If you’ve been following me on Instagram you may have noticed I’m going a little gaga over knitting. It’s a craft I never thought I’d enjoy but now that I’ve really given it a chance, I’m obsessed. I think I’m enjoying the challenge of learning new techniques with every project, and also it has a methodical, meditative aspect that I’ve been craving at the moment.
So far it’s been a steep but splendid learning curve full of new delightful discoveries like stitch markers.
Even though I was aware of them in crochet, I never had a need for them, but with knitting it’s different. Stitch markers are quite important to mark things like the beginning of rounds, increases and decreases and other stuff I probably don’t know about yet, they are also like a bit of jewellery for your knitting and many knitters choose ones that reflect their personality.
Until today I was improvising with paper clips, safety pins and little scraps of yarn, they all did the job but I wanted something prettier. So today I visited Beadil, a local bead workshop and made my own. If you are a jewellery maker you will probably have most of the supplies required but if you don’t, ask some of your crafty friends, they may have jewellery making supplies stashed away that you can borrow. Many years ago I used to help my sister make earrings, so was quite familiar with the kinds of bits that I needed.
Of course you can choose any beads that catch your eye. I’ve made a rainbow of stitch markers to brighten my knitting. If you have a friend that knits, stitch markers would make a great gift.
You will need:
– Assorted beads
– Tiger Tail Wire
– Crimp Beads
– Wire cutter pliers
– Flat nosed pliers
You can choose any beads or bead combination you like but keep them to about 1cm (1/2″) max, it’s handy if they have some weight too them.
These are crimp beads. They are a tiny metal bead that can be squashed over a wire to lock other beads in place.
Tiger tail wire is made up of strands of very fine steel twisted together. These multistrands are then coated with plastic or nylon, which creates a tough and resilient beading wire. You can get them in assorted colours, or just silver. It holds it’s shape when bent so it won’t get tangled in your knitting.
How to:
1. Cut about 3″ of tiger tail wire off the roll.
2. Gently fold it in half (don’t crease the top) and thread beads onto both wire ends in this order: crimp bead, decorative beads, crimp bead.
3. Adjust loop to desired size (make larger if you like to use large needles and vice versa) and firmly crimp top and bottom beads with flat nose pliers. Make sure the crimp beads are butted up against the decorative beads to stop them sliding about.
This is what the crimp beads look like when that are squished.
4. Cut of excess wire as close to the crimp bead as possible to avoid snagging on knitting.
Now it’s time to make some more.
These are fun but a bit fiddly to make, so it’s worth having a session and making a whole heap. If you have a group of knitting friends you may want to split the cost of supplies and have a stitch marker making party!
Now I’m off to knit a little more, on my needles is a summer cotton top for Emma.
You can check out my knitting progress on Ravelry, I’ve been posting my projects and notes under the name MyPoppet.
Happy knitting
x Cinti
very cute idea…I am a self taught knitter of over 50 years and for a very long time I did not know of any other stitch marker than a contrasting bit of yarn..i have tried the little plastic rings but find myself going back to pieces of yarn I might be more inclined to use these attractive stitch markers..
I dislike those plastic rings too, and they always get lost and end up in the silliest of places.
Can these be used for crochet work??
No, you’ll need a marker that opens for crochet, otherwise your marker will become a permanent part of your project.
I think this is a great idea. Thanks so much for taking
the time to put this out there for us. They are just lovely.
So pretty and cheerful. Thanks for the tutorial.
These are wonderful! You have inspired me to try some of my own.
These are absolutely adorable. I would like to make some. Where do you get your fabulous tiger tail wire in these colors?
My friend owns a bead shop and had lots of colours. You may want to try online. I didn’t know it was available until she showed me.
Great video and cute stitch markers. Could you substitute the tiger tail for other products like monofilament line?
I think fine line would get tangled. The tiger tail is a coated wire that holds its shape making it easy to move along the needle. You could try with really think fishing line, it may work.
I’m tempted to put these on teensy little jewelry clips, and take my old charm bracelet out of retirement! Colorful AND always handy when I knit!
Great idea.
This is awesome ! I definitely have to try these ! 🙂
Great idea! Thanks for sharing ! I was looking for something cute and cheap! There are some very beautiful on the net but are very expensive.
SO FRIGGIN CUTE MAN!!!
These are lovely – I’m such a sucker for rainbows! Do you know what type of bead you used? I’d love to try and find some online here in Australia 🙂
The best match I could find was the rubber coated ones listed on amazon. I’m not sure where they are available in Australia.
Thanks 🙂
Aw, absolutely love your tutorial! Very clear and sooo useful (and your photos are gorgeous, too *-*). Thanks a lot for sharing! ♥
Awesome idea! They are so lovely *-*
How thick the tiger tail wire you use is? Have seen it from 0.3 mm and up, but don’t know if it’s too thin.