Stitch markers are really easy to make, you guys! I didn’t really realize it until trying it for myself last week, but with just a few jump rings (which you can find at my big box craft retailer or online) and charms, you’ve got a stitch marker. I DIY’d these as a last minute gift for a knitter friend, but you can put this tutorial in your back pocket for any time you’ve got a knitter in need of a personalized gift.
Supplies
two 4 mm jump rings
two 9 mm jump rings
metal stamping blanks (essentially these are necklace charms)
jewelry pliers
metal stamping alphabet set
metal stamping block
hammer
Directions
The stitch markers shown are stamped with the letters R and W for right and wrong side. All you have to do if you’re stamping your blanks is center the appropriate letter on your blank (which should be resting on a stamping block) and hit it with a a hammer. There are definitely more advanced techniques that can be accomplished with metal stamping, but for a simple stitch marker, that’s all you need to get by with this beginner DIY. If you want a more in-depth intro to metal stamping, check out this post on the nuts and bolts of metal stamping.
When your blanks are fully stamped, you just attach them to a larger jump ring with a smaller one. You can check out this post for tips on working with jump rings if you’re new to that too. For this tutorial, I used 4mm and 9 mm jump rings, but you can get bigger or smaller jump rings if you know someone who likes to knit big things and would need bigger stitch markers, of smaller jump rings if they <3 knitting socks on tiny needles. The 9 mm jump ring markers I made work on up to a size 10.5 US needle.
There are tons of ways you can get creative with metal stamps & stitch markers. Of course, monogrammed stitch markers are an excellent idea (along with maybe a gift certificate for a lace knitting class – stitch markers are a lace knitter’s BFF). ImpressArt, the company I swear by for metal stamping stuff, carries stamping blanks in all sorts of shapes and you can also find metal stamps for things like baby showers, holidays, pets, hobbies, etc. Anyway, just a heads up that metal stamping + stitch markers = super simple DIY and a faaast way to make a really unique & special gift for a knitter. :)
The metal stamping kit and Lollipop alphabet set used for the R and W were provided by ImpressArt.
Super cute idea!! I need to make a set of these!