"My finger hurts from pushing back the left needle tip"

Have you ever given yourself a sore fingertip from pushing back the pointed end of the left knitting needle to bring up the new stitches to be knit? Many knitters use their right forefinger to push back the tip of the left needle (the one with the stitches about to be knit) as a way of delivering fresh stitches to the left needle tip. Some have gone so far as to split the skin of their right forefinger from the repeated jabs.

Even if the problem doesn't extend as far as an actual wound, "pushers" are pretty much prevented from using the really really pointy needles that can make some knitting so much easier (p5tog, anyone?)

So, for all the sore-fingered pushers, here is a little trick: use the barrel of the opposite needle to push back the needle tip. Here's how in three illustrated steps

1. (below) Pinch the right needle firmly (pinch indicated by light brown area)

2. (below) Slide the left needle between the pinching fingers until the tip of the left needle touches the barrel of the right needle.

3. Bracing the left needle tip against the barrel of the right needle, pinch the left needle AND the stitches you want to slide with your left fingers (pinch indicated by light brown area) and push along the needle so the stitches slide towards the left needle tip. The left needle point won't go skidding off the barrel of the right needle, because the right fingers prevent that. Note that the right fingers aren't actually holding the left needle at all--they are only guiding the left needle while pinching the right needle.

--TECHknitter
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