How to make stitch markers ( and a little bit more ranting)

"My purpose in life may be only to serve as a warning to others..." sic. Ambrose Bierce.

I made slippers, waaaay to big, to felt. I made them from wool, washed them in hot water with soap and a towel, put thru the equivalent of 4 washes,and do you think it shrank at all??? No way, dropped a couple of stitches tho'. I have tried everything, agitated in the sink with boiling water and soap, vinegar to remove any dressing that may be stopping it from felting, but no...in the small print on the label it states that this wool is machine - washable, all of the others had this is large print on the front of the ballband, 'cos usually it's a good thing...not this one. This is the yarn I will use from now on when knitting for babies and children, then when Dad accidentally throws it is the wash, no problem-o.

So ,I am a bit miffed about this, that and my experience at "Spitlite" yesterday, you antipodeans know who I mean, the craft megastore. Now don't come down all venegful on me if you work there, or your friends and family work there, I am sure there are plenty of lovely people there, actually the woman who sold me curtain lining was one, the one who sold me yarn was not...here am I, standing in line for 10 minutes,(behind one person) I ask the assistant to check the prices of the items I am holding, as have been caught out by their " of course we expect you to have e.s.p pricing policy" I had picked up some bags from the cheap yarn bin, the assistant agreed: 2 x 8 balls for $10 (one had 7 but I didn't want to quibble) and 1 with 3 bitty balls for $2.60, plus a ball of full price yarn to finish the slippers. She then proceeded to rip open the bags and ring up each and every ball, at the full price...I am like..."excuse me, the bags say $10 for 8 balls" she looks at me like I am a complete idiot, and goes to talk to her manager, who comes back and shrieks ( I kid you not, the woman SHREIKED!) "you can't return them then, if you don't pay full price" I said "they were in the BARGAIN BIN", what is wrong with these people!!!I hate hate hate experiences like that, if everyone used their blasted brains then I wouldn't have to stress myself by being assertive ( which is a learned trait for me)

Today Flash and I went to the beadshop to buy beads for a bracelet ( is it bracelet for a man?) for him, various shapes of haematite, and steel beads, he designed it himself, and it is great. I bought a few head pins and jump rings to make some more stitch markers, and found these cute-as Peruvian beads with little llamas on them , shall have to use them when knitting alpaca!

Making stitchmarkers:
I know that I am probably teaching my Grandma to suck eggs by posting this, but here goes:
assemble everything that is in this picture, for one pair of stitch markers you will need:

2 head pins: (like long pins withOUT the point)

2 jumprings: I use one size that goes up to 7mm, and a bigger size for us to 10 mm, I am going to try curtain rings on size 14mm, I suggest taking a knitting needle to the shop with you.

beads: I use a little one at the bottom to stop the others falling off, the something interesting, and then maybe a little accent, have FUN!
pliers
thread the beads on to the headpins, I then twist the wire over on itself, to make a kind of loop with the end going back down into the bead hole, when you press the two sides of the loop together slightly that should push the end far enough down, play around to find a way that suits you, then join the jump ring on through the loop, you can do this before you twist the wire if you want.
Get your kids to join in, they can make danglys for their bracelets, or zippers, while you make stitch markers.