Mark This

Experienced knitters will be familiar with markers, but if you haven't used them yet, let me show you how they keep you on track of your stitch patterns.

The usual type is a plastic, flat ring in various colors and sizes to suit your working needles. There are also split rings that slip on and off a stitch, which is handy in the middle of a row when you want to remove a marker. And of course there is the homemade variety. I use crochet cotton loops a lot. Sometimes, I have even hooked on a paper clip --- some knitters cut plastic straws into rings. Whatever, the point is to tag your row of knitting so that you mark off the pattern repeats.

This can save hair ripping if you made a mistake or forgotten where you were. Suppose your repeat is a lace pattern which has 12 stitches to it. Simply slip a marker at beginning and end of stitches so that you can identity groups of 12 clearly. This is wonderful for when you have over 300 stitches on your needles!

Now you can keep count and you will immediately see if you left out a yarn over or something because when you reach the end of a marker there will be a stitch or two short. If you are doing say three different stitch patterns on each row you won't go crazy if you mark them out. Try red for the first, yellow for the second and green for the third. Even if you have to drop your knitting, you can return knowing exactly where you are. Also what I do is keep a notebook beside me always. When I start a project I write absolutely everything down -- the yarn, needles, gauge, ideas, yarn label information, date etc. Let's say the pattern requires you to work 25 rows. I jot down 1-25 and as I finish each row I cross it off. I also write what I am doing as I go along and any comments. These things help you to analyze your knitting and will be a reference later on. If I am using another choice of edge stitch or whatever, I put that down too. How easy is it to forget you began working with one edge stitch and then pick up your knitting to continue with the one that's in the pattern?

To form a yarn loop marker cut short lengths of smooth crochet cotton and make a slip knot, pulling tight. Adjust loop to fit over your needle size. Cut off tails to about half an inch (1cm) or as you like it. Try wool as well. In circular knitting I place a bright red slip of wool at the start of the round. No missing that!

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