Overview

Got a yarn stash but don't know what's in it? Did you finish that last decrease on that hat you haven't picked up in four months? KnitMinder is the replacement for all of those scraps of paper, bulging notebooks, various row counters, and multicolored post-its that you use to keep track of where you are on the four different projects you've got started but haven't finished. KnitMinder keeps all of those notes and reminders with you wherever you happen to be because they're on your iPhone or iPod touch. Track projects, yarns, needles, and patterns. Add notes with pictures. It's all there in KnitMinder for less than the price of a fancy coffee! KnitMinder Lite is exactly the same as KnitMinder, but the lite version stores a limited number of projects, yarns, needles, and patterns. The full version does not impose any restrictions on storage, though you may be limited by the amount of free memory on your device.

Here's a gallery of screenshots:
ProjectsEdit ProjectProject Logbook EntryYarnsEdit YarnNeedlesPatterns

Current Release

The current version of KnitMinder and KnitMinder Lite is 1.4.3. Click on the "Issue Tracker" link above for a list of known issues and feature requests.

KnitMinder Help

What's New?

Welcome to KnitMinder 1.4! If you have a suggestion for a new feature or improvement, let us know and maybe your idea will be listed here in the next version of the app! This version of KnitMinder adds several requested improvements and fixes a few bugs. Here are some highlights of the changes:

• Project Status: you can now select whether your project is planned, a work in progress (WIP), completed, or on hold in the Edit Project page. Projects are sorted by status.
• New Fields: yarns, needles, and patterns now have a purchase date field, and yarns have a text field for washing instructions. I've also added several new needle materials including glass, bamboo, aluminum, and casein.
• Keyboard Entry Fixes: the keyboard that pops up when you edit any of the longer text fields like Notes now has a return key. When you are done typing, touch the new Done key in the black bar above the keyboard to hide it.
• Select Photo on iPhone: you can now choose a photo from your Camera Roll or Photo Albums on the iPhone as well as the iPod touch.

You can see all of the changes in version 1.4 by visiting the KnitMinder Issue Tracker here.

Select one of the sections below or scroll down for help. If you can't find an answer to your question here, visit the forums on this web site or send email to support@quilt2go.com.

1. Projects
   
   1. Creating a Project
   2. Working with Counters
   3. Using the Logbook
2. Patterns
3. Yarn
4. Needles
5. Settings

This help file is included in the KnitMinder and KnitMinder Lite applications, so you always have it with you!

Projects

Project

A project in KnitMinder is designed to replace all of those scraps of paper, bulging notebooks, various row counters, and multicolored post-its that you use to keep track of where you are on whatever it is you are knitting or crocheting. This sounds like it might be complicated, but fortunately you can use as few or as many of the project features as you want.

Creating a Project

To create a new project, select the "Project" icon at the bottom of the screen to get to the project list screen, then touch the plus button up at the top right of the screen. To get back to the project list, touch the "< Projects" button up at the top left of the "Edit Project" screen.

There are a lot of options on the "Edit Project" screen. You can hide most of this information by touching the "Hide Details" link near the top of the screen. Hit the "Details" link again to show all of the project entry fields. You should give your project a name by filling in the "Name:" field on the "Edit Project" screen. If you've entered any patterns, you can select the one of them by touching "pattern".

New Project

When you create a new project, you may also want to tell KnitMinder which needles and yarns you will be using for the project. Scroll down the "Edit Project" screen until you get to the "Yarns" section. There, you can touch the green plus sign to select a yarn that you have previously
entered. The Needles section works in the same way. When you view the needle or yarn list, you will see a green sweater icon next to the needles and yarns that are associated with projects. You can remove an existing yarn or needle from the project by clicking on the red button next to the it. The needle or yarn will won't be deleted; it will just be removed from the project.

Once you are done setting up your project, you can touch the "< Projects" to go back to the list of projects or any of the buttons at the bottom of the screen to switch to another section of KnitMinder.

