Knitting is just 2 stitches, knit and purl. Simple, right?!? Of course we all know that it can become devilishly complex, and keeping track of all that complexity can be a real hassle that gets between you and your knitting. In designing knitCompanion, we created an app that functions as a seamless assistant. It handles all the tracking so you can focus on your craft, learn new techniques, and enjoy the fabric you are creating. 

To further illuminate knitCompanion’s many capabilities, we’re creating a series of blog posts called Guide Posts that breaks down knitCompanion’s features using VeryPink Knits informative videos as a guideline. 

Today, we’re going back to the beginning. How do you start your first project in knitCompanion? If you’re a regular knitCompanion user, this likely covers app features with which you’re already familiar. But for new knitCompanions, this is a great place to start if you’re just learning how to use the app. We hope these primers help make navigating knitCompanion as enjoyable and painless as possible. We’ve been fortunate to have Staci Perry of VeryPink Knits cover all of knitCompanion’s features. For each of the elements listed below, simply click the video to watch Staci as she guides you through the feature mentioned.

Quick Jump Links

Jump down to any topic in this post with the links below:

• Add Pattern
• Start Project
• Pinch to Zoom
• Sliding Markers
• Your Are Here Marker
• Switching Pages
• Project Information + Timer

Add Pattern

Loading your pattern download is the first step towards starting your first project in knitCompanion. If you have a Ravelry account, you can connect directly in the app by clicking the Ravelry button at the top and then logging in to your Ravelry account. You can also connect to a Dropbox account the same way. 

After selecting the library with your pattern (Local, Ravelry, or Dropbox), use the search bars at the top of the app and type in the pattern you’d like to work on. To search by the pattern name, use the bar on the left of the screen. To search by designer name, use the bar on the right of the screen (seen below).

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Start Project

Once you’ve added your pattern to knitCompanion, start a project by finding it under the Local header at the top of the app. Click to open, then click “Start Project” at the top of the screen. Enter your project name. This will turn your pdf file into a workable project within knitCompanion. 

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Pinch to Zoom

As with all smartphones and tablets, knitCompanion responds to touch. Scroll up and down with your finger and pinch in and out to zoom in and out. 
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Sliding Markers (Highlighter Bars)

There are two sliding markers, also called highlighters, that automatically add to any project you start in knitCompanion. One is a sliding row marker (default yellow, horizontal) and the other is a sliding stitch marker (default blue, vertical). 

With a subscription, you can modify the colors, width, and transparency of these markers, as well as create an inverted row marker. The inverted marker can be any color, and highlights the row you’re on while leaving the rest of your pattern in shadow. Look for a future blog post that details how to use Edit.

Sliding markers exist separately on each individual page in your pattern. So, a highlighter bar set on the first page of your pattern remains in place even as you set the highlighter bar elsewhere on the second page of your pattern. 
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You Are Here Marker

The You Are Here Marker acts like a bookmark, allowing you to put a place marker over the instructions you are working on. This makes it easy to remember where you were should you put your project down.

To set the You Are Here Marker, simply long press (touch and hold) the spot on the screen where you’d like to place the marker. To remove it, long press the marker itself. 

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Simple Counters

There are six Simple Counters located on the bottom right side of the app screen. Tap on any counter to adjust it by one. To make further adjustments, long press the counter. A screen will pop up with two symbols. Pressing the symbol on the left ticks back the counter by one. The symbol on the right resets the counter. You can also click the area with the number itself, and manually type in a different number (useful if you’ve forgotten to log a number of rows and want to avoid tapping the button over and over again!).

With a subscription you can also customize counters, add or delete counters, change their names and colors, set a minimum and maximum range, and dictate whether they count up or down. Look for a future blog post that details how to use Edit.

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Switching Pages

All of the pattern pages are located as icons in the top left hand corner of the screen, making it easy to tap to navigate between pages. 

This becomes incredibly useful when a pattern has a chart on one page and abbreviations or written instructions for that chart on another page. Remember how each page has its own set of sliding markers? When working on a pattern with charted and written instructions, you can place the sliding marker over the written instructions on one page and then another sliding marker over the chart on another page. Switching back and forth is as easy as tapping between pages at the top of the screen.
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Project Information + Timer

Tapping the icons in the upper right hand corner of the screen adjusts your view. The first icon shows or hides the top of the screen, with the pattern page icons mentioned above, while the second icon shows or hides the bottom of the screen, where your Project Information lives. 

To make a note, click the bottom icon in the Project Information area (circled above). The icon has three separate functions that can be cycled through by tapping. Tap it once to bring up a blank box and to type in notes you’d like to remember. Tap it again to see your Project Timer and Ruler. Tap it a third time to see any video links you’ve added (more below).

We hope that we’ve helped you get started on your first project with knitCompanion.