Vertical Lifelines

I am SUCH a lazy knitter. I HATE picking up stitches and won't do it unless there is absolutely no other option. And of course there's another option! Need you even ask?

I guess I invented the concept of vertical lifelines, as I have never heard of them anywhere else. Basically, it's just a thread that runs up the side of the knitting along the edge. Every time you begin a row, just pick up the yarn under the lifeline so the working yarn wraps around it. And when you need those edge stitches, you can slide a needle through all the pick-ups in a few minutes.

You will probably have to pick up some extra stitches, as this method only threads through every other row. However, most of the work is already done and it's easy enough to evenly add the extra stitches where you need them.

For long, long edges such as shawls, I use a twisted silk embroidery thread or buttonhole thread wrapped around a cardboard bobbin. As I need more thread, I just unwrap it from the bobbin, which is pinned to the shawl or left floating, depending on my mood.

Here's the best I can do with a close-up of a vertical lifeline: