Stitch Marker Mystery, The: A Cozy Mystery of Placed Perils and a Marked Malice

?? Knitting shop owner and stitch marker artisan Markie Place is hosting a knitting retreat when the retreat's star instructor—a famously demanding technique perfectionist—is found dead in her studio, surrounded by hundreds of scattered stitch markers arranged in a suspicious pattern. The police suspect an allergic reaction, but Markie notices the markers form a complex knitting chart and the victim's project notes contain color-coded markings that don't match any known pattern. With her retreat in chaos and the knitting community unraveling, Markie must place the clues in perfect order. Assisted by her knitting regulars and the handsome materials scientist analyzing polymer compositions, Markie uncovers a scheme involving counterfeit markers, stolen artisan designs, and a plot to sabotage independent crafters. From suspicious plastic formulations that reveal inferior materials to clasp mechanisms that don't match the advertised quality, every placed marker tells a story. But when Markie discovers the victim was systematically copying small artisans' unique marker designs for mass production, she realizes the killer is protecting creative originality more valuable than any manufacturing profit. With the retreat ending soon and the real copycat still marking territory, Markie must cast on the evidence before her own designs get permanently purled.