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For crochet, use locking (removable) stitch markers: small clips that open and close directly into the fabric, rather than the solid ring markers knitters use, which won’t fit around a crochet stitch the way they slide onto a knitting needle. A stitch marker’s job is simple: mark the start of a round, an increase or decrease point, a stitch repeat, or a color change, so you don’t have to recount every time you look up from your work. Here’s which type to use, how to place one, and which sets are worth buying.
Types of Crochet Stitch Marker
Locking / Clasp Markers
Locking markers — small lobster-clasp, leverback, or bulb-pin styles — open and close like a tiny clip, so you can attach and remove them from any stitch at any point in your work. They’re the default recommendation for crochet because they clip directly into the V of a stitch and stay put until you move them. Crocheters often reach for these more than any other marker.
Safety-Pin / Coil-Less Pins
Small coil-less safety pins are cheap, secure once closed, and easy to find in a notions drawer. Their main downside is that they’re small and easy to lose track of in a project bag. They work well for amigurumi, where you’re usually only tracking one point at a time.
Split-Ring Markers
Split-ring markers slide open like a keyring and close around a stitch. They work in crochet, but the open slit can snag on yarn more than a true locking clasp, so they make a fine backup rather than a first choice.
Solid Ring Markers
Solid ring markers, the closed loops sold for knitting, are knitting-only. They’re designed to slide onto a knitting needle between stitches, and there’s no way to clip a closed ring into a crochet stitch. This is the most common stitch-marker mix-up crocheters run into after switching from knitting, or after buying a mixed craft-store multipack that assumes one marker style fits both crafts.
Scrap-Yarn or Thread Markers
A short length of contrasting scrap yarn, tied loosely through a stitch, costs nothing and works as a marker you can crochet right over for a longer-term reference point. This is useful for marking a repeat or a pattern change you’ll need to find again several rows later, long after a clip-style marker might have been moved or misplaced.
Metal vs. Plastic
Metal markers hold up well with thicker or more textured yarn and firmer tension. Plastic markers are lighter, often color-coded, and a good choice if you’re tracking several different points in the same project at once, since you can assign a meaning to each color.
How to Use Crochet Stitch Markers
- Work the stitch you want to mark.
- Clip the marker through the top of that stitch, catching both loops of the V.
- Continue working the round or row as normal.
- When you reach the marked stitch again, unclip it and move it into the new stitch in the same position before continuing.
A few common ways crocheters use markers:
- Marking the first stitch of a round in amigurumi, so you always know where a round starts and ends.
- Marking every 10th, 20th, or 50th stitch on a long row, so you can count in chunks instead of stitch by stitch.
- Marking increase points, decrease points, or color-change rows so you can find them again without rereading the whole pattern.
Best Crochet Stitch Markers — Top Picks
- Best overall: a locking, multicolor stitch marker set with smooth clasps that won’t snag yarn. Different colors let you assign a meaning to each one, such as one color for round starts and another for increases.
- Best budget: bulb-style locking pins sold in bulk, if you just need a lot of markers cheaply for a big project.
- Best for amigurumi: small coil-less safety pins, since amigurumi usually only needs one marker in play tracking the round start.
- Best for lace or fine thread: fine leverback markers sized for thread crochet, so they don’t distort delicate stitches.
Clover Locking Stitch Markers (Multicolor Set)
Removable locking clasps, assorted colors
Our affiliate catalog currently lists this set under our stitches and techniques cluster rather than under hooks and tools. It’s the same product either way, and it’s the set I’d point a new crocheter to for clipping into stitches without snagging or leaving marks on the yarn.
| Style | Locking clasp, multicolor |
|---|---|
| Price range | Check the current price on Amazon |
Pros
- Smooth clasps that don’t snag delicate yarn
- Assorted colors for color-coding a pattern’s markers
Watch-outs
- Listed under a different cluster in our own catalog for now
- Small clasps can be fiddly with cold hands
DIY Crochet Stitch Markers
If you don’t want to buy markers at all, a jump ring, a small lobster clasp, and a charm make a serviceable locking marker with basic jewelry-making supplies. For a zero-cost option, a bent paperclip, an ordinary safety pin, a bobby pin, or a short loop of contrasting scrap yarn all work in a pinch. None of them look as tidy as a purpose-made marker, but they’ll get you through a project while you decide whether to buy a proper set.
How Many Crochet Stitch Markers Do You Need
For amigurumi, one marker tracking the round start is usually enough. For garments and patterns with several repeats to track, 10 to 20 markers gives you room to mark multiple points at once without running out mid-row. A mixed pack in the 20 to 30 range covers most crocheters for years, since markers rarely wear out; they mostly just get left in a finished project and forgotten about until you notice one still clipped in months later.
[MEDIA: photo of locking stitch markers clipped into a row of crochet stitches | alt: locking crochet stitch markers clipped into a row of stitches]
Frequently asked questions
What kind of stitch markers do you use for crochet?
Locking or removable markers. Solid ring markers made for knitting won’t clip into a crochet stitch, so they don’t work here.
Can you use knitting stitch markers for crochet?
Only the locking kind. Closed rings made for knitting needles can’t clip into crochet fabric the way a crochet stitch marker needs to.
Where do you put a stitch marker in crochet?
Through the top V, both loops, of the stitch you want to mark, or in the first stitch of a round so you can find it again easily.
What can I use instead of stitch markers for crochet?
Safety pins, paperclips, bobby pins, or a loop of contrasting scrap yarn all work as a substitute in a pinch.
Do you move the stitch marker every round?
Yes. Unclip it and re-clip it into the new first stitch each round so it always marks the current round’s starting point.
Keep track of every round without losing your place
Locking, removable stitch markers are the right choice for crochet. Solid rings made for knitting won’t clip into a stitch the way you need them to. See our crochet row counter guide for tracking longer rows, or head back to the crochet hooks hub.
