3 Great Apps for Knitters & Crocheters

Now, whether we realise it or not, we rely on our phones for much more than just communication. Between allowing us to share our projects on social media and updating our blogs, smart phones have become excellent tools for those interested in crafting. 

According to Statista, there are 1.4 million apps on the iTunes App Store, and 1.5 million on the Google Play Store, ready for download. There's also several crafting apps available, and for those who love to knit and crochet, the following might be just what you need: 

1. StashBot

If you’re not following a pattern, or the pattern you are following doesn’t tell you how much yarn you need, StashBot might be the perfect choice for you. While it costs £3.99/$4.99 , it could very well earn you great savings in the future by telling you just how much yarn you’ll need for the project you’re about to undertake. It also saves you an additional trip to the shops should you realise you didn’t get enough yarn. It presents several different categories of projects that will tell you how much yarn you need, and after some time using the app, you may find yourself being able to estimate measurements more easily. Of course, if you’re a fan of purchasing great amounts of yarn and simply reusing what’s left over from your projects in the future, StashBot might soon outgrow its use.

2. Knitting Buddy

Perfect for beginner knitters, Knitting Buddy is a great overall tool that allows you to track your projects. It has a row counter, a repeat counter, a project timer, a ruler, a flashlight, and even built-in note pages so you can keep jotting down notes as you go along. It also has the ingenious feature of tracking your knitting needles, so you’ll know whether you’re using one of your favourites in a different project, and not have to wonder where your needles have gone. You can also add images and photos of the project at various stages throughout its completion – a perfect feature for bloggers who want to take their readers on a step-by-step journey of the process of creating their new project.

3. Stash2Go: Ravelry on the Go

You are probably familiar with Ravelry, one of the biggest knitting/crochet communities on the Internet. Stash2Go, although not affiliated with Ravelry, is one of the best apps you can use to access the community from your phone. Its design is simple and intuitive, and it gives you access to all your content from the website - from your stash of needles and hooks, projects queued and completed, and even friends lists and favourite patterns. There are two versions of the app – one free, but ad based; and another paid, but free of ads. Just make sure that you try to use WiFi whenever accessing the app, as it cannot function without an Internet connection. As Kim Shadbolt of Pocket Fruity explains in a blog post, "Wherever you can, use Wi-Fi. It’s another good way to save mobile battery, it’s cheaper because you won’t use up all your data allowance, and Wi-Fi is just generally more reliable..." Uploading and downloading photos from Stash2Go may leave you with a higher bill than you’d expected.

Do you use any other apps for your knitting and crochet projects?

Have you ever used a project tracker like Knitting Buddy?

Let me know in the comments below!

Tea O'Clock

Last week I completed my first website design for someone else.

It has a very simple look - I wanted the photos to stand out!

Less is more...

The website is for a friend's new vintage china hire company.

I spent a morning taking photos of some of her china collection. There was so much of it!

It took a few child-free hours to get the site up and running, including a new Facebook page.

I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.

Go check out Tea O'Clock Vintage and let me know what you think!

(logo design and images by quintonwench)

Be Wise

Last Friday was my niece's 2nd Birthday.

I once loved to create handmade birthday cards, but when I became a Mom, I started to rely on high street card shops, as time was short.

This week I decided to change that...

The main graphic, the owl, is from Mels Brushes. I've bought quite a bit from this site over the years and it really is worth a look.

The Whimsy Animals clipart set features my chosen owl.

As with my 'Heart On A String' engagement card project, I designed the layout via Microsoft Word - it's not the greatest application, but it does the job for things like this!

I used the Sue Ellen Francisco font (as text boxes) - I originally saw this on PicMonkey, loved it, so downloaded it for myself.

You can get it here.

As my design was quite plain, I created a patterned insert using the owl image. A blank text box provided a place for me to write my personalised greeting, once printed.

To create a 3D effect, I printed 2 additional copies of the owl; I cut out the whole owl from one and just the eyes from the other. I used foam pads to create a 3D effect.

**** Linking up at these sites

It's a wrap

Here's a quick-to-create crochet wrap bracelet.

I made it using some of the DK yarn I had left over from my Sunday Shawl.

Using a 3.5mm hook, I chained 212 and then sc (UK dc) into the 12th chain from the hook. This created a button hole. You can alter the size of the hole to fit your chosen button.

I went on to sc (UK dc) across and fastened off. I sewed a wooden button to this end.

Using jump rings, I attached some random charms through the button hole.

The bracelet wraps easily around the wrist and was a hit with my model (my niece). She has now claimed it for herself.

**** Linking up at these sites

Sunday Girl

It seems the Sunday Shawl pattern by The Little Bee has taken the crochet world by storm. Just a quick Google proves that! 

I couldn't wait to get my hands on the pattern and give it a go.

I ordered the recommended yarn from The Wool Warehouse and once received, I immediately set to work.

In no time at all I was half way through. I went on to complete it by doing an hour here and an hour there - the pattern lends itself to this perfectly.

I used the suggested colours, but I am sure it would look just as good using different ones.

It's a great shawl for those cooler Spring and Summer nights and goes great with my cowboy boots and jeans.

There's just one problem with the Sunday Shawl ... I miss making it ... so I think it will be the first of many!

**** Linking up at these sites