several people have asked me about the stitch markers that i use in my knitting. they are really just little bits of twine, embellished with beads, that i tie up myself. super, super easy and homemade. so for fun, i thought i'd put together a tutorial for anyone that might want to whip up a few of their own. let's see...
materials:
hemp twine
beads (i've been using some old wooden
ones i saved off of an old sweater)
scissors
white craft glue
1. begin by stringing a bead on a piece of twine that is big enough for you to tie, about 4" - 5" long.
2. tie a simple over/under knot, but do not pull it too tight at first. then tie another of the same simple knot on top of that (aka: double knot). adjust the loop so that it is about the right size (keep in mind that it will need to fit over your knitting needles easily).
3. tighten. make sure it is tight by pulling all around twine, both inside the loop and from the tails.
4. put a drop of glue on the twine knot to keep it from unravelling. let dry.
5. trim away extra tails of twine, close to the knot.
6. done! make several to keep in your knitting bag. i have some with different shades of wood beads for when i need color-coding to keep track of different stitches on one project.
and there it is... a step-by-step guide (probably one of the simplest crafty how-tos on the internet) for making your very own hemp stitch markers. make a few and enjoy!