New 'Stitch Marker'

[susanwayne]

Hey all:

I'm the laziest knitter/crochet you can imagine. A little thing like having to open and close a stitch marker when I'm in a hurry to get the row done is a pain. I know...to most not such a pain, but to me? I was looking for a better way.

I do a lot of color changing in crochet, sometimes c2c, and I like to count out the stitches before I actually do them so that I know my count is correct.

The other day I had a few clips in my hair and they were annoying me so I took them out and put them down near my stitch markers. LIGHT BULB MOMENT!

They are easy to snap on and off. I barely have to stop crocheting to remove them. I have left them on overnight and they have not flattened the yarn. I'm using acrylic so I don't know how this would work with wool or cotton.

Thought others might like to give this a try.

Char pinesprairie I was already too far into this c2c to try the linked hdc stitches. Thanks for the suggestion and I'll try it on my next one.

[Char]

I love this idea! I agree with the undoing markers from crochet. With knitting you just slip to the other needle or let it drop off. Crochet isn't that simple.

[susanwayne]

Exactly. Much smoother in knitting but in crochet the marker (the ones that stay on) need to be opened and closed each time you use it. I used to use a bobbie pin but those you have to open slightly to get the to go on and then they would sometimes get stuck in the stitches. This method has worked for me and I'm glad you liked it.

[knitter131]

Oh, I have some of these, I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for the idea! 💡💡

[pinesprairie]

Very clever! It looks like it works well for you on this blanket. I've also seen people use bobby pins on smaller weight yarns. I guess they were in a hurry like you! I find it fun to re-purpose items in unconventional ways, especially when I already have the 'thing'.

We'll wait for your next C2C when you give the linked hdc a go. I'm anxious to see if you like it as I'm thinking you just might.

[susanwayne]

knitter131 Glad you liked the idea. Please let me know how it works for you.

[knitter131]

susanwayne I finally found them 😀😀. Now I will need a project to try them on. But so far, I can tell they will hold tight and so far nothing seems to be flattened out. Thanks so much for this great idea!

[susanwayne]

knitter131 I think this type of clip comes in a smaller version than what I have on hand. A smaller size would be better for say, sc, or a narrower stitch than the c2c I am currently working on. Hope it works out for you. I know it has worked well for me.

[KnitSwag]

I once needed a bunch of stitch markers (about 60-70 if I recall correctly) for a beaded shawl project. But I was out camping and didn't have access to a yarn shop. However, I did have a large case of bottled water that had been shrink wrapped in plastic. So I cut off a long strip of the plastic shrink wrap, then snipped it into little squares, then snipped a hole in each square. Voila! Dozens of stitch markers. And a bonus was that if I ever lost any, I didn't care, as I could just make new ones.

[susanwayne]

Love that story! Necessity is indeed the mother of invention...and us mothers do it better :}

[FreedomLover]

I did something similar with a plastic straw and made lots of stitch markers that I didn't mind losing (and I do lose them, I once found one in my garage). The only down side is that they were like little springs that would jump off the needles.

[knitter131]

KnitSwag I just started this pattern you are referring to, so excited to see how it goes along 😊😊. I will post a picture once I get a few bead rounds completed.