STITCH MARKERS: WHAT THEY ARE, HOW TO USE THEM, AND HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN!

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Stitch markers are one of the basic accessories every knitter should have on hand. They help keep track of where you are in your knitting, they can help with row counting, and they are totally cute! In this post, I'm going to talk about what stitch markers are, how to use them, and how you can make your own!

Stitch markers are a basic knitting accessory.

Stitch markers are handy little rings that help you keep track of your knitting. They come in different shapes and sizes, and they can be super plain and no frills or cute and decorative. One of the things I love most about stitch markers is the variety of different types that you can find! I think it's fun to have different stitch markers for different seasons and holidays, different moods, and to match with different projects - they just make me happy :)

There are two basic types of stitch markers - locking stitch markers (pictured to the left above) and ring stitch markers (pictured to the right above).

You can find stitch markers at most hobby stores, on Etsy, or at your Local Yarn Shop (LYS). Many online indie dyer and small yarn shops also offer stitch markers and other knitting accessories!

A NOTE ON STITCH MARKERS AND NEEDLE SIZE
When choosing what stitch marker to use with your project, pay attention to your needle size. Stitch markers come in different sizes - small, medium, and larger sizes. If you are knitting with tiny needles like size US 1, it's a good idea to use a smaller stitch marker so it doesn't feel too bulky and slow you down when you need to move the marker from needle to needle. And if you're using larger needles like size US 15, you'll need a larger stitch marker so it will fit around your needles. It's a good idea to always have a variety of stitch marker sizes on hand!

Stitch markers are your friends, and can be used in many ways!

Locking stitch markers are more versatile than ring stitch markers, because you can remove them from your knitting at any time. They work great for temporarily marking a spot on your knitting needle. I've been using them more and more for marking where my double stitches are in short row knitting! They are also great for attaching to your knitting through a stitch in order to count rows. For example, if a pattern tells you to knit 40 rows, you can attach a removable stitch marker in at each 10 row mark to help you keep track of how many rows you have knit! 

Ring stitch markers are great to use for things like marking the beginning of a round when you are knitting in the round on circular needles. I also like them for marking repeated sections of knitting, like lace or cable repeats in a pattern. 

Many patterns will tell you where to place a stitch marker in your knitting (usually noted in patterns with the letters PM), but you can use them whenever you want to help mark things that you want to remember. 

I find that using stitch markers that don't match the color of your yarn work best, so you can easily see them!

ONCE YOU HAVE THEM, WHERE DO YOU KEEP THEM?
It's a good idea to have something to hold your stitch markers in. They are so small, and can get lost easily! You'll want an easy way to find them and keep them in your knitting bag. I keep mine in a tin from Knit Picks (this is the tin my basic, metal stitch markers came in, and it's big enough to fit a good amount of markers). You can either purchase something to hold yours, or you may find you already have something around the house that you can use like an old small tin or non-breakable jar.

We had fun making our own stitch markers!

Stitch markers are super easy to make and are a great project you can do with your kids! Last weekend, my girls and I made our own! We had such a fun time, and they continued to make their own even when I was done!

Here is what we used to make our own stitch markers:

• jewelry lobster clasps (we had some large ones and some smaller ones)
• plain ring and locking stitch markers (I think metal ones work best, and I had some on hand)
• jump rings (we got ours from a jewelry making kit)
• jewelry charms (I just got a bulk amount of cheapie ones from Amazon to work on with my kids, but there are many awesome Etsy makers out there who make beautiful, much higher quality ones!)
• jewelry pliers (these probably aren't completely necessary, but I'd highly recommend them, because it makes closing the jump rings a lot easier!)

Once you have your supplies together, the rest is so easy! You just pick a lobster clasp, ring marker, or locking marker, pick a jump ring, and pick a charm. Then you just put those three together, use the pliers to close the jump ring, and you've made a stitch marker!

*** In the photos below, my younger daughter's hands have marks on them. She received body markers as a gift and got very creative - they are not tattoos!!

UNIQUE, RESOURCEFUL STITCH MARKER ALTERNATIVES
Buying and making stitch markers is fun and all, but what if you don't want to do that or you are in a bind mid-knitting and don't have one on hand? You can get creative! I've used tied pieces of scrap yarn or string, ring jewelry, paper clips - really, anything that can make a circle and fit around your needles can work! @katenashknits even found a way to use a post-it note as a stitch marker!

I find that stitch markers are a basic part of my knitting accessory collection, and I use them all of the time in my projects! They are useful and fun!