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Working with Counters

Most of the time, you will work with two main features of a Project: its counters and its logbook. Each project can hold an unlimited number of row, pattern, and repeat counters. If you have already tried the StitchMinder application from Quilt2Go, you know how to use these counters! To get started, select the project you are working on from the Projects list. The zero next to the word "counters" in the "Edit Project" screen shows that you have not yet set up any counters. Touch the "counters" item to get started!

Counters

Here's an example of a project with two counters, one for rows completed and another for increase rows. Create a counter in your project by touching the plus button at the top right of the screen. A new counter with a default name will appear. You can add any number of counters to the project by hitting the plus button. If you don't need a counter any more, slide your finger from left to right across the counter. A red "delete" button will appear on the right hand side of the counter, and you can either touch that button to delete the counter or touch anywhere else to cancel.

Edit Counter

Once you have counters in your project, you will probably want to name them so you know what they represent. To change a counter's name, click on the grey "Edit" button on the right side of the counter you wish to change. The "Edit Counter" screen will be displayed. You will see a switch labeled "Ascending". When this switch is on, the counter will count upwards. If the switch is off, the counter will count downwards from the number you type into the "starting count" field down to zero. To set the starting count for a downwards counter, touch the number next to the "Starting count:" label, enter a number on the keypad, then touch the "Done" button at the top right of the screen. Changing the startig count, switching between ascending or descending, or hitting the "Reset Counter" button will reset the counter to the value of the starting count field. Finally, at the bottom of the screen, you can select a name for your counter. When you are finished, touch the button at the upper left of the screen to return to the list of counters.

Ok, so you have the right number of named counters in your project -- now what? Simply touch anywhere in the grey area surrounding the current count to advance the counter (or decrement it, depending on whether the "Ascending" switch is on or off). If you have to frog a row, tap twice in succession on the counter row to undo a previous touch. You counters are constantly saved so you don't have to worry about losing count if you receive a phone call or leave the application. Touch the "< Edit Project" button at the top left to return to the project screen.

Using the Logbook

Logbook

In addition to the counters, each project has an associated logbook where you can write notes and take pictures of your creation. The project logbook contains entries that are automatically organized by date. In addition, the date of the last logbook entry is displayed next to the word "logbook" on the "Edit Project" screen. You view the list of logbook entries by touching the "logbook" area on the "Edit Project" screen.

New Logbook Entry

Let's create a new logbook entry for our project. In the logbook list screen, touch the plus button at the upper right of the screen to create a new entry. The "Edit Logbook Entry" screen will appear, looking like a paper page of a book with the current date and time at the top of the page. Touch anywhere on the page to begin writing your log entry. When you are finished typing, touch the blue "Done" button to hide the keyboard. One of the great things about the logbook is that you can attach pictures and your current location to your log entries. If you have an iPhone, you can take a picture using the phone's built-in camera. iPod touch users can select a picture from their photo library. To attach a picture to the logbook entry, touch the "Options" button at the top right of the screen, then touch the "Take Picture" or "Select Picture" button, depending on whether you have an iPhone or iPod touch. Once you have taken or selected your picture, you will be brought back to the "Edit Logbook Entry" screen. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a blue and white snapshot icon which shows that the entry has an attached picture. Touch that icon to view your picture.

If you're an on-the-go knitter, you might want to keep track of when and where you were working on your projects. You can attach a location to any logbook entry by touching the "Options" button at the top right of the "Edit Logbook Entry" screen, then touching the "Tag Location" button. You may be asked if KnitMinder can use your location; answer "Yes" if you would like to save your location to the logbook entry. Entries with a location tag display a small globe icon at the bottom of the "Edit Logbook Entry" screen. If you would like to see the location of a logbook entry, touch the globe to open the built-in Maps application centered on the entry location (note that opening the Maps application causes the KnitMinder application to exit).

