Stitch markers for me, me, ME!!! Okay, and some for swapping.

The temperatures soared over 100 degrees again today. This time when I beat a retreat to the basement I took my beading stuff down with me, including some new goodies from the local bead shop. I needed some letter beads for working on patterns from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters: Book One. The patterns call for marking points A, B, C, etc. and that is much easier to do if you have stitch markers with said letters.

These letter beads look as bright as silver, but I think they're nickel or some other metal, since they weren't behind the counter with the rest of the precious metals. I added some Swarovski crystals and sterling wire and rings. Shiny!

I also went to town with some more soldered silver rings and some beads and some more Swarovski crystals that I already had and made up some more pretty stitch markers for myself in moonstone, rose quartz, jade, amethyst, and glass Turkish eye beads:

Sock Summit is coming up, and we're told there will be a stitch marker swap. Several of the women in my local knitting group are planning to drive up on Saturday (yay for living about a hour's drive from Sock Summit!), and some are preparing stitch markers for swapping. I searched the bead store for something regionally appropriate to trade with folks coming from far away, and I don't think I could find anything more regionally appropriate than these little pewter charms:

I only bought five, but I think I'll go back and get some more this week. Even though the ring I added is a bit large for sock knitting, I have a feeling they'll go over well in a swap. But before anyone can have 'em, they'll have to learn to say the name of this state properly: OR-uh-gun. Say it with me now: OR-UH-GUN. I keep hearing about some place called "Oh-ree-gawn" but I can't say that I know where it is.