Granny Squares and Left Handedness

I made one of these 6 inch granny squares for a swap I'm in and decided that I wanted to make a whole bunch more for my own blanket!  I've always admired but never made a granny square blanket. And its a good use for all the yarn I bought earlier in November.  (Note to self - I am using a size G hook)

  I love making these squares except for the fact that my thumb really hurts!  Ouch!  Joint pain. I think I need to experiment with other ways to hold my needle.

 I am left handed but I crochet with my right hand. This is because my dear Omi (German grandmother) taught me to crochet and she was definitely right handed. She came from a time when being left handed was just not allowed!  As a matter of fact my mother was also left handed. This was quite a consternation to both her parents who tried to force her to use her right hand. At that time my grandparents owned a German bakery/luncheonette on 2nd Avenue in New York City, not far from Bellevue hospital. The doctors would come in for coffee and a bite to eat.  They saw what was happening and told my grandfather that it was very damaging to force a child to be right handed against their own natural inclination. So, good for Grandpa, he and my grandmother immediately stopped their attempts and allowed my mom's left handedness to blossom. As it turned out both my brothers and I are all lefties. Omi, who lived with us my entire life, was simply surrounded by lefties!  While she accepted it, watching me chop vegetables with a large knife in my left hand always gave Omi great anxiety. "Ach, ja!" she would say. "You are going to cut your fingers off using a knife with your left hand like that!"

Omi tried to teach me to knit and crochet left handed but it was just too difficult for her to figure out. So I am a righty in these things.

Now, what to do about my aching thumb?

Square number 1 hanging out in front of my doll house.