Genius Tips
Check Under the Cushions: A Stitch Marker Medley
We knitters are often amused when we find a stray stitch marker—in the lint trap of the dryer, underneath the car seat, lingering in pocket of a summer-neglected coat—just lying there in wait.
Not just patient little rings of plastic, steel, nylon, or “other yarn,” the modest stitch marker is actually the unsung hero of knitting, able to save us from dropped stitches, dim light, and our own distracted selves.
As plugged-in and attentive a knitter as you may be, you may find yourself eavesdropping at the coffee shop on someone else’s office drama and were it not for that sensibly placed little ring, you could sail right past that SSK.
Less experienced knitters may not yet know this, but stitch markers are the essential tool that improves any knitter’s fluency and should be sprinkled generously throughout all of our projects.
While there are countless ways to wield a stitch marker, here’s my top ten:
1. The beginning of round: every knitter’s first stitch marker! Make it a special one whenever you can. If you don’t already, consider this one as an opportunity to use those souvenir markers or (if you’re this kind of lucky) the one your friend made you as a gift.
2. Tallying cast on stitches: when casting on, a stitch marker slipped onto the needle every ten or twenty stitches can reduce the number of times you have to re-count.
3. Pre-gaming: It’s good practice to place markers before a set-up row so that you know as you work across that first pattern row that you’re matching the stitch counts and haven’t strayed along the way.
4. Pattern repeats/panels: While you’re becoming acquainted with a stitch pattern, ring markers at the end of every repeat are invaluable.
In lace or chevron patterns where stitches move because of decreases and increases, a removable marker inserted into the fabric below the work rather than on the needle and moved up from time to time, keeps track of your location in the row. If a lace repeat has a symmetrical center column, a marker lets you see it coming and cues you if you’ve gotten off track.
5. Rows between: adding a stitch marker every right-side row (or every other round) keeps track of the distance travelled since your last increase, decrease, or cable cross and helps you avoid second guessing. These are especially useful when knitting in social situations.
6. Fabric changes: Even if the garter stitch edging on a shawl is only three stitches wide, putting a marker at the border will remind your fingers that you’re “there.” If you watch TV or chat with friends when you knit, this is a reliable braille moment for when you’re not looking.
7. Numbering increases or decreases: a coil-less safety pin settled into every shaping instruction row can give you a quick account of the number made. You can also quickly check on progress by holding up your second sleeve (for example) to see if the placements and the number of markers match.
8. Today’s distance: Gather a little maker’s mojo by putting in a stitch marker at the beginning of your knitting session then admire the amount you accomplished at the end. You can do the same thing for a day’s or a week’s worth if that is more in line with your knitting schedule.
9. Pickup rates: when the pattern tells you to pick up a certain number of stitches along a neckline or an armhole, “goal” markers pinned into that edge at the halfway and quarter moments will signal that you are on pace to hit the pick-up target.
10: Geo-location: Distinct colors or shapes are a nice reminder of where you are in the row. A marker placed into the middle front of the sweater indicates where you are in relationship to the beginning of the round. Tag the halfway point in long stretches like shawl rows or knitting the border on a blanket to cheer yourself on.
The more you use stitch markers— and the more kinds, sizes, and shapes—the more you’ll recognize that they are the best MacGyver a knitter can imagine.
Please share in the comments more applications that you’ve discovered. I bet there’s a lot that I missed. And while you’re thinking of it, go check the sofa cushions; you’re going to need every one that you find.
I absolutely loved this little reminder of how invaluable our tiny stitch marker friends are …… I’ve always been a fan and they’ve saved me from much frogging over the years ……unsung heroes indeed
Happy New Year all ✨
Yes, to using markers in all the various ways you suggested. I also use the movable ones to hold the last stitch in sleeve/hem/neck bind offs until I’ve tried on the garment and before I’ve broken the yarn. I like to use and reuse narrow ribbon to hold stitches instead of sticky waste yarn. I tie a marker into the knots at the ends for easy untying and do the same on one end when doing a provisional cast on. Not only easier to untie, but I pick the right end on first try for easy removal!
Great idea to use narrow ribbon instead of yarn. Now I have a use for the bag of ribbon scraps in my sewing stash. Much easier to remove if the yarn is sticky. Thank you!
oh this is a great idea, ribbon. Yarn markers do feel like I could accidentally knit them.
Exactly! Working on a baby blanket that has a 4 stitch repeat and garter edges. Mind wandering pattern so I stitch markered every repeat and used a different marker for the garter edges. Someone in my knitting group commented “lots of markers” to me as in “Really?!” I replied “lets me be social, stop to check on dinner, or take a break without wondering where I am when I start back at it.” So far has saved me from disappointment and disaster. Humble stitch markers to the rescue!
