Tuesday, August 12, 2008
StitchMinder - free iPhone knitting app
Gosh I live the interwebs. Yesterday I was looking through free applications for the iPhone and came across something called StitchMinder, it had a pictures of a ball of yarn in the little button and I did a little dance for the intersection of knitting and technology. It's a well thought out application but could use a few changes.
StitchMinder gives you four areas to work with, you tap them and the number increases by one. You can edit the label on each area to suit what you currently need to keep track of. Doing a hat with four sets of decreases? Label all the sections Decrease Row and tap after each decrease. You'll be able to see how many you've done. Set all the sections to count in descending order, and set the start number to the number you need to do, then tap away as you knit and you'll be counting down instead of up, which can be handy to see how much you have left (or simply for motivation). For each counting area you can choose a label - Rows Completed, Pattern Row, Pattern Repeats, Increase Row, Increase Repeat, Decrease Row, Decrease Repeat - so you can keep track of different areas of the pattern on the same screen. You don't lose your numbers if you close the application, turn off the phone or set it to sleep mode.
StitchMinder is not perfect though. There are Edit and Reset buttons right there next to the area you tap, it's far too easy to tap those by mistake and lose track completely. If you you enter the Edit screen your numbers will be lost when you return to the main screen, so Edit is really only meant for initial set up. The Reset button just sets the number to zero. There is no way to undo if you accidentally tap an area twice or tap the wrong area or accidentally reset.
This is what I'd like to see: One tiny Edit button to the right of each tap area which would take you to an Edit screen. You wouldn't lose your information when you return to the main screen. On the Edit screen could be a +1 and -1 button so you can adjust your current number if you need, I'd keep the initial set up options that you see now and place the Reset button at the bottom of this screen. I'd like the main screen to have a nice big Lock toggle button so that cats/children/other people bumping the screen couldn't cause you to lose your place. This could simply throw up a Pause screen like on a game.
As it is I don't see myself using StitchMinder much, it's too easy to lose track. Still, there is hope at the where knitting and iPhones collide.
update: The creator of StitchMinder wrote in to let us know that there will be a few updates to the app, including a confirmation message for the Reset button so you cannot lose your information so easily. Thanks!
categories: knitting, technology
I'm over here still using my row counter. I need to get an iPhone!
Comment by Sarah — August 12, 2008 @ 9:15 am
Oh no! More reasons for me to never put down my iPhone! I secretly love it...
Comment by Rachel — August 12, 2008 @ 9:18 am
Hooray for iPhones! Thought I would add that you can take screenshots with your iPhone - hold down the home button, then press the power button at the top. You'll see a flash of white, then your screen capture will be stored in your photo album. Easy peasy!
Comment by Jen — August 12, 2008 @ 10:21 am
AAAAAAAAHHHH I want an iPhone now!!!!!! AAAAHHH oooh I'm so drooling over that.
Comment by Jessica — August 12, 2008 @ 10:22 am
Wow! I've tried so many different things and this would be the perfect solution! $200 later....
Comment by Amanda @ www.kiddio.org — August 12, 2008 @ 11:26 am
Is that the Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty? I'm working on it too! I downloaded Stitchminder last night. Looks good tho I think it might be a pain to have wake up the phone every time I need to count a row. We'll see.
Comment by LJ — August 12, 2008 @ 4:02 pm
LJ - It is the Lace Ribbon Scarf. I actually set my phone to not go to sleep while I was knitting.
Comment by megan — August 12, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Love love LOVE the blog! Especially "how to make stuff!" Fabulous!
Comment by Christina — August 13, 2008 @ 4:07 am
I just found this and I'm loving it...Loving the iPhone too!!
Comment by Risa — August 13, 2008 @ 7:58 am
yippee!!! Knitting <3 Tech
Comment by Tricia — August 13, 2008 @ 9:11 am
OMG thank you SO much for pointing this out. I'm so downloading this yesterday! I can't count how many times I have to recount...
Comment by Elena Murphy — August 13, 2008 @ 9:53 am
[...] | In knitting | Tags: iphone, apple, row counter, stitchminder it’s the marriage between the iphone and knitting! The [...]
Pingback by iknit « Textiles and Bicycles — August 13, 2008 @ 12:06 pm
You don't have to tap on the row number itself. You can tap well to the left of the row number (away from the reset and edit buttons) which should make it easier (safer)to use. Hope this helps...
Comment by Donna — August 13, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
Hey all! I'm the developer of StitchMinder, and I wanted to say thanks for posting about my app and for your comments and suggestions! I've already submitted an update to Apple that adds a confirmation message when you tap the reset button, so look for that in your App Store application soon. A couple of people have mentioned that it would be nice to be able to "undo" a count upwards or downwards, so I will make sure that gets into the next version.
StitchMinder has a web site, http://www.quilt2go.com/, where you can learn more about upcoming applications, give me feedback, and report any issues. I can also be reached directly via email at support@quilt2go.com. Thanks again for the great post and pictures!
Comment by Paul Mietz Egli — August 13, 2008 @ 3:22 pm
Paul - Thank you so much. I've edited the entry to change the link to go to your site directly. I appreciate that you're taking the time to update the application, thank you.
Comment by megan — August 14, 2008 @ 8:14 am
Oooh, thanks for the heads up. I'll try it tonight.
Comment by Kat with a K — August 14, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
I H8 that iPhones only carry ATT. I SO want one, but we don't get ATT too well here. GRRRRRRRRR.
Comment by kim — August 15, 2008 @ 7:10 am
[...] that people keep thinking up new uses for technologies. Who would have thought, for example, that mobile phones could be used by [...]
Pingback by Knit one, purl one at Vukutu — August 15, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
definitely worth getting an iphone for.
Comment by decorated cookies — August 17, 2008 @ 1:06 pm
I just saw this on an iPhone and it *rocked!* It's so much of a better option than my current outdated little clicker thing ...
Comment by Anne-Marie — August 18, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
[...] skulle ha en massa nyttiga applikationer. Och jag skulle ha lolcats i mobilen! Och jag skulle ha Stitchminder! Plus att jag skulle få en jävla massa respekt bland mina nördiga kompisar. Synd att jag inte [...]
Pingback by I scream, you scream, we all scream for iPhone « Carin Herrmann — August 21, 2008 @ 1:06 am
[...] to count stitch and pattern repeats. Luckily, its a free app and beautifully simple to use. Check Not Martha for an in-depth [...]
Pingback by snowangels » Blog Archive » Nerdy Knitter Gadget — August 31, 2008 @ 8:15 am
Oh my gosh this has me giddy today! : )
Steph
Comment by Adventures In Babywearing — September 12, 2008 @ 5:44 am
I use that iPhone app also. I also use Evermore to put the whole pattern from the web onto the iPhone. (photos included)
I read the directions from the phone while I know.
Does anyone know if there is one that shows abbreviations and stitches?
Comment by ceekay — October 29, 2008 @ 6:58 am