Knitting has become popular again as a hobby and as a source of extra income, and the question that always comes up is whether it's possible to learn it using a cell phone. You can learn a lot—patterns, chart reading, stitch glossary, and row counting. What you can't learn is the needle movement without practice, because that part is done by hand, not by the screen.
Below are the knitting apps that actually exist in... Play Store Brazilian, with ratings and volume of reviews verified in the store. Several "knitting apps" circulating in lists on the internet are actually websites or computer programs — these were deliberately left out.
What is a knitting app used for?
It serves three well-defined purposes. The first is understanding the pattern: knitting has its own abbreviations — knit, purl, yarn over, decrease — and a glossary with videos resolves most initial doubts. The second is counting rows and repetitions without relying on memory. The third is storing and organizing patterns you've already bought or saved.
It's not useful for correcting yarn tension, stitch firmness, or needle placement. That improves with repetition and a well-done tension sample before starting the piece—a step that almost every beginner skips and later regrets.
Knitting apps available in Brazil
Learn knitting and crocheting.
This app, available in Portuguese, offers lessons for beginners, recipes, and step-by-step explanations. It has a 4.8 rating and approximately 10,500 reviews in the app store, making it the best entry-level option on this list.
It covers knitting and crochet in the same app, which is convenient for those who want to try both techniques before deciding. View on the Play Store.
Knitting and Crochet Queue Counter
The most comprehensive accountant available here: rated 4.7 and with over 15,000 reviews. In addition to counting careers, it imports recipes from Ravelry or a file and tracks progress within the text itself.
This app is best suited for those who already know how to knit and want support while they're working, not for a class. View on the Play Store.
Hooked: Crochet and Knitting
It combines patterns, a stitch library, and a counter in a streamlined interface. Rated 4.7, although with a modest number of reviews—around 860—it signifies a small user base and recent development.
A good option for those who want everything in one app and don't mind a smaller library. View on the Play Store.
Crochet AI – Knitting Patterns
It features knitting and crochet patterns for beginners, a row counter, and a project organizer. Rated 4.5 with approximately 7,100 reviews.
An honest caveat about the "AI" in the name: the automated features help organize and suggest, but the recipe generated by artificial intelligence needs to be checked before you cut the yarn — the stitch calculation doesn't always add up. View on the Play Store.
Ribblr
International platform where recipes are interactive: instead of PDFs, the text advances line by line and marks what has already been done. Rated 4.7 with approximately 3,900 reviews.
There are free and paid patterns, sold by the authors themselves — and buying directly from the creator is the right way to go. Knitting patterns are copyrighted works, and the PDFs circulating in messaging groups are usually unauthorized copies. View on the Play Store.
Resources worth seeking out
- Counter of careers and repetitions: the feature that best avoids undoing completed work
- Integrated PDF reader: to follow purchased recipes without leaving the app
- Video of each point: The text does not show the movement of the needle; the video does.
- Sample calculator: It helps you adjust the number of stitches to your knitting style.
- Offline mode: Useful for knitting while traveling or in a waiting room.
Regarding subscriptions
Almost all of them are free to install and charge for expanded libraries. Try the free version for a few days before subscribing and note the end date of the trial period: unexpected automatic charges are the most common complaint in reviews of these apps.
Knitting and crocheting are different things — and the app needs to know that.
It seems like a small detail, but it changes the entire choice. Crochet uses a needle with a hook and works one stitch at a time, closing it before continuing. Knitting uses two needles (or a circular one) and keeps the entire row open on the needles — if a stitch slips, it unravels several rows below.
Practical consequences for those choosing an app:
- The terminology is not the same. Crochet patterns and knitting patterns use distinct abbreviations; apps that promise "both" sometimes only provide a glossary for one.
- The accountant needs to count career paths, not points. In knitting, the important count is the number of rows, and a good counter allows you to mark repetitions of a section.
- Knitting charts are read in a zigzag pattern. — one career path from right to left, the next in the opposite direction — because you rotate the work. An app that doesn't indicate the direction confuses those who are starting out.
- Mistakes in knitting are more costly. Unraveling a row is easy; recovering a stitch that has unraveled ten rows below requires a spare needle and patience.
Stress sample: why the part comes out the wrong size
It's worth emphasizing this point because it's the almost universal cause of a garment not fitting. The pattern indicates how many stitches and rows should fit in ten centimeters, with a specific yarn and needle size—but the tension of each person's hand changes the result.
- Work a square of dough larger than ten centimeters, at the point specified in the recipe.
- Let it rest and, if the yarn requires it, wash and dry it before measuring — wool and cotton change size.
- Measure at the center of the square, never at the edges.
- More points than expected This means the tension is too tight: change to a larger needle.
- Fewer points It means loose tension: smaller needle.
Spending half an hour on this step prevents you from discovering, three weeks later, that the sweater is two sizes too big. This is where the app's counter pays off: it keeps track of the rehearsal and the garment without you losing your place.
Yarn, needle, and what to buy to get started.
- Medium length hair, light color, straight. Dark thread hides the stitch, and fluffy thread prevents you from seeing what you're doing—both discourage those who are learning.
- Needle size as indicated on the yarn label. It's the best starting point, and the label also indicates the reference sample.
- Circular needle It solves more than a pair of straight needles: it works for flat pieces and tubular pieces, and the weight of the work rests on the handle instead of your hands.
- Point markers, the cheapest accessory and the one that saves the most counting.
- Auxiliary needle to recover a stitch that has slipped — in knitting, it's the difference between fixing and starting over.
And regarding the material of the needles: Aluminum and metal slide more easily., which is good for those who have high blood pressure; Bamboo and wood hold the point., This helps those who are starting out and lose points easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to learn to knit using only an app?
You can learn the basic stitches and practice counting. What the app doesn't do is correct your hand position and tension—and that's precisely what determines if the piece turns out well. Slow-motion video helps a lot; having someone watching helps even more.
Do I need to pay for any app?
Not to mention. Career trackers, glossaries, and basic videos are available in free versions. Subscriptions usually unlock a recipe library—which is content, not a tool.
Why doesn't the recipe I downloaded make sense?
It's probably the terminology: American and British standards use the same names for different stitches. Check the origin before you begin.
Can I sell what I make using a recipe from someone else?
It depends on what the author authorizes, and many state this in the material itself. Creating something for yourself is entirely your choice; redistribute the revenue That's not the case at all.
Which piece should I make first?
Something flat, small, and without size adjustments—a dish towel, a simple scarf, a square for a blanket. A garment with a neckline, armhole, and sleeves requires a gauge swatch for the correct tension, and that's where most people give up.
Conclusion
To learn from scratch in Portuguese, Learn knitting and crochet. To keep track of patterns, Queue Counter. For everything in one place, Hooked. For interactive patterns purchased directly from the authors, Ribblr.
Start with a gauge swatch and a small piece, like a simple scarf in stockinette stitch. The app organizes and explains; the skill comes from the rows you knit—and there's no shortcut to that.
Read too
- Apps for Making Friends Online: Real Options and Cautions
- Cleaning apps: which ones disappeared from the Play Store and what to use now.
- Apps for Free Time: Options for Relaxing, Listening, and Learning
- Learning Languages Online: How to Create a Routine That Works
- AI-Powered Language Apps: What the Technology Does and Where It Goes Wrong
- Apps for Reading the Bible: The Best Free Options
