Got maybe ten feet when I realized I only had four needles instead of five - and I'd lost the stitch marker at the start of the round. Took a minute to find the needle, it had rolled ahead a bit, but no sign of that stitch marker. It's tiny, about a half-inch long, with a clear quartz stone. I searched back and forth for quite a while, between where I found the needle and back to the control panel, but I finally had to give up and head on to work.
Losing that marker sucks. It was part of a set of six, all with different semi-precious stones, that I got in exchange for Kentucky postcards from a crafter in London, England. Those little beauties made it safely clear across the Atlantic, one was lost and found again at a Yarn Harlot event, and I lose one on a downtown sidewalk I've walked hundreds of times.
There's a slim chance it'll turn up somewhere in the depths of my backpack, but I'm pretty sure it's gone. If you're ever in downtown Lexington and pass by the little restaurant on Vine at Limestone - the one on the transit center side, not the one by the city parking lot - glance down and look for a little clear stone with a ring attached, will you?
Edited 6pm: Found it on the way home. Sun was brighter and at a different angle, caught a tiny glint off the sidewalk and there it was, only slightly bent after its day of adventure. Ring & stone weren't damaged, just the wire connecting them, easily straightened. So Yay!
