5.1.6 – Risk of Poking Your Fingers

WHAT THIS LESSON CONTAINS:

• Poking yourself is inevitable
Make no mistake about it – you WILL absolutely poke yourself at some point. Every single person on our team, including myself, has experienced this more times than we’d like to admit. Similar to damaging hair, this is an inevitability that must be mitigated.

• Hitting the same hole repeatedly
The problem with poking yourself is that you will probably repeat poking yourself in that same spot over and over again. This can be avoided by adjusting your hand positioning, using Vet Glue, or using Silicone finger protectors which we discuss below.

• Reducing the risk
Hand and crochet placement is key. Not much to talk about here until we discuss details in the hands on lessons.

• Bandages, thimbles, etc
You can try using a bandage but the crochet hook will just tear it up in no time. It’s worthless in this situation. And I personally hate the idea of using a thimble because you can’t feel anything at all. Feeling what you’re doing is massively important.

• Washing, and preventing infections
My approach has always been to IMMEDIATELY stop and go wash the wound. If possible, I always try to squeeze blood out to help “flush” out any dirt or oil that may end up inside the would. This is very important to prevent infection. Trust me, nothing is worse than developing an infection while trying to complete a 2-day installation, or any appointment. Your finger will be sore and throbbing and you will have a very miserable time with those appointments.

• Using Vet Glue (on our tools page)
I’ve personally used this specific Vet Glue as a solution when I’ve poked myself in the past. Our team has also used this plenty of times. It’s not perfect, and certainly not permanent when the hook is sliding against it, but it dries within a minute or two and can be a short term fix to finish an appointment. The glue should be removed for extended periods if you’re not doing any work to allow the would to air out and heal.

• Silicone Finger Protectors
I personally hate these things….. And I haven’t really had the need for them personally. But, I give them to everyone on my team when they’re new. I ALWAYS recommend doing all work without them until they absolutely need them. A great example would be if you have several maintenance appointments and ultimately poke yourself, but you have 2-day installation the next day. Wearing a protector on the finger your poked for an installation will make that job 10000% more tolerable.

• Wearing the skin down and calluses
Sometimes you will wear a grove in your skin, allowing the hook to penetrate and poke you in that spot. This is especially the case for a full installation, and for newbies or infrequent jobs. With enough repetition, practice, and appointments over time you will develop calluses which are very beneficial to prevent poking yourself.

• Time and experience is your friend
When I first started doing this, I was poking my fingers all the time. At this point, it’s been quite a few years since I genuinely poked myself. The closest I’ve come to poking myself in the past few years has been by wearing the skin down with an excess of appointments and ultimately creating a wound that ends up getting poked.

If you poke yourself during your training process it’s probably a good idea to revisit this lesson as a refresher.