Which is My Left Again?

Here's a peek at my next cardigan, Joan Fuller.  I am inspired lately by the texture and nostalgia of aran knits, as well as a hemline that dips lower in the back.  My hope is this cardigan will be short enough in the front to showcase something special at the waistline, such as a spectacular belt.  There will also be an unusual treatment at the sleeve hem.  I'll share a sketch soon.

the back

For now, I would like to step up on my stitch marker pedestal. Stitch markers have saved me more times than I would like to admit.  Left and right are really challenging for me (I have no tattoos, but if I did, a tiny "L" on my left hand and a tiny "R" on my right).  Left and right in knitting is twice as confusing: Left as I'm looking at it?  Left as worn?  Which is my left again?  Left and right in pattern writing is three times as confusing.

Enter the left and right stitch marker.  Really, one could use merchandise tags with 'left' and 'right' scrawled on them, but I like my knitting to feel pretty.

I am not a jeweler; the following is a quick lesson in how I make stitch markers.

Materials:

the fixed ring is actually part of a clasp 

1.) Line up beads and bend wire 90 degrees:

Use these small pliers to make a clean 90 degree bend:

2.) Next,using these kind of pliers with rounded tip

wrap wire around to make a hook:

3.) Slip onto an earring wire

and coil the end of wire around the wire holding the beads:

sorry so blurry

4.) Snip the tail with these:

Done!

I use earring wires for the markers that need to come and go from the needles mid row, and also as row markers (my patterns usually have a "Row 0" for counting purposes).

I hope you're having a great weekend.