.)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:02 AM on November 22, 2014

Echoing that you should definitely try it. I'd recommend knitting; my carpal tunnel does not like crochet--too much wrist twisting. Knitting feels more stable.

Local Yarn Shops (as opposed to huge craft store conglomerates) are really great about helping knitters (& sometimes crocheters if they've got folks on staff who know how--knitting seems to be more common in LYSs). Even if you don't want to take a class with them, they're often willing to help troubleshoot or take a look at a tricky part or give advice about yarn/needles/gauge, etc. If I remember correctly, Ravelry (membership required, free to join) keeps lists of yarn shops in various places.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:02 AM on November 22, 2014

I wonder if it might be easier to learn to knit the Continental method--AKA picking rather than throwing, since forming a stitch is more of a whole-hand motion. It's a bit more like crochet. Circular knitting projects, also, have fewer fiddly first stitches and usually less purling. Elizabeth Zimmermann (see Knitting without Tears, and many other books) was a notable Continental knitter.
posted by Sybil Stockwell Oop at 10:43 AM on November 22, 2014

If you were not successful with regular knitting, you could try french knitting. It is a bit limiting but still can be fun.
posted by Kitty Cornered at 11:24 AM on November 23, 2014