Well I’ve been busy, and I haven’t been knitting! (Although I do have one finished sock… photos the next time I’m home in daylight).

I’ve been getting things ready for my Etsy Store! Right now I have mainly iPod cozies (I made them a while ago, so they were good test subjects for the photographing and listing process) and now I am starting to load up my stitch markers! Here’s a little look at what I’ll be uploading over the next few days:

I really love making them, and I love that I have an excuse to buy beads! Actually, a lot of this first batch are from way back in October when I first got the idea of making stitch markers this way: without jump ring or solid loops of any kind. At that point, I just grabbed whatever supplies I had on hand, so some are made of genuine Rycrafty stash that I’ve been carting around. It’s nice to use it up at last.

I am not using jump rings or split rings or rigid rings of any kind, because I’ve found that ladders can form at the stitch marker when you are using that style. My stitch markers are smooth, flexible, and have nothing that could snag even the finest of yarn. You could even use my largest set on a lace project, and because of the way they hang, and the way they are constructed you won’t get those ladders. I also find them easier to slip to the next needle, because their shape is so similar to that of a loop of yarn. And what is knitting but moving loops of yarn from one needle to another?

I think I’m going to focus on smaller sizes, for socks and things like that. While you can use the biggest set on tiny needles, the big loops do make them longer, and I also find too-long stitch markers a bother.

It’s been great fun making them, and I’m hoping to do well. I’ve had my shop open for about a week now, and I’m planning on listing at least one item each day for the next month, to slowly introduce myself into the Etsy world.

Last night I was making some at the coffee table, and my boyfriend came out of the computer room and started helping me! He’s just wonderful. You never know, one or two in your set could have been made by him! He also had a few very good ideas for making things easier and faster. I love him.