Stitch markers

[untonuggan]

I realize I'm probably opening up a whole kettle of fish by asking this, but I am new to knitting and wonder whether it's worth it to bother buying stitch markers. Right now I'm just using a loop of a contrasting scrap yarn as a stitch marker. It can be a little cumbersome, but I don't have to worry about losing it (can always get more small bits of yarn). Annoyingly, the acrylic yarns tend to fray a bit.

I've read that it's much smoother and faster to use the commercially made stitch markers, but I do wonder (a) if that is just slick marketing, (b) about the wasted plastic/shipping/processing costs to the environment, (c) about what happens when I lose the expensive little things.

Thoughts?

UPDATE: Thanks for all the suggestions and input, folks! I think I will go crazy if I try to respond to every reply, so I'll just say thanks here!

Comments

[owlectomy]

I have some stitch markers I bought off Etsy. I very very very rarely use them.

I think it depends on what kinds of techniques you use in your knitting, but I find that being able to read your knitting is the fastest alternative to using stitch markers. I've heard that people have had success with snipping circles from plastic drinking straws -- those may work a little better than loops of yarn. (The one big drawback that I can think of to yarn loops is that if you're distracted or not watching your knitting you may accidentally knit into the stitch-marker-loop.)

[pinesandmaples]

Stitch markers enable me to read my knitting on the fly. Switching from one chart to another? Marker. Beginning of the round on a sock? Marker. 600 stitch lace shawl that has a death wish for me? Markers markers markers.

Having a visual or tactile note in my knitting means I can knit through movies I actually want to watch, conversations that require eye-contact, and new bus routes.