Accidental cat toys!
I’m going to find some of those markers with a needle size to mark UFOs that I’m only putting aside (and removing the needles) “just for today.” A month (or a year) later, of course I meant to write down the needle size I was as using…
Yes!! My cats love them, lol, I have to keep them put away or they become abducted by the cats! They are lifesavers for when I lose count with my wandering brain.
This is brilliant..even for a WIP for needle changes…cuffs, neck, etc…”what size did I use for the larger or smaller needles?” (Because I’m not always good about writing it on the pattern and may have “borrowed ” them for another project.:)
Let us not forget the entertainment value. Hunting for and/or finding these small treasures evokes laughter! How do they get under the refrigerator?? In my bed?? In the dog’s bed??
I use a removable marker to catch a dropped stitch to either pick up and work back up to the needle or to sew in later.
I was going to comment that as well!
Me too! It’s been a lifesaver!
Also to mark when I’m off a count to make sure I fix it on the reverse row.
Recently started color coding markers to correspond with a color pen marking sections of a fair isle chart pattern. Really helped to put down and pick up later or watch tv and knit!
Amen! When I was a newbie I wondered aloud in a yarn shop how everyone was able to keep track of one of the sample designs on display. All three of the employees at the same time trilled “stitch markers!” So later, as a lace knitting newbie I employed stitch markers generously on my project between each repeat. That proved to be a trial to the young woman at the yarn shop where I bought the yarn when she was helping me through a rough spot. There was such a thicket of little plastic rings she could barely see the pattern! I wonder if anyone else has created such a “forest” and how it worked out for them. A specific pattern where I wished I Had used stitch markers was the Sophie scarf. Seems I cannot count up to eight. Also, if you are improvising your own pattern, stitch markers might help you visualize how logical your design is working out.
I prefer yarn as markers tied into circles. Endless colours, soft stay put until slipped, don’t skip away when moved and very light. No shortage of scraps from previous projects.
Oooh – I’ve never used for the sleeve decrease and love that idea! Very timely too as I hope to jump into a set of sleeves later in the week. I have used one to show when I start decreases in a sock toe and leave it in the first sock so I know where to start on my second sock so they match exactly.
Thanks, Chris, for the provisional cast on ribbon idea! I’m always “barking” off on the wrong end.
I put all my tightening keys for my interchangeable needle set on a stitch marker, as they kept slipping out the open corner of the zipped pocket of the storage wallet.
I also use stitch markers to count every 10 rows, so that socks, mittens, sleeves, and front and back of sweaters end up the same length. The longer something is, the more the tape measure seems to shift each time I measure, and this ensures evenness.
So many uses for a marker! Here’s a couple more… I keep a bulb type one in the tube with my finishing needles to use as an easy threader. I also use one to mark the RS of any project, just so I can always tell at a glance where I am.
Yes! and I add a sticky note written RS !
I too use a special, colorful stitch marker to mark the RS of a project!
I’ve even heard of someone using their wedding ring as a stitch marker in a pinch!
After spending too much time yesterday trying to figure out my right side from my wrong side…my knitting’s, that is!), I’m using your great suggestion going forward. Lisa!!!
Hi! Wondering what the pattern and yarn are in the photo of the green sweater (I think it’s a sweater?). It’s beautiful!
Oh thank you, Mari Ann! It’s Morahan by Norah Gaughan. I just finished it and it is indeed a very pretty sweater.
I’ve use stitch markers for the sleeves too, and they serve as counters when I use the same set to transfer on sleeve 2 on the decreasing rows. Makes sleeve island knitting more bearable 🙂
When I started knitting as a child I used scraps of yarn for markers. Later on I used little plastic rings. Now I have quite a collection of markers of various types, each type useful for different purposes as described in this article. I love my stitch markers!
I use removable markers to “baste” a seam before I start sewing it together. It lets me know that I’m on track and not moving up one piece faster than the other. Also, ditto about the accidental cat toy!
I have already “bookmarked” this article. Thanks Julia!
you’re welcome, Jeanette! xo
I have quite a few drawstring project bags made with cotton fabric. Each one has a couple of removable stitch markers attached into a loop on the drawstring. I also attached a lightbulb marker holding several ring stitch markers into the lining so that I’m never without.
