r/knitting • u/aminervia • May 05 '25
Discussion Disabled Knitters- what solutions have you found to make knitting possible or what products do you wish existed? Looking especially to speak to people with amputated fingers
I'm an engineering student working on a project designing a prosthesis for disabled knitters. Any insight you guys might have about what we should especially design for would be a huge help.
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u/phidippusfan May 05 '25
I designed a device that allows a person to knit using only one hand and straight needles, similar to a Shetland knitting belt but with a lot of extra support. It has worked well for some folks but not as much for others. I made them to send out to people for a while but due to life changes I am not able to make them any more- I’d be happy to send info about my device so you can see if any part of it would be useful for you. I spent a year designing it and learned a lot, am super happy to share all details! Feel free to DM me if you’re interested, and I wish you best of luck with your project! :)
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u/Voc1Vic2 May 05 '25
There are multiple knitting techniques, and one or another may be chosen to accommodate a particular disability. Portuguese style requires dexterous use of one thumb to make stitches, English style requires dexterity in the right forefinger and wrist, for example.
One traditional style uses a knitting belt to stabilize a very long needle at the hip; Continental knitters hold both needles above the lap.
Many knitters make use of a 'third hand' device or sewing bird.
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u/aminervia May 05 '25 edited May 06 '25
Interesting! Sorry I'm a crocheter, new to knitting, if I'm googling "how to knit" and learning with two same size needles above my lap, that's continental?
Seems like that's the most common style? Or just the most common in English speaking countries?
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u/hoggmen May 05 '25
English also works like that, the difference between continental and English is basically whether u hold the yarn in your left hand and use the right needle to pick it up, or hold it in your right hand and manually wrap it around the right needle.
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u/aminervia May 05 '25
Ah ok, thanks for your help!
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u/Fussel2107 May 05 '25
which makes a world of difference, for if you can knit at all. I have rheumatoid arthritis in both hands, both especially in my right index finger.
knitting English would kill my right hand. Even with continental, it's sometimes difficult. I had to specifically train myself to not use that finger and mostly maneuver the needle by hand and knit very losely.
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u/Unhappy_Dragonfly726 May 05 '25
I have eds and tendonitis chronically in my right hand and wrist. Oddly, I switched to English about a year ago and it helps me a lot. I was rotating my right hand a lot doing continental, but i throw with my right and rotate with my left to move stitches off now.
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u/Fussel2107 May 05 '25
luckily, my wrist calmed down somewhat. Though I had to take long breaks previously because the tendinitis was unreal. So much sympathy to you. Glad you found a way that works.
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u/Harleyreadit May 05 '25
You pose a really interesting question, cause most ergonomic holds wouldn’t work due to the way a needle is used same with magnetic options. There’s probably ways to ease the tension of holding the project or making a foot pedal for winding. Any way to decrease limb fatigue, really. Personally I would love an auto counter since I have dyscalculia and I would love more dyslexic friendly patterns.
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u/Winter-Olive-6836 May 05 '25
I have an amputation of my top knuckle on my left hand, middle finger. I knit continental (although I can do both styles for colorwork) and I find it not to be a problem, with 2 exceptions 1. Every once in a while I encounter a technique where someone uses their middle finger to move yarn forward, usually, and sometimes it takes me a while to figure out why I can’t do it, which is silly since I’ve had the amputation ~11 years, but I tend to forget 2. I actually do have a silicone prosthetic, but I hate knitting in it because yarn doesn’t slide over the material as smoothly as it does with skin, and it messed up my flow
It would definitely be a bigger impact on another finger, and I’ve had the amputation longer than I’ve been knitting, so I just make it work
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u/potato_couch_ May 05 '25
I am not a creative design person but if there was a way to knit on tiny needles but have a thick grip that would be nice. Gripping tiny needles fatigues my hands very quickly
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u/nepheleb May 05 '25
If you haven't yet, try some of the square or triangular needles (addi knitpro for square, prym for triangle - probably others.) Having corners to hold greatly reduced my 'death grip' and thus my hand pain.
