During a cold snap, many of us suffer from cold hands and toes, but for someone with Raynaud’s, it can be so painful that it stops them from doing the things they love. If you suffer from Reynaud’s and are a crafter, it is miserable when you feel you can’t carry on, but there are ways of keeping your hands warm if you’re a knitter.
What is Raynaud’s?
Raynaud’s is a common syndrome which happens when blood doesn’t flow to fingers and toes properly, making it very difficult to warm them up again for a while. It isn’t serious, but can lead to pain, pins and needles and numbness. If you’re cold, stressed or anxious, your fingers may change colour, with the skin turning white or blue as blood flow is restricted and the blood vessels react.
How to treat it
One of the best ways to prevent Raynaud’s is to keep warm. Have your home at a constant warm temperature and wear warm clothing, particularly on your hands and feet, during cold weather.
It’s best to avoid sudden temperature changes and to do regular exercise to improve circulation. You can also do things to help you relax, such as yoga and breathing exercises and make sure you eat a balanced diet.
Smoking and high caffeine intake are not good for circulation and may trigger Raynaud’s symptoms.
Nimble Knitting Fingers
For knitters with Raynaud’s, their fingers are already keeping fairly warm through the regular movement of their needles, but they could consider wearing fingerless mittens or thin wrist warmers. They could also use a super chunky yarn which is cosy and warm to make themselves a range of gloves and mittens for outside. To browse a range of super chunky yarn, visit The Wool Couture Company.
Other knitters find that running their hands under warm water can help and many avoid touching cold surfaces before crafting. Some even use mittens and gloves indoors before taking anything cold out of the fridge or freezer so that they are always warm enough to knit.
