Hints and Tips

I use coloured paper clips as stitch markers and row counters.  The colours make them stand out and they are easy to put in and take out of your work.
Enfys

When starting a new ball of wool/cotton etc., don't use the outside end to begin but pull a few strands from the inside of the ball to find the 'inside end'...if you start with this end, it stops the ball from rolling around the living room while you try to stitch.
Wytchie in Wales, UK

I photocopy patterns I am using (this is totally legal as long as the copy is for your own use and you have the original pattern) so that I can mark where I am up to and how many repeats of things I have done etc without spoiling my original pattern...sounds daft probably but there have been too many times when I have been in the middle of a high number of repeats and got distracted by something (usually the kids lol) and totally lost count.
Wytchie in Wales, UK

One tip which might prove useful to others, when I was crocheting the Safari Afghan out of Homespun and using a regular Plastic Boye Hook, I couldn't get it in the stitch, even after I found it.  So I switched to my Brittany Walnut Hook in a corresponding size and it worked just fine. Also works well with the Fun Fur too, since it was put in the afghan as a stripe alongside the Homespun and not carried with the homespun (if that makes any sense). So anyone having trouble with Homespun, Boucle or any of the bulky yarns might try using a wooden hook and see if it helps them.
Joyce in KY

I place my balls of yarn in a 3 lb. butter bowl.  Perfect size, sits on the floor near my chair and my yarn doesn't roll all over the floor.
Linda M in SC

ONE. I often use yarn I have made up from cones, putting several strands together to make either my own colour blend or just to get the thickness I want in one colour. I prefer to hand wind these, especially as I often just want a small amount.

I find that they run all over the place so - TWO I put them inside one of those little balls that the  children buy in the local family pub. I don't know if you've seen them but they are a ball about half as big again as a tennis ball with one side clear plastic and the other side coloured. They split in two and come with toys in for a pound each. One side has a slot so they can be reused for a money box and the other has a little round hole in, just right for wool. The kids often leave them laying around on the pub floor when they go home, so they are FREE which is my favourite price. They don't tend to roll around at all and the wool keeps nice and clean, also you can slip them in a pocket or bag and use them on the move because the wool is running freely inside the ball.
Suzy Nash in Northamptonshire, UK

When crocheting with fluffy yarns or dark colours, I use a white plastic curtain hook (the ones shaped like a number 9) for a row/stitch marker.
Anne from Timperley in Cheshire

I put my balls of cotton or yarn in an Organza Gift Bag and then slip the ribbon over my wrist when I am on the go.
Joy Guernsey C.I.