I am all for low-tech knitting, using materials you have on hand to getting things done. So, knotting up little yarn loops from my vast stash of snipped off ends from weaving in tails to serve as stitch markers is a quick way to help you out in a pinch.
But after one too many times of a yarn loop stitch marker wanting to be knitted in and slowing me down during transferring it from my left needle to the right needle, it was time to face it: I needed some “real” stitch markers. The kind of stitch markers with a metal split ring that just want to slip from one needle to the other.
What a great excuse to pull out my bins of beads and rummage for a fitting combo! I personally like dangling stitch markers of about 1¼ – 1½ inches in length (not including the split ring). They are easy to spot, easy to keep out of the way and not so easy to loose.
The bead combo that I ended up with used some pretty turquoise silver foil millifiore glass beads that were not too heavy, wax pearls and some amethyst colored and silver lined seed beads.
The seed beads give the stitch markers a bit of a neck so that they stay clear of the stitches that are being worked before and after them, and the glass beads give them a nice weight so that they dangle properly. These new stitch markers will work great with DK and heavier weight yarns. For lace weight, I find them a bit too heavy, especially if you need a whole bunch of them to mark off lots of lace repeats.
What are your stitch marker preferences? Leave a comment to share your stitch marker likes and dislikes.
The project that triggered this whole need for more “real” stitch markers is one of my upcoming Malabrigo MFPP October 2014 collection pieces. It’s worked in Rastita, a DK (#3) weight yarn, in the color #850 Archangel (on size #7 (4.5 mm) needles) which is just a dream to work with.
The yarn is super soft and smooth and such a pleasure to work with that you enjoy every stitch you make. And the colors! Not only your fingers go to a spa when working with this yarn but your eyes have a feast as well. I’ve caught myself a couple of times sighing in happiness and unable to put down my knitting. I just want to knit one more stitch, one more row, one more pattern repeat, so that the project is coming to an end rather quickly… sigh… and look how pretty my new stitch markers are with Archangel!
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