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

[rainbow]

i made some stitch markers from little rings, then found a small stash of plain plastic ones that had been my mother's in the 60s/70s. they don't seem any more helpful than the bits of yarn, and in some ways less (for me; i have poor fine motor control due to neuro issues; the rings are enough heavier that they fall more often, while the loops of yarn tend to fall less frequently. the brightly coloured bits of yarn are also easier for me to find when i do drop them).