Stitch markers
Oct. 18th, 2011 08:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
untonuggan posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
knittingI 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!
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!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-10-19 03:54 am (UTC)However, I find stitch markers really handy. I never buy the fancy ones, though. I knit a lot of cable and aran type patterns and I like to separate each pattern with rubber o rings. Originally I got them at the hardware store but they come in packages of two, so I got 200 or so from somebody on eBay who sold stuff for fly fishermen.
I also like the coil-less safety pins. I mark the right side of things where that isn't obvious from the start. When I do decreases or increases I put in a safety pin each time. That way I can easily see how many times I've increased or decreased. I got these from Patternworks or some mail order place.