Stitch markers look more impressive than safety pins, but that is the only advantage. I have seen them, but I don’t remember buying any. Scraps of yarn can also be used for the same purpose.

16.

You need a ruler, or a tension square measure to accurately measure tension (see here). A tape measure is smooth and often springy, so it can slip on the piece of knitting and won’t be accurate. If you hold down the tape measure, it could distort the knitting, which can also affect the accuracy.

I use a big tension square measure that has a needle gauge (see 18) on one side, and measures rows and stitches at the same time, but only shows centimetres, so I have to use a tape measure as well for conversion. A slide tension rule works in the same way as the tension square measure.

17.

Row counters can be useful if you use them faithfully, but I prefer to count the rows and stitches on the piece of knitting (see here). Row counters are essential if you can’t see to count rows or stitches when using a dark, woolly or hairy yarn, or one that has confusing loops.

I have a super dooper row/decrease/increase/times counter all-in-one doodad. I remember it was a great help when I knitted a garment worked in a complicated pattern stitch with very complex shaping happening at the same time.

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