I bought these stitch makers at the LYS. I needed new stitch markers. The locking ones I had keep coming unlocked and I've lost them a couple of times, not a good thing for trying to keep them on a project. It was clearly time for something new, so I picked these up on a whim. They couldn't possibly be worse than the ones I had, right? And if they were, at least it was a cheap little purchase, so it won't be a huge investment.
Before I go any further, I love locking stitch markers. They serve so many purposes, from counting rows or pattern repeats to being used as regular stitch markers. I can unhook them and slip them off the needle if I choose to, even if I'm nowhere near their spot in the row. Then there's the benefits of marking decreases, increases, mistakes, or anything else I may want to easily find in my knitting. I just love the convenience of being able to do what I want with them, when I want to. It's just one of those little things I have where I want to be able to have one tool do as many things as possible.
The Knit Picks locking stitch markers have met my expectations thus far. They come in two shades of purple in each pack, which I like because I can use color to mark beginning of round or whatever. The flat round back of the locking portion would be great for adding letters for the Cat Bordhi patterns, or for numbers. I don't know how well Sharpie would stay on there, since it can wear off of some plastics over time, but the potential is there. Unfortunately, they don't come in a wider variety of colors, and if you have some inherent hatred of purple for some reason, there's no other option. For me, I like purple, so that worked out rather well. I just wish there were more colors.
After a decent bit of use, I've noticed a few things about these stitch markers that may be a problem for some knitters. After the stitch markers have been closed for a while, they're not open as wide after unlocking them. This may cause problems if you need them to be loose to easily hook onto stitches. However, with just a little bit of effort they can be opened enough for easy use. Another concern is the stress marks I've noticed on some of the darker colored stitch markers at the bend in the plastic on the loop away from the lock. If you don't know what I mean, that's a discoloration in the plastic where it becomes lighter than the rest of the plastic, usually from being bent. That's usually a sign of a weak point in the plastic, where it's more likely to break. I haven't had any break yet, and it only has appeared in a couple of the set of twenty thus far. I'm not too worried about it, but it does make me wonder about the longevity of these pieces. Of course, any time you work with plastic, that's going to be a concern, especially anything rigid enough to do the job these stitch markers are doing.
The little convenient storage bag is exactly what Knit Picks markets it to be. It's small, easy to use, and fits the markers flawlessly. It's a thin, flat plastic case that easily fits into my knitting notions bag, and is so easy to carry around wherever I may have need to take it. The plastic seems sturdy enough to hold up over time, which is a necessity for me. However, my one complaint is a lack of a proper means to keep it shut. The top flap slides under a little plastic strap. While that's enough for most people, I know how things go in my knitting bag. I am impressed as it hasn't opened on me to dump my stitch markers everywhere yet. I would prefer some kind of snap closure or something, but with such an inexpensive purchase, I'm sure that's out of the budget. Knit Picks is famed for affordable, so I can imagine that was a deciding factor, keeping their product as affordable as possible. It may just mean I need to make or find a little baggy for them that snaps shut should I start having problems. That can wait as everything has been fine thus far.
All in all, I'm pretty happy with these stitch markers. They're serving me well. Given the project I'm working on requires eighteen of them, I don't feel so bad about not using the flashy stitch markers I've gotten from swap partners and friends. These are simple, inexpensive, and do the job I need them to do. While other stitch markers may be prettier, these serve their function, so who can really ask for more? Will I buy them again? Definitely! Should I find I need some more, or some break or get lost, as undoubtedly happens, I would look into replacing them with the same product. Better still, I can buy these stitch markers from the LYS, which means I can support them at the same time as buying a product I like! Now if only they'd offer their yarn the same way! Nothing beats instant gratification!
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