FEATURE

Craft
WITH CAUTION
BY KRISTEN RASK

A few preventative steps can help ward off injury.

Most of us have experienced “the zone.” We’re deep into knitting, sewing, or otherwise creating our masterpiece, and nothing will stop us from forging ahead. We don’t hear the phone ringing! We don’t have time to go to the bathroom! And that’s why we love our craft: it allows us to block out the world.

But although it’s meant to relax us, crafting can start to take a toll on our bodies. If we don’t take the necessary precautions, we can suddenly find ourselves in serious pain. But here’s the good news: making small changes to your crafting routine and to your tools can prevent a lot of unnecessary suffering.

After consulting a few avid crafters, we’ve compiled a list of tips to help you help yourself. Some of these may sound intuitive, but unless you take heed, you won’t reap the benefits.

1.RE FASHION YOUR TOOLS Working for hours at a time with small tools will invariably wreak havoc on your hands, wrists, and arms. Avoid tendonitis at all costs, warns Susie Ghahremani, a San Diego-based artist who creates small-scale paintings and crafts. After years of working with narrow tools, Ghahremani sought professional help from an occupational therapist who is helping to retrain her muscles. To avoid further damage, Ghahremani wrapped sports grip tape around her brushes to add width, making them easier to hold.

Likewise, Seattle-based needle-felter Moxie, who suffers from arthritis, has developed her own ergonomic needle-felting tools, which she sells on her site by special request. You’ll find a litany of websites selling ergonomic crafting tools that offer a wider range of motion.

2.WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR Crafters who work with felt, like Seattle-based Candi Hibert, may notice tightness in their chests, watery eyes, itchy skin, and allergies. “After working with wool felt for the past couple of years, I’ve noticed just recently that I’ve become extra sensitive to the material,” she says. “After hours of sewing, my eyes get red and irritated, I get wheezy, and I get an itchy, bumpy rash on my face and arms.”

To prevent these symptoms, Hibert started wearing a dust mask to protect herself from fibers floating throughout her studio. And to avoid getting tiny wool fibers stuck to her eyelashes, she’s switched to wearing her prescription eyeglasses instead of her contact lenses.

“This way, my eyes are protected, and I don’t end the night looking like I had a hard night of partying,” she says.