Row counter that follows your PDF knitting or crochet pattern
Open any PDF pattern, highlight your row, and count hands-free by voice or watch tap; one price, no ads.
- App
- Health, Learning & Lifestyle
- Easy build
- 4-6 weekends
- Researched by ProjPilot
The problem
Knitters and crocheters juggle a PDF pattern, a counter and sticky notes for repeats, with both hands busy on the work. Apps that follow a PDF exist, but the popular ones are subscriptions or carry ads. A one-price app that counts without putting the work down would suit casual crafters.
For: Knitters · Crocheters · Pattern designers
Why now
In a 2024 yarn consumer survey of more than 7,000 people, 64% said they prefer to get patterns from online marketplaces and 70.4% named Ravelry as their main source of inspiration.
Demand signals
Monthly Google searches in the US, pulled 2026-09-24. These are the words people with this problem actually type.
What exists already
- knitCompanion ↗Full pattern-following toolkit, but advanced setup features need a $30/year subscription.
- My Row Counter ↗Imports PDF or web patterns with a line highlighter; the free version has ads, Premium $9.99-$14.99/year.
- Ribblr ↗Tracking is built around its own ePattern format; adding outside PDFs needs Ribblr+ at $6.99/month.
- Stitch Fiddle ↗Chart maker whose progress tracker works on charts made in Stitch Fiddle; no PDF import mentioned.
MVP scope
- Import PDF patterns from files, email or Ravelry downloads
- Row highlighter that moves with the counter
- Linked counters for rows, repeats and decreases
- Hands-free counting: say 'next row' or tap a smartwatch
- Keep-screen-awake mode and a large tap target
- Per-project notes, stitch checkpoints and backup
How it could make money
- Free for one active project
- One-time purchase, $6.99, for unlimited projects, the watch app and sync
Suggested stack
- Flutter
- PDFium-based viewer (pdfrx)
- SQLite + iCloud/Google Drive backup
Sources
- The Size of the Yarn Market: Yarn Consumer Survey Results 2024 (Craft Industry Alliance) (accessed 2026-09-24)
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