I spent weeks trying to find stitch markers for my size 0 to 5-0 needles. Regular ones were way too big! I tried making tiny loops of thread--that worked but was very tedious. Finally one day, I was in a craft store and wandered by the jewelry findings. I ended up buying a small bag of about a dozen gold jump rings for about a dollar. They work wonderfully! I keep them stored on a safety pin when not in use.
Wendy Sue A Knitting Fool in CT
=Tamar
Why do you say regular ones are too big? My biggest problem with stitch markers is when they're too small. That is, just a little larger than the needle. I find that they can slip under a stitch and I lose my place. Also, I find that the thick (e.g., rubber) stitch markers distort the knitting, as the yarn has to travel around the stitch marker when making the next stitch. My ideal stitch marker has a large diameter (so it doesn't get lost) and is very thin (so it doesn't distort the stitches). Something like a wire hoop earring.
In fact, I've been saving the little colored plastic rings used to identify the brush heads for my Braun electric toothbrush! They're just over one-quarter inch in diameter and lie flat against the needle, so there's very little distortion.
I'm interested in what others think of this.
Alan
I use a thread in another color which i loop ,,, since i do knit a lot in busses etc,, it is good that you see the marker coming ,,, mirjam
I almost always use a loop of yarn in a contrasting color, but if that's not handy I just cut off a bit of ordinary kitchen string and use that instead. I don't really like rings or anything else that is rigid. YYarn scraps and kitchen string -- you bet!
That's a good point, but big ones can lean over and be hard to distinguish. It's not always easy to get the right proportions. I like to use the little plastic "safety pin" shaped ones and put them directly onto a stitch, instead of on the needle. I have to move them upward every so often, but they don't fall off when the needle slips out. I can also use them to mark where the last decrease row was (for instance).
Ha! I knew there had to be another use for those little things.
=Tamar
For me the colored knotted threads with a bit of a tail solved that [they stay in place and aren`t easy to loose ,,,, Never saw those littel plastic rings on tooth brushes , but was lucky to have some on a pen ,,,and use them for other kind of markers , mirjam
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