☕ Support my work and become a patron: www.patreon.com/nimbleneedlez 🧑🎓Free knitting school: nimble-needles.com/learn-to-knit-for-beginners/ 🧶 My knitting tools: nimble-needles.com/wool-and-tools/my-knitting-toolkit-essential-items-i-need-for-every-project/ 👕 My patterns: nimble-needles.com/free-knitting-patterns/ 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/nimbleneedlez/ And feel free to comment any time if you have a question. No need to be shy! :)
Quite often., price tags are attached to clothing with those “lightbulb” pins. They mostly come in silver, gold or black. I have been collecting them rather than throwing them out and I use them in my knitting and crochet. Recycling is good. 🥰❣🌹
Yes, I was talking to my son the other day and said "Oh, is that one of my stitch markers?" "No! It's from my new shirt." "Oh. Can I have it anyway?" 😂
Of all the videos and books I have seen or read, when I think I’ve heard every tip there is, YOU still have more. I’m always so impressed. Thanks for this!!!
heh. Well...this video took a looong looong while to prepare because, as you said, I didn't want to bore anyone and repeat what's already out there in a gazillion different versions :)
always...wouldn't do to loose the beginners...but of course, advanced knitters also need some choice bits. Can be a tough line to walk but so far I seem (?) to be suceeding ^^.
Definitely a very nerdy one, but I love it: I use one of these to attach an NFC sticker on a cardboard label to my knitting. When I tab it with my phone, it opens the pattern for me ;')
I just watched the crochet tips video, and it reminded me of one more tip…. If I want to leave a long tail for later seaming, I will crochet it into a chain and stick a stitch marker through the last loop, instead of pulling the end through. This way I am less likely to use the tail for knitting instead of the working yarn. The added weight of the stitch marker makes it hang down and away so I’m less likely to get it tangled with the working yarn. (I use a medium or large plastic marker for this as they weigh more. ). When I’m ready to finish my work, I remove the marker and then it’s easy to pull the end without having to fish it back through the last chain.
Norman, thank you for those clever tips. I have a tip for those bulb markers that saved me in one of my VOGUE Knitting Live classes. I just started the Brioche class and the arm of my reading glasses fell off. Well, the instructor came to my rescue when she used one of the bulb stitch markers to put my glasses back together so I could continue the class! Many many great uses indeed!
Thanks for these tips! Here's another one. When you have one of those really cute but thick stitch markers that you want to use but don't want them to make a ladder in your work, you can hang the cute marker from a bulb marker. Best of both worlds!
definitely. A lot of tips can be applied for both crafts and it's always a good idea to mix them, if you ask me (instead of thinking in knitting VERSUS crochet) ^^
Very helpful tips - as always. For those of us who wear earrings and who are always losing one, the remaining one makes a very stylish marker attached to one of these bulb markers.
I love the idea of using them to keep those tiny cable connectors from falling to the bottom of my bag. I use tiny ring stitch markers for some projects, and I use these bulbs as a way to keep 10-15 ring stitch markers collected together.
well...i do have to say that the rings are easier to slip...but typically I find stitch markers for repeats a bit too anyoing anyway, so i never end up using them lol. but if you like them, I think they definitely have their advantages there.
I've found the progress tracking tip super helpful just from a morale standpoint, we've all had those big monotonous projects or project stages where there aren't a lot of landmarks it's easy to sit down to a knitting session and then look down at the work after an hour or so and feel like you've made no meaningful progress, because that day's progress is such a small portion of the whole thing so far that it looks about the same as when you picked it up. Adding a marker at the start of a session lets you look down and say "yep, I got this much done today" and feel more like you're moving forward and not running in place!
Great tips, Norman! I will tell you that I use different colors to signify things such as WS, STOP(always RED), dropped stitch, End of Row, etc....color coded. I can see myself using a few of your tips! Thanks so much...