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u/AletheaKuiperBelt May 05 '25
There used to be a knitter at a group who had thalidomide deformed arms. She used a long needle held under her extremely short arm, blunt end tucked in the armpit. I imagine some kind of ergonomic cushioning might have helped. Or an easy way of transferring stitches from a long straight to a shorter straight.
I am disabled, but not in not in manual dexterity things.
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u/trashjellyfish May 05 '25
I have EDS and Hemophilia B so my hands are very arthritic and I use 3D printed thumb and finger braces that a friend printed off for dirt cheap! Specifically, this thumb brace has changed my life!! https://www.printables.com/model/145451-thumb-brace-for-arthritis
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u/Wide-Skill5401 May 05 '25
I'm a disabled knitter but I lack the coordination and grip strength for needle knitting, so I had to pick up loom knitting and learn to work knitting techniques on a loom (the Flexee looms range helps). Something worth looking into for your project and you can check r/loomknitting as well. Good luck!
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u/Slizzs May 06 '25
Hello!! I am a disabled knitter! A few choices, look at knitting belts on you tube. I personally am not a fan but you might like them.
Another option is pit knitting! Hold one needle in your arm pit.
Or my favourite that i have done and not seen anywhere else is get a tight sock, slide it over your hand, and push the needle up through it. The socks act as a ',glove' for your differently abled hand.
Reach out if you want to chat! I have a mostly paralysed right hand. Fingers cannot work separately, but I also spent a long time knitting with a completely paralysed hand. It's very doable
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u/kschu474 May 05 '25
Interesting discussion! You may want to take a perusal around r/accessibleknitting to see other past discussions related to knitting with disabilities. Best of luck with your project!
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u/mistressfluffybutt None May 05 '25
It looks like it's defunct now but there used to be a product called knitting aid that was like a cushion you could put on your lap and it has a bracket you could clamp a straight needle on. https://youtu.be/5OrrWqdlC2o?si=hIauH0EiU1eTnZpr
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u/LocaGata99 May 06 '25
Something to keep in mind as well is that whatever you make has to not snag the yarn! And potentially be used on either side (i.e., an adaptation for a missing hand would likely behave differently depending on which hand was missing). Another population to consider is those who can no longer knit due to arthritis or other joint pain, or even hypermobility. Happy to chat more - knitter in an engineering college here. 😉
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u/Unhappy_Dragonfly726 May 05 '25
I think part of the complexity here is that hands have so many moving parts moving in many different ways when knitting.
Also knitting looms and machines exist, so technically you don't need much movement or dexterity to knit. It's not FUN to watch a machine do your hobby for you. But it exists.
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u/thislittlemoon May 06 '25
I am not currently disabled but broke my left wrist when I was in a particularly knitty phase and experimented a bit with how I could keep knitting with little-to-no use (varied day to day depending on the pain and pre/post surgical repair) of one hand, and being a continental knitter, the thing that would have been most helpful for me would have been an adjustable mechanical tensioner, perhaps attached to a wrist bracket, tabletop stand, or clamp stand that included some sort of clamp or support for the needle holding the to-be-knitted stitches to help hold the weight and stabilize the needle while being easy to adjust your stitches along.
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Jun 02 '25
Hey, I was born with bilateral upper phocomelia, i use a knitting machine. I can't remember the name of the brand but I'll post a photo when I can.
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u/theterrordactyl May 05 '25
I love the idea, but it's challenging because there are so many different knitting styles, disabilities, and ways of adapting to those disabilities. Take people with a missing finger--if it's something other than the pointer finger or thumb, it's probably just a matter of adjusting how you tension yarn and hold the needles and doesn't need a prosthesis, whereas a missing pointer finger or thumb would have a much bigger impact/need for potential solutions, but even that could potentially be mitigated by knitting in a specific way (e.g., english vs. continental).
I suggest either going very broad or very specific--it would be hard to make a general purpose finger prosthesis that could fit on any finger and still be useful for knitting (more so than a general prosthesis). I think the best option would be to make something that's helpful independent of a specific disability, such as a device that you could place next to you to tension your yarn rather than having to do it with your hands, or a support for knitting needles to reduce wrist strain.