Sunday, January 27, 2008

Shiny Things
I am a pretty dull person in the jewelry that I wear compared to some of my more fashion conscious friends. They adorned themselves with name brand clothes, shoes, purses and finally shiny things. By shiny things I mean jewelry. Now don't get me wrong, I love jewelry. I have jewelry of all expense levels (mostly inexpensive levels) and I love the stuff, but I don't wear it. I used to though. I used to have a ring on each hand, a watch, a bracelet on my wrist, a necklace and of course I have double pierced ears, so two pair of earrings on at all times. That all came to a screeching halt back in 1997, when I enrolled in culinary school. The rules for no jewelry were hard and fast. I found it a bit tedious to take things on and off on a daily basis so eventually I was worn down and stopped wearing everything except a watch. I even took off my wedding rings for that period of two years where food sanitation and safety were an issue. I totally got out of the habit until three years ago.

The timing of all of this is rather ironic. I learned to knit three years ago and when I started knitting I put on my wedding rings, put back the double pair of earrings and I started wearing a pearl necklace that was a gift from my oldest son while he was stationed in South Korea. The funny thing is, not only did I start wearing jewelry, but knitting did too. I learned that in knitting there are pattern repeats and to avoid having to count constantly, you use a stitch marker. I was smitten. I started collecting all sizes and shapes of stitch markers.



Stitch markers can be just like jewelry. Some are plain and large...
Others are plain and small... And others come in various colors.Just like my person, I decided that my knitting needing something cuter. By cuter, I mean more colorful and fun. There are so many stitch markers out there that I got a headache looking at all of them. I felt a bit silly ordering little tiny shiny knitting jewelry and with shipping and handling, was not worth the money to me. I don't do a lot of Internet ordering and probably could have coupled the stitch markers with something else to make it worth the s&h, but I didn't need to.

Enter my good friend Sue Eckman Von Ohlsen from Minutiae. Sue is a Master Knitter whose talents are not restricted to just knitting, but some fabulous bead work. Her craftsmanship is on display on a monthly basis at TKC. There is a Stitch Marker of the month rack near the register that will attract anyone who loves shiny, pretty knitting jewelry. The markers are not expensive, and are made from Swarovski crystals. The first year Sue's theme was the birthstone of the month. This is how the stitch markers look in their packaging.

Here is what they look like since I have been collecting them over the last 13 months.





I was lucky enough to be gifted these little beauties... So if you are like me and love shiny knitting jewelry, dash by The Knitting Corner and give the markers a look.

10 comments:

Susan Luni said...

Those are nice stitch markers. Besides being pretty, they look very well-made. Does she make the knitting row counters? (You know, the ones I wrote about here: http://3sleeves.blogspot.com/2007/08/knitting-in-fairplay.html). I bet they would sell well if she did.

vlb5757 said...

Luni, I forwarded your comment to Sue to see if she makes those. I am not sure. I will get back to you.

Tina T-P said...

Hi! - Your yarn store stories are great - sounds like what we do with sheep farms & plant nurseries - lol -

Glad to see you are doing well! T.

Anonymous said...

Hey Vickie,
Glad to see you back. I love it that even your knitting has jewelry. :)

m

vlb5757 said...

Tina-I just love that the shop owner promotes Sue's work. I fell for the stuff hook, line and sinker. I just love shiny things and it was like a moth to a flame.
Maureen-I try to post as often as I can but when I was working on the shawl I totally lost track of time. I love the stitch markers and can't wait to see what Sue has in store this year's theme.

Tracy Batchelder said...

Very pretty stitch markers! I still often use the very plain ones though, because the dangling beads get in my way.

Jennifer said...

Although I make jewelry and love it on other people, I rarely wear anything more than my wedding ring and a watch. But dressing up my knitting? Definitely! The stitch markers are beautiful and they'd make me smile too.

Rascal said...

Well, they look like Cat toys to me. Many thanks for stopping by my blog while I've been in surgery, recovery, and diagnosis. It's encouraging to have such good friends during this difficult time. Purrs!

vlb5757 said...

Jennifer, I think that you and I are on the same page with jewelry. I love it and I admire how others can wear it, but it's just not for me. I love looking at other people's knitting jewelry too. Some things are just so cute a clever!

Rascal-I hope that you are able to feel better soon. I know it's been a bit busy at your house, but I thnk that mom and dad will help you through this with all the love they have to give. Purrs back at 'cha.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful stitch markers!