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Patterns

Patterns

A pattern holds information about a knitting or crocheting pattern that you will be using in one or more projects. Each pattern consists of a name, a pattern type (hat, gloves, shawl, cardigan, toy, etc.), a source for the pattern, a photo, and a notes section. To create a pattern, touch the plus button at the top right of the screen. The "Edit Pattern" screen will be displayed. Type in a name for the pattern by touching to the right of the "name:" label. Select the pattern type by touching to the right of the "type:" label, then select a pattern type. You can optionally enter where the pattern came from next to the "source:" label.

If you have an iPhone, you can take a picture of the pattern using the phone's built-in camera or select a picture from your photo album. If you have an iPod touch, you can select a picture for the pattern from your iPod's photo album. To set a picture for the pattern, touch the "Change" button next to the "photo:" label. Once you have taken or selected a picture, you will be brought back to the "Edit Pattern" screen.

New Pattern

Patterns can store a virtually unlimited amount of text in the "Notes" section. For simple patterns, you may even want to type in the pattern stitches here. To edit the notes, touch the area below the "Notes" label and a keyboard will appear. Touch the "Done" button on the keyboard to hide it.

Once you have finished creating your pattern, touch the "< Patterns" button at the top left of the screen to return to the pattern list screen. Patterns that appear on this screen can be selected inside of a project. If you ever want to change any of the information you entered for a pattern, simply touch that pattern on the list and you will be brought back to the "Edit Pattern" screen.

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Yarn

Yarns

With KnitMinder, your stash is always at your fingertips with the yarn feature. On the main screen of the Yarn section, you see a list of all of the yarns you have entered into KnitMinder. Choose how to view your stash by touching the "Weight", "Color", or "Brand" buttons at the top of the screen and your yarns will be grouped by weight, color, or brand, respectively. Handy photos with color insets make it easy to tell what you have on hand. Yarns can be added to projects so you can keep track of which yarns in your stash are being used by which project. If a yarn is being used in a project, the green sweater icon you see next to the "Niji" yarn in the screenshot at right is displayed.

New Yarn

You can add a new yarn by touching the plus button at the top right of the screen. KnitMinder will display the "Edit Yarn" screen. There are several sections to this screen, starting with the "General" section shown to the right. In this section, you enter information about the yarn brand, its name, weight, purchase date, and ply. You can also enter a short description of the gauge if you've knitted up a sample. Like almost all of the screens in KnitMinder, you are free to use as few or as many of the fields in the General section as you like. You should enter a brand and name so you can tell your yarns apart on the yarn list page, of course.

Scrolling down the screen, you will see the "Fibers" section next. This is where you select the fibers and set their proportions for your yarn. KnitMinder lets you pick any number of fibers and set the exact percentage composition for each yarn in your stash. The best way to explain the Fibers section is with an example, so let's see how to set the fiber composition of a yarn to 65% polyester and 35% rayon, just like the screenshot to the right.

When you first create a yarn entry, the Fiber section will only contain the "add fiber" button. Start by touching that button, which will show the list of all of the fibers that KnitMinder knows about. Scroll down to "polyester" and touch that item. You will be brought back to the Edit Yarn page and will see that there is now a line in the Fibers section that reads "100% polyester". This isn't the right amount of polyester for your yarn, so touch that line anywhere except for the red "delete" symbol on the left and the fiber percentage slider will pop up as shown in the screenshot to the right. Move the slider to the right until it reads "65%", then touch the "Ok" button. Touch the "add fiber" button in the Fibers section to view the fiber list again, and select rayon. When you get back to the Edit Yarn screen, you will see that KnitMinder has already set the percentage of rayon to 35%, so you're done! You can add as many fibers as you want and change the percentages at any time.

The next section in the Edit Yarn screen is the "Color" section. Touch the "color" line to select a base color for the yarn from a list of over 40 colors and shades. For variegated yarns, pick the most dominant color of the yarn and use the notes field to describe other colors if you like. You can enter the colorway and dye lot of the yarn in this section as well.

