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!

Want to win some amazing knitting stuff? Susan from Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm (and the incredibly-good-idea Fiber CSA) that I talked about last year is holding a raffle to raise money for somebody who needs our help. She's raffling off her entire yarn stash and including skeins from the farm (yarn which I've had the pleasure to touch, and it's ever so nice). Not just that, lots of prizes, some individual, some included in the grand stash prize, have been added. There is loads of scrumptous hand spun and dyed yarn, stitch markers, knitting patterns, roving and knitting kits from people all hoping to help -- the list is really something to behold.

In the hopes of helping out as much as I can I've donated a prize as well, one of my Portable Knitting Needle Cases for DPNs that I make as The Organized Knitter.

You can purchase as many raffle tickets as you like by donating through Paypal. Each ticket is $10 and well worth it for a chance at all the great stuff.

You can read the story behind why this money is being raised, it'll break your heart, see the huge list of prizes and buy tickets here at the MVFF blog. It's a good cause for some people who have given their entire lives to helping others, and I hope you will buy many tickets in the effort to help them as much as they deserve.

I'm a little late to hear this news, so buy raffle tickets quickly as the drawing is taking place on Sunday, July 13th, just four days away.

Look, I knit a big, wooly sweater in the middle of the summer. This is the B.O.B., Button On Blanket. (Also at Ravelry.) It's a large and cuddly sweater created with the sole purpose of keeping the wearer warm. The pattern was written by Jackie of Yarnish, and it's a free PDF download from this page, you can also find the pattern here at Ravelry (if you have already joined). I really like this pattern, it simple yet interesting, and so fast that it might be a good one to keep around for the next time a family member begs you to knit them a sweater.

Here are the various links:
- the pattern at Yarnish
- the B.O.B. page with pattern download at Ravelry
- Jackie's project page at Ravelry
- my project page at Ravelry

(more...)

the pattern: Lace Ribbon Scarf from Knitty
the yarn: Rowan 4 Ply Cotton in Shale (145)
the previous entries: 1



I've finally started working on the Lace Ribbon Scarf. I switched from bamboo needles to some thrifted plastic dpns of unknown material which I've looped elastic bands around the ends of to create short straight needles for the time being. They are bendy and far, far more comfortable to work with than the bamboo. This is important because this yarn is terrible to work with. It's like knitting with cord. Which is, of course, what I was asking for when I bought fingering weight cotton yarn. Happily, the pattern is enough fun that I'm not going to abandon the scarf yet, I'm curious to see if the yarn-as-a-scarf is soft enough to wear. The project is easy enough to memorize, hard enough to stay interesting, small enough to travel with, and doesn't require any gadgets. Perfect for coffee shops and airplanes. (more...)

the pattern: Central Park Hoodie
the yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy in Charcoal (#13)
the previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7



I sprinted to the finish line and it's done! It's not perfect but I'm very happy with it. The pattern was great, the yarn was great, the final sweater is soft and fuzzy and pleasingly warm. (more...)

the pattern: Central Park Hoodie
the yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy in Charcoal (#13)
the previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6



I have knit the hood. I decided to go ahead and bind off the stitches along the back of the neck (the pattern calls for them to be left live) for more stability. After weaving in the ends there is a stable line of bound off stitches that goes from one shoulder, across the back of the neck and to the other shoulder.

After toying with the idea of learning to graft to make the hood seam I decided, screw it, and did a three needle bind off. (more...)

the pattern: Central Park Hoodie
the yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy in Charcoal (#13)
the previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5



The CPH pattern calls for you to knit the hood before setting in the sleeves but I wanted to get that part over with so that when I get to the point where I'm finally finishing the button band I don't have any more work to do, because I think that would just about kill me. (more...)

the pattern: Central Park Hoodie
the yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy in Charcoal (#13)
the previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4



Thank yous go out to Maria and KarWar who left comments on my last sweater post, they both suggested a buttonhole that I'm smitten with. KarWar pointed me to a page at Lanna Grossa with a few buttonholes for ribbed button bands, suggestions are for both 1x1 and 2x2 ribbing. I'm using the one from the second to last picture, it's the same technique Maria suggested. (more...)