I have my crochet students place, then move a marker at the beginning and end of their row. It helps them to find that fiddly final stitch in the row and it keeps their work nice and even.
excellent tip! Likewise: I put them in between brioche stitches at the ends of needles when I am working on DPNs so I don’t get yarn overs confused with stitches that “flip” at the needle gap. Same principle: “help me find my stitch!”
Absolutely! I could not knit without markers. Especialky for my nemesis—short rows!
YES!!! I always think I will be able to spot the short row double stitches, but I have had to frog too many times now to believe it. Stitch markers are lifesavers.
Yes!
I firmly believe they are invaluable! Proudly #teamstitchmarker
I m absolutely a stitch marker addict! I usually have several in several colors going depending on the project…and great for those “pay attention ” moments!
I will definitely start using them for inc/dec as that is brilliant!
I wish the easier loop type removable markers were more comfortable to knit with…I find them sharp and they poke my busy hands…does anyone have a favorite?
I have used them to corral a dropped stitch. They keep that guy from getting worse until I can deal with it.
I use the plastic coil-less safety pin as a cable needle and row marker showing the cable cross. I do not lose my cable needle because it is always attached to my knitting.
Julia- My husband has a little collection of stitch markers on the sill outside of our dryer. (and size 0 and 1 dpns) He is amused by the amount of have lost during the wash and in the car. I just collect the small pile as if I found a great deal at a knitting shop. Thanks for this really fun article.
You could put a cute little dish in the laundry room to hold the accumulation. Golden Earth Designs Pottery has sweet textile themed ones from time to time. And she’ll be at Nashfest!
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A post I did back in 2004 includes a description of using stitch markers as an in-line abacus for tracking rows, in lieu of those barrel counters, clickers, counting stones, or tick marks on paper. https://string-or-nothing.com/2004/05/02/gadgets-stupid-stitch-marker-tricks/
genius post
My best stitch marker story- sitting on a beach in Mexico with a discombulated knee and ONE clip for my ace bandage, I looked down in the sand and there was a rusted clip-on stitch marker sitting there- not mine. I used it the rest of the trip to keep the bandage on and keep my knee in line.
do you still have it?
Oh…that is great!!! Had to make you smile in such an awkward circumstance.
Love them! I often use the locking stitch markers, plastic safety pin type, to hold stitches. This works well for thumb stitches on a mitten and for underarm stitches on a sweater. If one isn’t enough, employ two. I also use them to hold the final toes stitches of a sock so that I can turn the sock inside out to work a three needle bind off. They are small enough to stay out of the way while you’re knitting another portion of your project. I’d be lost without my trusty plate of stitch markers!
I’m flabbergasted by knitters who don’t use stitch markers! Then they wonder why they made a mistake.
I checked “yes” after every use listed here. I panic if I don’t have at least one marker with me at all times. I’ve been known to use a paperclip or scrap of paper if I didn’t have enough of them with me.
Colored paper clips work, large and small.
I always mark a cabled row, and then it’s easy to see when I need to do the next cable crossing. If there are different cables, each variety gets its own marker, otherwise just one at the beginning of the row keeps me on track. I also put a locking stitch marker at every transition: last row of the rib, last row before starting armhole shaping, neck shaping, heels, or toes. Makes it easier to measure and to work the second side, sleeve, sock, etc. I know I could survive without my stitch markers, but they are essential signposts in the landscape of a piece of knitting—especially if I put it down for a while. I love my stitch markers!
Great advice! Thanks for listing all the options. I’ll definitely start using them when casting on. I always have trouble getting the right stitch count.
Using them with casting on has been a lifesaver for me…my husband always seems to walk in and say something when I’m on stitch 233 🙂
The archeology of my club chair will reveal stitch markers, the floor where my sewing machine sits straight pins.
Stitch markers and lace charts are my companions. They needn’t be pretty but functional.
Lots of interesting suggestions. The one I like best is to put stitch markers at the increases or decreases, to keep track of them. I’ve been using them during sweater cast ons for years, which is great for sanity.
I currently have 11 + 1 on my circ for a 120 stitch cowl I’m working on. Then, I have a little bowl on the coffee table. Why? Poor design choice… A thick sort of shaggy mid-century modern-like area rug on the living room floor by the couch where I knit at night. So many lost markers, so many…
I have two sets of vintage stitch markers: one is tiny stainless steel rings; the other is thin flat hard plastic rings. They take up much less space between the stitches than any currently available ring markers, and unlike removable markers or bulb pins, stay out of my way. If I drop one, I immediately search until it’s found, since I can’t ever get replacements. They can roll quite a way on my wood floors. Of course, I also have the removable ones, which have their own uses.
