knitCompanion Review: Florence Tank

On the podcast, we don’t often talk much about the yarns that I knit with that aren’t handspun! They often end up being mostly knit into garments in the background, talked about briefly and then I’m onto the next thing. Something I had been drawn to last Spring, wanting to knit this little top so badly, was the Florence Tank by Sari Nordland. I love all of Sari’s work – her designs are amazing, and patterns incredibly well written and thorough.

Stitch Craft Marketing had approached me to do a review of knitCompanion, which I know many of our community members use. I was interested in this idea of trying the app because I have been using Google Drive to store my patterns and read them as needed while I am knitting. The problem has always been when we are on the road, camping in the summer or day trips in the winter and shoulder season, because I invariably have to print them if there is a chart!

There are a few things I like about this app and as I work through decreasing through a lace chart, I can increasingly see the benefits of an app like one — particualrly on a tablet where the screen is that much bigger than a phone!

There are some interesting featrures about this app – namely that the vertical and horizontal lines that you see floating over my above pattern are moveable. Using your fingers, you move these around. On the right hand side where those zeros are are counters – so multiple counters, whether row or stitch, can be going at the same time. In the Florence tank, the lace decreases at the yoke and armhole sides at the same time. Anyone who has worked increases or decreases in lace – especially lace on both sides knows how complicated it is!

This has been a game changer to navigate the decreases. I am able to use the horizontal line to keep track of the yoke decreases, while also keeping track on the counters. Same with the armholes. It’s amazing. And keeps my stitches organized – particualrly now that I need to tink back and start the yoke again. As I’ve worked up the yoke, I’ve used the lines to adjust and keep track of where my next stitches are, how they are worked and where I am in the pattern — literally!

This has been supremely helpful. As you can see from my progress, prior to ripping back the yoke, the tank is lovely. The stitches blocked out beautifully. On a most recent episode of Wool n’ Spinning, I’d asked the community what they would do since there seemed to be too much fabric in the back and not enough in the front for it to button properly. They suggested blocking and placing it on myself (or my dressform) to realign and figure out where to bind off the armholes.

I’m in the process of tinking back since I can’t just outright rip this thing as I’ll probably lose a lot of stitches! I’ll keep you posted!