Tension Got You Tense?

I'm finally, finally trying to control my tension. Not my emotional tension, but my crocheting, crafting tension. Tension when crocheting or knitting refers to how loosely or how tightly we pull or draw the thread or yarn while working. I've posted my thoughts on this before, a year apart. Apparently, I get tense over tension.

I hate my fingers cramping while I work, so now I to try to relax when I pick up my hook. The mere act of crocheting soothes me, so once I've begun, that mood takes over. But that miracle doesn't always happen until after the first few rows or rounds.

This effort to relax at the start often means I crochet a bit more loosely these days. When I pick up a pattern now, I often put out two extra hooks, in two different sizes smaller than the one called for in the pattern, just in case I need them if I need to "go down" a hook size when I begin that session.

Another issue arises when I cannot finish a project in one sitting. The tension on one day often differs from the tension on another day, or even from one hour to another. One thing is for certain these days, I never, ever (or at least whenever possible) stop a session in the middle of a row or round.

My previous posts on tension are here and here.