one-handed crochet-new here

[gracefulwingz]

Hi, I have been crocheting for about 20 yrs, but I recently was diagnosed with brain cancer and had a tumor removed and now have very limited use of left hand but full use of right and praise God I'm right handed.

 

can anyone help me figure out how to crochet using thread with use of mainly right hand only?

 

I bought a crochet aid.....of no value (to me ).

[Becky Morgan]

There was just a discussion of this over on Ravelry. A right-handed crocheter doesn't have a left hand. When she isn't wearing her prosthesis, she holds the crochet on the edge of a table with her elbow. When I've had a hand taped up (sprained wrist) I did the same thing and it worked. I was using yarn and a bigger hook, but it might work with thread. Don't give up!

[Poochie]

to the group!

[Pebbles]

Hello welcome to Crochetville.

[roundpeg]

Hello and Welcome:

 

I am interested in this post because:

I love crochet

I work in physical therapy

I have cancer, too!

 

I don't do thread crochet but I just did a swatch in yarn to study what my left hand was doing. The pain thing my left hand does is pinch to pull the yarn through.

 

It is your pincher grasp that you are having trouble with?

 

I wish you were sitting here so we could come up with a way to do this.

 

Are you seeing a physical or occupational therapist? I bet an occupational therapist could suggest an aid that would help. I will ask today when I am at work.

[Kbear]

Welcome!

I hope you feeling better. I also want to say I so happy you are looking for ways to still do the things you like.

 

Ok, here is what I thought might work, I also gave it a try.

 

Can you hold a bigger crochet hook or knitting needle?

I wraped the yarn around a bigger hook, and use my the back of my hand and leg to hold my work.

I kind of use my leg as a table to hold everything, and used the hook to hold the yarn.

I hope that might help soom.

I will keep thinking, to see if I can come up with more help.

 

Take care!!!

Hugs

[roundpeg]

Still brainstorming here, I hope you check back in and give us more info:

 

A sewing machine has tension control, if that is the problem, maybe and old broken sewing machine could be modified to sit beside you and you have adjustable tension control available.

 

If it is the pincher grasp that is a problem, I am sure there is a way to make a pincher device that is foot pedal controlled.

 

Like I said, I don't do thread, so I may be way off base.

 

Do you have OK elbow and shoulder control on your left side?

[Tampa Doll]

Hi:hi and welcome:welcome from the West Coast of Florida

[Terri/LadySorce]

Howdy from Oklahoma

Welcome to Crochetville

[crochetluvknot]

to the ville

[gracefulwingz]

My dexterity overall is very poor, great deal of "tone" in left hand. I do have tiny movement, tiny grip(that's when the tone comes in) . I did some PT but got to a certain point that I couldn't improve....I was a huge crocheter....I'm going to figure this out. I havea long story, my cancer did not start in the brain, it was endometrial, metastisis to lymph nodes renal arteries, aorta, both lungs, did yr of chemo 3 diff. drugs over two 8 hour days every 21 days.....then bam, brain pan:)....I'm a strong willed gal....WILL GET THIS FIGURED OUT!!!!! lol

[roundpeg]

Wingz:

There is something called "beer can hand" in patients with spinal cord injuries. If there tendons are allowed to tighten (shorten), then if they pull their hand back, their fingers close in. This is helpful in grasping objects, they flick their wrist back and their fingers grab the thing.

 

I am not sure this would work the same with your hypertonicity. But, having too much tone is probably better in this case than having too little.

 

Can you pull your wrist back and see if your fingers close up?

[gracefulwingz]

Yep,sure can. I have decided to try getting my grove back by using yarn to begin with. I love the thread, but have to be realistic in my goal setting. I am finding the frustraion level is reached too quickly with thread. It has been a very long-time since I used yarn, so any granny square ideas? or something that I can use functionally?

[craftconnie1]

I had a stroke and found that you have to go back to basics....squares of single crochet can become purses, market bags or even wash cloths....double crochet was harder to master.....don't be too critical on yourself,you are just beginning to learn a new way. My biggest challenge was weight, so small projects might be the way to start. I put a knitting needle,or even dowling under my challenged arm and put the yarn over it,basically an extender. I put a rubber ball on the end to keep the yarn from slipping off,hint....don't use a styrofoam ball as is snags the yarn, but a styreen ball worked but I found it had to glued on the tip....two balls side by side might work for tension but this I never tried. good luck and God bless

[roundpeg]

Wingz,

 

I like your attitude! Like Craftconnie said, it is like learning it all over again using a different technique.

 

If you know that crocheting squares of yarn will be unfulfilling for you, check out the crocheting for charity section of the board here. People are always collecting squares of various types for afghans.

 

While you are getting your "grove" back, you could be sending your squares to one of these charities and maybe that will help with the frustration level of not being able to do what you really want to be doing.

 

There is a current news story about a young man with no arms who played classical piano with his feet on China's Got Talent. It was amazing....where there is a will, there is a way.

 

Crocheting dishclothes is something that seems very popular right now, small and functional.

[roundpeg]

Wingz,

I wanted to suggest a non-crocheting activity to exercise your control over your hand movement. They may have done this with you when you were in PT. There is something called Theraputty which is like silly putty at different strengths.

 

What we do many times, is put marbles, buttons, paperclips etc in the putty and have the patient pick it out of the putty. You can do this at home using different strengths of goop. Try flour and water, make a batter and drop some stuff in there and make your fingers exercise picking it out. As you get stronger, make the goop thicker and the objects smaller.

 

I know a lady that has Parkinson's disease, she has really pronounced tremors, she can't walk. But... when she has the yarn and hook in her hand, everything smooths out and she has no tremors at all. It is pretty amazing to see. Your muscles have memory and sometimes they can recall what they are supposed to be doing when put back into that situation.

 

I also googled "one handed crochet" and found a couple of links to stories of amputees that crochet. But, I haven't found any videos that show how they do it.

 

People get cold in the chemo room, maybe you can plan on making a simple afghan to keep in the chemo room at your oncologists.

[roundpeg]

Wingz,

 

I love a challenge so I tried using my foot. I crossed my left foot over my knee and help the yarn with my toes. I did use my left hand to hold the "tail" but I could just lay the side of my hand on it, I didn't have to fiddle with my fingers.

 

I tried to take a pic, but I ran out of hands, so just imagine my left hand laying over the completed part (instead of holding the camera).

 

It wasn't pretty and excuse my foot, but it worked!

[gracefulwingz]

Roundpeg,

That foot idea may work but the entire left side extremeties are affected. I would have to dothissitting in bed maybe? hmm ..... I like a challenge too.

 

Putty,

I did use this in therapy....I have been trying out sitting on my right hand and making myself use the left hand for short time periods(too overwhelming) and am figuring it out. You get use to not using and then don't

 

Thank you for encouraging!

[roundpeg]

Wingz,

 

How is it going? I hope you will follow up and let us know what is working for you.

[gracefulwingz]

I'mhaving no luck with the things Ihave tried. wondering if I might need to learn left-handed technique?

[CeeMe]

Welcome!!