Yarn Photos

The last section in the Edit Yarn is titled "Photo/Notes". In the Photo/Notes section, you have the option of adding a picture to your yarn entry and typing in notes about washing instrutions or anything that isn't covered in the other sections. If you have an iPhone, you can take a picture using the phone's built-in camera or select a picture from your photo album. If you have an iPod touch, you can select a picture from your iPod's photo album. To set a picture for the pattern, touch the "Change" button next to the "photo:" label. Once you have taken or selected a picture, you will be brought back to the "Edit Yarn" screen. In the Notes section, simply touch below the "Notes:" label. A keyboard will slide up from the bottom of the screen and you can start typing. Once you are done entering information about your yarn, touch the "< Yarns" button at the top left of the screen to return to the yarn list screen.

If you ever need to make changes to your yarns, simply touch the yarn in the yarn list screen. The "Edit Yarn" screen will be displayed with that yarn's information displayed and ready to change. Once you are done editing your yarn, touch the "< Yarns" button at the top left of the screen to return to the yarn list screen.

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Needles

The needles section of KnitMinder is where you keep a list of your needles and hooks. You can view your needles by type (straight, DP, circular, hook, or modular) or by size by touching on the "Type" and "Size" buttons at the top of the "Needles" screen. Adding a new needle or hook is easy; just touch the plus button at the top right of the screen to go to the "Edit Needle" screen. In the "General" section, select the type of needle, its size, when it was purchased and its material from the built-in needle database. You can optionally enter the needle brand and its length in this section as well. In the "Notes" section, enter any additional information about your needles that isn't covered in the General section.

If you have a set of interchangeable needles like Denise or Knit Picks Options, you can track those as well in KnitMinder. Enter each pair of tips in the Needles section with the "Modular Tips" needle type. When you set the type of a needle to modular tips, you cannot enter a length for those needles. For the cords, create a new needle of type "Modular Loop" for each cord and enter the cord length in the "length" section. Modular loops don't have a size, so you won't be able to select that item in the General section for loops. You should also enter the brand for each set of tips and cords so you can tell multiple sets of interchangeable needles apart. The screenshot to the right shows an example of a few tips and cords entered in the Needles section. To add interchangeable needles in a project, simply select both the tips and the cord that you are using in the project.

Touch the "< Needles" button at the upper left of the screen to return to the needle list. If you ever need to make changes to a needle, touch that needle in the needle list and the Edit Needle screen will be displayed. You can then make any changes to the needles or hook. When you are done, touch the "< Needles" button to return to the needle list. Once you have needles and hooks entered, you can associate them with projects or just use KnitMinder to track what needles you have on hand.

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Settings

SettingsSettings App

KnitMinder has a few simple settings that you can use to customize the way the application looks. To change these settings, exit KnitMinder and launch the built-in Settings app. Scroll to the bottom of the screen where your applications are listed, similar to the screenshot to the right. Touch the KnitMinder icon to go to the KnitMinder settings screen.

There are currently three settings for KnitMinder. The first, "Units", controls whether you see metric units (meters and grams) or imperial units (feet, yards, and ounces). This setting also controls whether you see standard U.S. needle and hook sizes or sizes in millimeters. The second setting, "Yarn Weights", allows you to specify whether you want to use the customary yarn weight system of "sport", "worsted", "DK", and so on or the standardized, numbered yarn weight system of "0-Lace", "1-Super Fine", and so on. The third setting, "Counter Sound", controls whether a clicking sound is played when you tap a counter in a project. You can change these settings at any time.

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About Us

KnitMinder was created by Quilt2Go, which consists of code wrangler Paul Mietz Egli and premier customer, consultant, and wife Heather. Our goal is to provide high quality, easy-to-use softwarefor fiber arts, quilting, and other crafts. We love to hear from our customers, so you should always feel free to email us using the Contact form on this web site with questions, suggestions, and comments.

Quilt2Go donates 10% of the proceeds from the sales of their applications to animal-related charities. See the giving page on the this web site for more information on recipients and donations.

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