@@sarahd.7827 Absolutely...and Norman is correct. I was a computer programmer/systems at the Pentagon before I retired in 2016. I worked in computers while on active duty (United States Army!). I color code just about everything...LMBO
Thanks for all the tips, never thought of using the markers as a stopper on interchangeable needles, I had always just used a rubber band when I am done for a bit, but now I don't have to worry about it breaking =)
Wow I’ve knitted since I was 7 years old. I am now 67 and I’ve never seen these. That would have made life so much easier. I’ve knitted everything going and wish I’d had these before. Thank you so much. I shall be watching you from now on and I shall watch all your past videos. 😮
I was recently making a hat that had a panel in it that is garter. I was having trouble keeping track of which rounds were the purl rounds and which were the knit rounds until I saw someone on Reddit suggest using 2 different colored bulb markers chained. I used a green and a purple. Purple was the purl row, green was the all knit row. Everything was smooth sailing after that!
yes, that definitely works so well. And like you said, some patterns can be very confusing to knit in the round and I just feel, a well placed stitch marker here and there prevents any mistake so smoothly!
I always liked the cute little stitch markers but you pointed out the versatility of the bulb markers which I have just ordered. Thank you for all your tips!
yeah..i mean i like them as well and sometimes I just can't resist buying them..but typically i just use them as my start of the round marker which I don't have to slip. I like pretty things haha!
I'm not a knitter but a beginner crocheter: I have been using most of these tips for stitch markers instinctively but there is always something new. I have used split rings, and nappy pins but recently I have been working on with thinner yarn. The smallest rings are quite thin but to compensate it the plastic is quite wide, so I agree they are not suitable.I used to hate how the lightbulb pins would be so sharp that they split the yarn, but now I would say that for anything thinner than DK the lightbulb markers are a must.
For the people who use bulb pins and find them too sharp here is a tip: dip the tip in a bottle of nail polish. It will create a small "ball" in the tip. Depending how fresh and thin the polish is one might need 2 dipping. Try it, it works.
Of all the projects I've knitted, the one I'm on now is the first I've ever needed to follow the gauge for...and I'm terrible at it. Stitch markers helped me because I was able to cast on the number of stitches necessary for the gauge, check it, and section it off so that I could put the next ones on without having to yank out an absurd number of the little buggers to fix something. Not a great method to rely on, but it does help train the eye and hands to get consistent sized stitches!
you know..whatever it takes ;-) Every brain, every body works differently. And a lot of the tips I show here on this channel were born this way. Some of the things ..or well a loooot of the things I tried were failures but hey...live and learn!
Great and innovative ideas! Whenever I purchase a clothing item and find the hangtag attached with a bulb pin I feel like I’ve struck gold! Yesterday while counting out coins at a driveup I even found one in my change 👛 purse🤩👍🏻#neverwithout
Thanks for many new tips for using these bulb shaped markers. I had switched to this type some time ago but had no thought of the many ways they can be used.
Larger versions, typically used as hammock hangers for small pet cages, can be used for huge needles and for accommodating larger numbers of stitches, as for those at the neck of a garment, as Norman mentioned. I have several of these big clips [as I have small furries] sized about 7-8cm long, 4 cm across the bulb, so giving about 18-20cm of overall length. Known here as Pear Clips, they are available at online pet stores, eBay or ETSY.
interesting. Well, I guess I never knit with big enough needles to need these so that's probably why I never even thought about that. Ha! thank you for adding that here
Hi norman. Thanks, for these helpful tips. I use a stitchmarker, to secure the last stich of crocheting. Then you can put it in your bag and travel around. Greetings Susann
Damn, I love the idea to use them as stoppers on cables. Till now I used a long peace of yarn to rest stitches, but this is a gamechanger for me. I am working on a sweater right now and had about 100 stitches resting on a loooooong piece of yarn, so I put your tip into practice right now. Thanks for this amazing tip!
I just watched this video and will definitely use your tips to make my knitting process less random😂. I use my bulb stitch markers as “keys” to tighten interchangeable needles since they are always handy. I recently bought a mixed color pack of 1500 bulb markers from Amazon for $14👍🏼 I’ll never be able to loose them all😜
Great video. I also used small stitch markers to mark the place I do wrap and turns and I have used it to mark the actual wrap itself. I was using dark coloured yarn so picking up the wraps was challenging especially on the wrong side!
I would add that when you use your stitch marker to catch a dropped stitch, you can use the marker to "hang" that stitch from your needle or cable in the correct place, so you won't pass the spot as you knit around. I love your videos, thank you for them!
