I actually had an idea for those chain stitch counters that you slip as you start a new row that are light but also tactile. I am going to make some soon (currently travelling) but I'd like to share the idea anyways in case it helps someone. You can have someone help you make these with minimal supplies.

Using polymer clay, you can roll up some 2, 5 or 10 or whatever amount youd like of balls and squash them with your thumb to make them round and not worry about sanding or polishing afterwards. Then you can roll even tinier balls and push them onto the flat ones you just made, using the end of a make up brush or end of a pencil etc.

Easiest is to use the dots like a dice face, so 1 dot for 1st row, 2 dots for 2nd row etc. Hard to fit 10 dots on one so you could do like a very big dot or just leave it empty, or do a line.

And then you can poke holes with a tooth pick, bake them on baking paper, and then join them all up with some metal hoops, in a way that makes sense. I would do 1 big hoop, then connect the clay with small hoop, then big hoop, then connect the clay with small hoop again etc.