To mark the right side of my knitting, I pin on a bulb pin with an “R” alphabet bead on it. (Overkill, but fun!)
I wish I had read this article when I first started knitting. Stitch markers are such a valuable tool for all the reasons listed. Also, they make one’s WIP so beautiful. Like adding jewelry to the project. Big shout out to Firefly Notes – a small Canadian company that has the most gorgeous and well designed stitch markers around.
Hi Elaine – thank you (I think) for the tip about Firefly Notes! Always happy to find a Canadian supplier and their stitch markers are beautiful, as are their little storage tins. A bunch of each of them might have just found their way into my shopping cart…
Anne
I love the simple Clover flexible markers, green and purple. Green means go, purple means stop. They mark beginning and end of motifs, or beginning and end of RS rows between borders on shawls.
Stitch marker with barrel counter is my favorite knitting tool at the beginning of round or RS row.
Oddest use for a locking stitch marker? Connecting a toilet flapper chain to the flush lever! Use a plastic one; the metal one will rust away. Second time’s a winner!
I love the green and purple markers, but I wish they sold packages of just the small ones – I always lose them, but I have many hundreds of the big ones, which I use less often. Great article!
I prefer the larger ones, even with small needles! I don’t like to have to dig to get into them. I’d say we should trade some, but first I’d have to know which project bag mine are in…I keep buying more!
Me too! Sometimes I even run out of them. I don’t think I’ve ever done a project where I needed a big one. Love the little guys, although I must admit to having to cut some apart when I was learning about lifelines!
Been there, but you only do that once 🙂
The lady working at Stranded By the Sea in Edmonds WA showed me how to use the skinny lightbulb shaped stitch markers through the holes in my Chiagoo tiny cable connectors and cable adapters. These tiny parts are expensive and easily misplaced.
indeed. I lost the tightening tool ages ago, so I keep a stitch marker in the pouch for exactly this!
I use them for that all the time! I use them to tighten the cables, AND I use them to organize the cable lengths. I use one light bulb marker and hook it through all of my cables that are the same size, so I can easily grab what I need.
My grandmother sometimes used bread bag clips (quick lock) as stitch markers. I think a few of them are still stacked in the tackle box she used for her knitting tools. It’s been 30 years or more since she died, but though I borrow her tools from time to time, I haven’t cleaned them out of her box.
Cute. I use bread bag clips to wind my cast on tail.
Once, while walking the aisles of the hardware store with my husband, I found a box of assorted green and black O-rings in multiple sizes. I immediately thought stitch markers. Needless to say, I bought both colors, keeping all the ones that fit my knitting needles. They are rubbery and the perfect size for all of my projects. My husband was quite amused! And he now has O-rings galore for his projects.
Thanks for this. I can be very forgetful and distracted sometimes and boy, oh, boy, do stitch markers save my bacon in all the ways you mentioned. Thanks for the affirmation.
German short rows! I twist one of my fave Cocoknits spiral markers through the GSR’s double stitch when I turn so when the instruction says “knit X number past previous” I can quickly see where that is.
I mark important points on my first sock so that I will repeat them on my second sock when not following a pattern
Hi Julia, I loved this! So many good points. Just want to share I have a new product called Cori’s Drop Stop from Twice Sheared Sheep. Never another lost marker.
https://twiceshearedsheep.com/products/coris-drop-stop-stitch-markers
Oh that is genius, Cori! Great for travelling too when you can’t risk losing even one!
I like to place a marker to show me how many rows I have knit in a sitting. This is especially encouraging if it is a tedious pattern or I have set a goal of knitting so many rows to get it finished, this also helps me finish sleeves.
I like to do this too, especially on large swaths of stockinette, where it can seem like you’re knitting forever and ever and your knitting isn’t getting any longer! Haha!
Thank you for the Advice. It’s very appreciated and helpful!
you are most welcome, Janice!
OMG!! Thanks. I do use stitch markers, but should probably use more of them.
I use the lightbulb markers to count rows for a repeating pattern if I don’t have a counter with me (it happens), and to mark the center point of a big project. Plus, all the ideas you wrote about! I have a lot of stitch markers because I usually have 3-4 projects going at once, and the markers help me remember what I was doing when I switch projects!
Also, I use the special ones to mark the RS of every project. It’s a habit I got into when I restarted knitting, and they make me smile so I keep doing it!
Just wondering if any stitch markers were found with the ballband dishcloth behind the washer.