These were all knew to me except for the one to secure dropped stitch. Currently starting simple lace projects and your tips have just changed the world for me! Every video you make is so easy to learn from. Thank you so much for being the best knitting educator on the net. Self taught and sometimes confused , hahaha, here in Nova Scotia, 🇨🇦.
Im glad Im not the only one that struggles with counting! I often use stitch markers to keep track of my cast ons and rows in both knitting and crochet
I've used all your tips (used regular safety pins after I had to buy replacement connectors (: ). I chain different color markers as my row counters - even use plastic coated paperclips on large repeats with some colors standing for certain "no-brainer" rounds/rows. I set the chain up and move a marker from one to the next to indicate my current working row/round. I agree these bulb markers are the most used notion in my yarn kit!
Thanks so much. I use these bulb stitch markers everywhere in my knitting. I hadn’t thought of putting one thru the hole on my needles to capture the stitches - genius!
Thank you again Norman. I had no idea that the little holes in the cable connectors can be used to insert a lifeline - absolutely brilliant! I will also immediately start using the suggestion to use the markers as a needle stopper through the little hole. Great ideas, thank you!
Your videos are obviously very informative but man, are they beautiful! Those colours are so saturated, the colour palette of each part is just a bliss.
happy to hear that. this recent upgrade to my colour scheme was thanks to a lot of feedback here from the community to make the videos even more accessible for colorblind ppl and ppl with other visual problems/disabilities.
it took quite a long time to collect all these tips and pour them into one cohesive video. I think this was 6 months in the making >.< So, glad you enjoy these tips
Good suggestions all around! I was unaware of this style stitch markers and have found the thicker markers do create a distortion in the knitting row. I have taken advantage of the link in your description to place my order for this product. Thank you so much, Norman, for your helpful videos.
I always say you can never have too many stitch markers. I like to use the bulb-shaped ones especially for marking my decrease rounds on sleeves so I can make sure they both turn out the same. Thanks for the tips!
Ingenious! I just followed your affiliate link and ordered a batch of markers plus some letter & number beads. (Also a bottle of cedar oil to refresh my little anti-moth blocks.)
Even someone who loves bulb markers as much as I do can learn something from this video. I prefer using ornamental pins to mark the front of a project (and occasionally keep the front and back together for larger projects.
I have round plastic markers, clasp plastic , fancy beaded ones, and the wire bulb ones, now I have more uses for the bulb one , which are my favorite anyway. Always a delight to listen and learn from you. Suzy
I use them to mark the beginning of a decrease or increase section so i can count the rows up when i mindlessly forget to tap my row counter app. Incidentally I love ❤ your tips and tricks and was today years old when i learned from you that pulling yarn from the center is the reason why my yarn separates all the time. Thank you for that!!! Greetings from a collapsing democracy USA! ❤
Absolutely genius. I have a bunch of those and I keep forgetting what I'm using them for as my projects seem to sit more than knit😂. I'm going to use your ideas thank you I really enjoy your channel.
Thank you so much. According to your test I am an intermediate beginner and you have taught me! Thank you so much for that. I have the plastic ones and they are horrible. I also was not using them for all of these different type cases. I am now! I just casted on with double needles to start the brioche stitch I learned from you and for once I didn’t have to backup and count stitches because I lost count. I also ordered the pin style ones through your link. I know these tips probably seem obvious but they are not for me and I am always grateful for them
This really made me happy... I just bought these markers and expected I will only use them to mark repetetive sections of my work... after the video I think I will need to buy some more as I will definitely start to use them much more after seeing your video. Norman you are a STAR. I learned so much from you already...thank you for sharing all your experience.
Love this. I got some new ways to use my most commonly used stitch markers. I find they are easy to never miss on your row they don’t make your running thread longer needlessly and they are just convenient and easy to use. So I appreciate the additional ways of usage here that you’ve have shared in this tutorial.
Love your videos! I especially like the tip on clipping those tiny connectors. I'm always worried I'll lose mine! My tip is: Have you ever came back to your knitting after setting it down and "think" you're knitting on the correct side you left off on only to find you're on the wrong side? I use one colored stitch marker (green) at the start of the front facing side row, and another color (red) at the other end. When you turn your work, the red stitch marker is now at the start of the row. This way there is no question what side of your work you are on.
Great tips! Some were new. I like to make fancy stitch markers and I usually add them to the light bulbs. I use the fancy ones for my beginning of round.
