What’s your favourite bit of knitting kit? This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. After the basics are covered — favourite knitting needles, some sharp snips, a tape measure and tapestry needle — the one thing I always want to hand is a nice pile of locking stitch markers. The locking stitch marker might look small and humble, but it’s such a versatile and useful tool!
I was reminded of my love of the stitch marker last night, when I realised I’d made a mistake about 40 stitches back on my row. Usually, when I spot a mistake that needs fixing, I grab a locking stitch marker and mark the spot … this is especially handy in lace and colourwork projects, where finding a mistake might mean sifting through repeats. I was working a two-colour row, but it was nearly bedtime and I didn’t have my locking stitch markers to hand. “This will be quick,” I thought. “No need to bother getting a stitch marker.” As I backed my knitting out to the mistake though, I kept losing it in the sea of two-colour stitches and had to keep pausing to see if I’d inadvertently overshot it. Half an hour later, I finally fixed the mistake and completed the row … any time I saved in not getting up from the couch and going over to my basket for the stitch markers far outweighed by the number of times I had to relocate my mistake! Which very neatly introduces the first of my five favourite uses (in no particular order) for locking stitch markers.
1. To Mark Mistakes. Missed out an eyelet? Knit 2 sts in Colour B, instead of 3? Forgot a decrease? Pop a locking stitch marker on it! Works equally well if it’s 20 stitches or 20 rows back! Bonus power: It’ll hold on tight to a dropped stitch until you can get to it.
Locking stitch markers mark decreases on a top-down sleeve.
2. To Track Sleeve/Body/Anything Else Increases or Decreases. You know when a pattern asks you to decrease (or increase) every X number of rows? I now alllllways mark my increase/decrease with a locking stitch marker. It makes it so much quicker and easier to count how many rows til my next increase/decrease, no row counter of keeping tally on a scrap piece of paper required (I always forget to do both). Can also be helpful for tracking things like a cable repeat! Bonus Use: When working anything in pairs (sleeves, socks), leave your locking stitch markers in until you work the second one. Then you can easily make sure you’re doing the same thing on both … I like to transfer the locking stitch marker from the first sleeve (or whatever!) to the second one when I work the corresponding increase/decrease. The photo at the top of this post is of my Debut Pullover sleeve, complete with locking stitch markers to show where I have increased.
The Lustrous Shawl by Noma Ndlovu is completely reversible. A locking stitch marker can help you quickly determine which side you’re on, no thinking required! (Pattern available as part of Confident Knitting.) Photo © Jesse Wild.
3. To Differentiate the Right and Wrong Side. If you’re working something like this month’s Confident Knitting pattern, the Lustrous Shawl (which is reversible), it can be really helpful to pop a locking stitch marker on while you knit so you can quickly tell the right from the wrong side. (This is one of quite a few tips shared in the pattern notes. Have I mentioned lately that the pattern head notes tend to be a gold mine of tips? They’re always worth taking a moment to read!)
4. To Chart Your Progress. You know that feeling when you’ve got four inches (10 cm) of rib to knit, and you’ve measured after several successive rows and every time, it seems you’ve still got an inch to go? Pop a locking stitch marker in! It’ll make it much easier to know when to actually bother measuring, minimising that “ugh-this-rib-will-never-end” funk! Can also be great if you’re curious to see how much you knit in an hour/day/week. (You can buy cute progress keepers that work along the same lines, but if you’ve got locking stitch markers, they do the job admirably!)
A marked stitch marker marks where Jen will insert the heel on her I Can Dance socks.
5. To Mark a Spot to Come Back To. Perfect for marking where to snip for a true afterthought heel (or thumb, or pocket), or to mark any place in your project you might need to come back to. (#UseEveryScrapKAL-ers, take note!)
So, there are my five favourite ways to use some locking stitch markers! Perhaps some — or all of them! — you already knew about, but I always appreciate hearing how people use different tools. It had never occurred to me to use locking stitch markers to track sleeve shaping, but I saw my friend doing it a few years ago, and it is so handy!
I’ve also become a hoarder of locking stitch markers … I save any that come on clothes and have several sets I’ve purchased. Like bobby pins and hair ties, they somehow seem to go on a wander of their own accord. I’d be willing to bet you could find at least one locking stitch marker in every room of my house, as well as a few random ones at the bottom of most of my project bags, and in most of my trouser pockets too! If you need to top up your supply of locking stitch markers, we’ve got Cocoknits ever-so-cheery set in the online shop … they come packaged in a handy little tube, perfect for sitting right next to your favourite knitting spot. We’ve also got Cocoknits very clever Maker’s Keep in stock … slap it on your wrist with a few stitch markers, and you’ll never find yourself without! (This would have solved my not-wanting-to-hunt-for- a-stitch-marker problem last night!) You’ll find our full range of knitterly accessories here!
What’s your favourite knitting tool? I’d love to hear in the comments! If you are reading this on our email update, you’ll need to click on “Read in Browser” in order to leave a comment on the blog post itself.