So those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I’ve been doing a fair bit of knitting this past two years. A while back while browsing in Pinterest, I saw an ad asking for beta testers for a new knitting app by Bellish. I signed up, made a sweater, LOVE the app and as of today! it is available in the App stores, and is currently free (but will probably go to paid at some point). I have been telling local friends and shops about it because it is amazing.
Go to your device’s app store and type in Bellish knitting. The name of the app is Bellish, but because it just went public today other weird stuff pops up if you use only the name of the app, so be sure to add knitting to your search.
As an intermediate, perhaps advanced, knitter, this app lets me do what I’ve always wanted: customize a design for my taste and figure, and it is EASY. I signed up as a beta tester when only one base design was available. I was easily able to turn a crew neck pullover into a cardigan with lace panels on either side of the button band and down the back, add waist shaping, and it fits **perfectly.**
This is the “Cosmos” cardigan I made in fingering/lace weight yarn using the pullover pattern. Splitting in the center is easy, of course, and I added waist shaping so the sweater was more fitted and less boxy (check out Amy Herzog’s Knit to Fit book for tips on fitting). Yarn is Meadow by the Fibre Co. in Cosmos.
The row counters are so easy to use—keep the phone by your chair—and keep you on track. So does being able to check off a section done and using the Checkpoints to make sure you have the correct number of stitches. I’m looking forward to even more base patterns. I’ve recommended this app to friends and in knit shops whenever I can. Imagine being in a shop, falling in love with a yarn, and right there in moments generate a pattern that tells you how much yarn to buy! LOVE it!
This is what your app looks like when you open it–at least once you have created a couple designs.This is the pattern I used for my cardigan, above. I was able to open up the color picker and select the exact color of my yarn. This is particularly helpful when using the option to create a stranded colorwork design. Notice that I titled it 40.9″ even though it is created for a 36″ bush–that is the wearing ease. Using a smaller-than-I-am pattern let me get the more fitted look I wanted.The app has Stitch Checkpoints every so often so you can double check that you have the correct number of stitches. It also shows the row counters. I used these and loved having multiple counters: you can use one for overall length, the other for a pattern such as the lace that I inserted. You can see that there is also a highlighter, so you can mark where you leave off at the end of a knitting session. Who doesn’t forget exactly where they were in the pattern…this makes it easy, and no big pieces of paper falling all over the place. This screen shot shows the schematic. I’d love it if they would add even more dimensions, such as width of neck, distance from top of shoulder to underarm seam, and (as someone who is broad-shouldered) width from shoulder point to shoulder point, but all things in time. OH, and another thing. I didn’t want the Cosmos sweater above with as much wearing ease as the pattern, but fitted. So I used the schematic with the finished measurements to see which pattern would yield the FINISHED dimensions I wanted. Alas, I am not a 36″ bust, but that size gave me the finished size I wanted. It worked!
SO, if you like to knit, open up your App Store (both Android and Apple/ iOS) and download this currently-free app! Yuppers, it’s five stars from me. I’m a happy sweater-wearing camper! I’m waiting for top-down cardigan with set in sleeves as a base…fingers crossed 🙂
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Well, you have peaked my interest for sure! I knit using the Portuguese knitting technique, which is so great for these arthritic hands!!! Fingers/hands don’t hurt anymore!! Will check out the Bellish Knitting app! Thanks for info!
Good to know about the Portuguese being easy on the hands…. I found that the cubics/square needles were miracles for me. I’ve sorta taught myself Continental for the arthritis reason, as well as for stranded colorwork, but I’m soooo slllooowww at it. I’ll look up videos and see if I can train my hands!
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February 4th, 2020 at 5:08 pm
Thanks for this information! I have downloaded it and will play with it this afternoon. Looks like fun 🙂
February 4th, 2020 at 5:35 pm
Well, you have peaked my interest for sure! I knit using the Portuguese knitting technique, which is so great for these arthritic hands!!! Fingers/hands don’t hurt anymore!! Will check out the Bellish Knitting app! Thanks for info!
February 4th, 2020 at 6:45 pm
Good to know about the Portuguese being easy on the hands…. I found that the cubics/square needles were miracles for me. I’ve sorta taught myself Continental for the arthritis reason, as well as for stranded colorwork, but I’m soooo slllooowww at it. I’ll look up videos and see if I can train my hands!
February 4th, 2020 at 6:45 pm
Enjoy, Jody! Share if you make something from it. I’m eager for new base patterns to be added.