Thank you for this practical video. You have shown how organised I can be, as well as the multiple uses for stitch markers, which I would never. Have thought of. I love the pace of your explanations and the detail you include.
Some of these tips I already knew, but some I did not and they look very helpful. I use a lot of this type stitch marker for marking my rows, different colors help. Thank you for the video
Some great tips Norman I know what to ask Santa for now some bulb shaped stitch markers lol 👏love the use of holding a few stitches instead of the long stitch holders I have they do get in the way and much better to use them to pieces of a garment together so much safer than pins thank you again Norman 😊Amanda xx💕💖
The tip about adding a label to your yarn is ingenious!! At least to a professional yarn label displacer like me 😅 One thing that I do: when I adapt a garment on the go, e.g. add additional decreases or increases to fit it to someone's body, I add one of the little bulbs in each increase/decrease. I also write things down but it's a great way to visually track where I changed what.
Excellent tips, much appreciated. Also I know it sounds tacky but it's so nice to see a video with hands that look well manicured and neat & clean, it is a delight👐
ha....takes quite a loot of effort to maintain them in such a manner. These macro lenses make even the smoothest hand look like you came straight in from gardening.
Hi! I've just learned knitting and I'm very happy I found your channel this early on - your videos are a great help! I love that you explain not only the techniques etc. but also the why. Thank you very much!❤
definitely. I think you can even get like tags or so on Etsy you could sew in. But often, on handknit items you don't actually want a tag. So yeah, great choice!
they sure do come in handy. At least I do feel they are and I employ them quite frequently..well...i mean, the stitch marker in my CG set just stays there but still. haha :P
And they have wonderful color coated lightbulb stich markers. I absolutely love them for DK working and smaller weighted yarn. I have also taken nail polish to my gold and silver stich markers to mark them up for a huge project. I have a scrap paper that I have indicated all color for a particular stich or grope of stiches, like ssk, m1L are the front or back, whichever and when I put down my work and pick it back up it, I know what and where. If I forget I can always look at my charted scrape paper, so I no longer need to think, once I see that color, I know exactly where I am at and what I need to do next. Thank you, you are giving me better uses for my stich markers that are just hanging around, because I don't know about you all, but I can never have enough of variety. Best Holidays Season to all.
You inspired me to pick up knitting again! i cant thank you enough norman.💞 ur videos help me so much and your blog helps me so much! ur cable patterns, ur tips and tricks. ur advice about fibers and yarn types, ply etc. ur amazing💗🎄
I hadn’t visited you in a while Norman. I am working on a fairly large needlepoint project. Today I felt like a little visit, and stumble upon this gem of a video. You are the best!! Thanks so much. Believe it or not, some of the tips are going to be useful in my needlepoint work.
I must admit, this video just popped up as a recommended one to watch. I didn't expect to learn anything new but I did 😲 starting with the first tip. Excellent video, thank you for sharing!!!
I only have the plastic loop kind at the moment, but one thing I use them for is to pin my work+needles into an 'X' when I'm taking a break. They're pretty secure this way and I don't have to worry if they fall off the bench or my wife needs to move them for some reason.
I am sold. I usually use scraps of yarn to make stitch markers that are in a contrasting colour. I own some plastic ones that can slip off and have fallen off by mistake. I must have bought them 20 years ago and gradually stopped using them. I found they did create a looser stitch over them, too.
well, for mere marking of a repeat, these scraps work like a charm. then again, these bulb-shaped stitch markers sure do have some other little tricks in them. And i mean, not like they cost a fortune either. But you are right, the wrong stitch marker CAN create a bad stitch definition!
I’ve knitted all my life and just discovered bulb markers. I love them, especially the colourful ones 😊 I was so tired of the big ones. You’re so right about the big ones being inconvenient and making the space between stitches too big. I love the idea of using them to hold a small number of stitches for mitts.
Some really great ideas here and I plan on using them ! Up to now I have been making do with coiless safety pins .I was working with finer yarn and no fine stitch markers available in the craft store . Even used the fine jewelry rings . I definitely need a trip to my LYS ! TY
The bulb shaped markers are my favourite as well, for all the reasons you mentioned. I’ve also seen people use them to mark and pick up wraps in Wrap and Turn, and Japanese short row techniques. Useful little fellas.
