How to keep track of repeats in your knitting using bulb pins

It’s no secret that I love these little bulb pins. They are endlessly useful - so much so that I wrote a blog post about them a while ago - read here.

But did you know that you can make use of them as a motivational aid?

Here's a quick tip for keeping track of pattern repeats.

1. Create a chain a bulb pins corresponding to the number of repeats

2. Every time you finish a repeat, remove a pin

3. For added bonus points, clip it to your knitting to mark the repeat

4. When you run out of pins, you've completed all the repeats

Simples! There’s something very satisfying about working your way through the little links - a kind of countdown marker to completion.

This also works for keeping track of increases/decreases or any time you want to make a note of how many times you do a particular thing. I sometimes use it if I need to do a lot of rows or rounds and I don't want to stop to keep counting. I just mark them off every 5 rounds - or whatever is easy to count at a glance.

If you have a favourite use for these little beauties please do let me know.

Oh - and as an aside. I found out today that an alternative name for them is Calabash pins - named after the distinctive gourd. Every day is a school day!

10 uses for removable stitch markers

You may have noticed from some of my social media posts that I have a not-so-secret fondness for those little bulb pins - sometimes called interlocking or removable stitch markers. I’ve managed to acquire quite the collection over the years - either bought in bulk from Merchant and Mills, bought in pretty colours as sets and also squirrelled away from the labels of clothes bought in slightly posh clothing stores.

The reason for my obsession? They are the most ridiculously useful items you’ll ever possess in your knitting bag. So much so that I’ve started to clip a few through the zipper of all my project bags - just so that I’ll never be without one.

So what do I use them for you may ask?

• Marking stitches during a long cast on: slip one onto the needles after every 50 stitches or so to save lots of counting.

• Marking the right side when working in garter stitch.

• Use as a regular stitch marker.

• Catching up a dropped stitch to fix later.

• Marking sleeve decreases/increases - to save counting - especially on darker fabrics.

• Marking rows knitted - put one in every day rows to save counting.

• Holding knitted pieces together during seaming.

• Holding a few solid stitch markers safe and together in your knitting bag.

• Pinning a reminder note to your knitting: if you are setting it down for a while and you want to remind yourself of something**.

• Marking a central double decrease - or similar decrease where the stitch marker has to go through the actual stitch.

** I am well aware that this is something of an aspirational goal. Very few of us set a project aside fully intending to not pick it up again for the next six months, but if you were that sort of person who plans ahead with military precision then this would be the perfect way to not forget which size needle tips you used.

If you have any other uses for them I’d love to know - they are endlessly adaptable - just like knitters after all!

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