Oh, the recognizable sound when a stitch marker goes into the vacuum. SIGH!
yup, lol
I never count over 50 and use stitch markers to help. I mark double stitches with lightbulb markers when I’m knitting sweaters. And I mark every 10 rows of my socks so that I don’t need to measure my second sock. They both turn out identical.
I use two green markers for my beginning of round. Green is only used for BOR. I have a lot of green CocoKnits stitch markers!
My favorite marking the right side of reversible patterns.
Yes and agree to all stitch marker uses you noted! And, I like to differentiate the marker’s reason-for-being by color or style. If I have six or seven of the same, I still don’t know if the marker means start of row or this is where the short-row turn goes. I use a RS/WS set, different colors, and different styles throughout a project. Everything you mentioned is solid advice for us all!
Yay for stitch markers! I tie a length of embroidery floss to closed stitch markers for pattern repeats, and as I knit the rounds, the long tail of floss is woven into the work. Easy to slide out when no longer needed, makes ripping back in pattern easy to track (just drop the marker off the needle as you tink and let the tail hold the place) and I lose a lot fewer markers. Thanks, everyone, for all the ideas.
Nice to see you again – it’s been a while!
Hi Mary! Happy New Year!
Marking the halfway point on a heel flap, so I know where to start my K2, K2tog, etc, and can easily keep my decreases even and my heel symmetrical, even if I’m yapping away at the time.
Great article! And thank you for the reminder to put markers for increases or decreases. I’m about to do some decreases for sleeves!
One large safety pin stitch marker can hold several smaller ones.
I always use stitch markers every 10 stitches when I’m casting on. I can (usually) count reliably to 10; no guarantee on more than that. Also, when knitting from a chart, I set off each repeat with stitch markers. This lets me know that I am where I think I am, how many repeats I have made, and I can count the stitches in between to make sure each repeat has the correct number of stitches and if not, I know where the error is.
Definitely. I also have started marking the beginning and end stitch of a cable cast on underarm as well as leaving a center beginning marker. Helps me pick up the right number of stitches plus extras in the corners and decrease back down evenly that first few rows, and if frogging needed, I can find my place.
I enjoyed of above article, as a knitter of course occasionally, i got some useful points to use when I’m knitting.
Never really used them, but after reading this ( and after making up a fair isle pattern as I was knitting this year) think it’s perhaps a good idea. Like the idea of even just marking a group to make counting stitches easier….
I love and lose markers! I like calling it ‘pre-game’ – as I can’t count and knit at the same time. I encourage students to do that, now I have an excellent term!
Great reminder of all the useful things that stitch markers can do. Stitch markers have saved a lot of frustration for me!
When I was at SAFF last fall, there was a vendor with small wooden markers. They had varied abbreviations on them like RS, WS, TBL, RLI, LLI, etc. I picked out several. I can never remember where I do the right leaning vs. left leaning increase.
Loved the tips about the narrow ribbon and using markers for increases/decreases.
Well, just recently I was washing a cardigan and when I laid it out to dry I found a little hole that I didn’t have time to mend. So I grabbed two of those locking clover removable stitch markers to keep it from unraveling and dropping stitches, let it dry, and put it to the side for when I have time to deal with it. It helped to be able to pause my panic like that.
I used stitch markers with initial blocks on them to keep whose Christmas socks belonged to whom! I needed to wash & dry them (to set the Lycra), they were all made from the same yarn, and this worked great! I can reuse them too!
I use a removable Clover green removable stitch marker as a cable needle when I just need to slip 2-3 stitches to the front or back. doesn’t get in the way like a cable needle.
I love stitch markers. I collect the little coloured o- rings that come with my electric toothbrushes. They’re perfect for the purpose.
When knitters come to my house and need a stitch marker and I give them one I always say ….If you need more just look under the cushions on the sofa!
I find stitch markers EVERYWHERE in my house, car, anywhere I take my knitting (which is, again, everwhere). The nurse at my husband’s cardiologist came running out after us with a marker I managed to leave on the chair I had been sitting in! And, a few years ago, my husband quietly tucked a few in his wallet after hearing me wail when I forgot them – what a guy!
I have started to make myself little kits in emptied mini Altoids cans – some markers, a blunt tipped needle, even a teeny tiny pair of scissors I got as a gift. And I have one stashed in each of my active knitting projects.
I was introduced to the wire ones with the closure like a safety pin by my eldest sister. They come in so many colours, and are thin enough to use on socks.
I like to make sweaters top down with raglan sleeves. I find if I use a different color at each increase point, and then mark the pattern at each m1r or m1l, I always know exactly where I am in the garment.
Couldn’t knit without them!