My knitting keeps getting tighter and tighter.

It is very common for tension to tighten up as you get more comfortable with the rhythm of knitting, or as your hands grow tired. Here are a few gentle ways to loosen your gauge:

• Relax your grip: We often unconsciously "death grip" the needles. Try to consciously unclench your hands every few stitches and drop your shoulders. If your hands feel stiff, take a break to shake them out.
• Check your needle size: If your technique remains tight, don't fight it. Simply move up one or two needle sizes (for example, from a 4mm to a 4.5mm). This is a perfectly standard way to meet gauge.
• Focus on the needle shaft: Many people pull the yarn tight once the stitch is already on the needle. Try to keep the working loop on the thickest part of the needle shaft rather than pulling it down onto the tapered tips.
• Adjust how you hold your yarn: If you wrap the yarn around your fingers multiple times to create tension, try wrapping it one fewer time. Alternatively, if your yarn is currently sliding freely, try using a yarn bowl or placing the ball further away so the yarn has a little more "drag" before it reaches your hands—this can actually help you stop manually tugging on it.
• The "Pinch" test: When you insert your needle into the next stitch, try to keep the stitch loose by not pulling the yarn taut as you bring it through.

Try picking up a scrap piece of yarn and practicing these adjustments for a few rows before starting back on your main project. You will likely find a "new normal" that feels much more comfortable.