Tin Can Knits is up to Something Big!

If you’ve been knitting long, you probably know all about Alexa and Emily of Tin Can Knits. They’ve been bringing knitters beautiful patterns, books, and resources for over a decade and are a really special part of the fibre world. (If you’re excited about KnitOvation and AlterKnit, check out their book, Strange Brew. It’s a perfect companion to my books, which will guide you through designing a custom round yoke sweater!)

Now they’re working on something new and big that I think is going to have another big impact. So I interviewed them so they could share about what they’re up to in their own words.

A family photo style portrait with Alexa, Emily, and their families, all wearing brightly-coloured hand knit sweaters on the beach.

The Interview

Note: Text in bold is my questions and the indented text below is the answers from Emily of Tin Can Knits.

For the very few people who don’t know, tell us about Tin Can Knits. What’s special about what you do and what do you want knitters to know?

One thing we've been doing (for years) is publishing patterns with an inclusive baby-to-big size range. This means you can knit the same sweater for yourself, or for a teeny-tiny beloved little one!

We're also all about creating designs and writing patterns that are clear, usually fairly simple, and most of all really fun and satisfying to knit! If we didn't love knitting it, we won't publish the pattern. We've been honing our craft for 12 years now, but we've got big plans for the next couple of decades too!

You all are in the process of creating a pattern reading app, which is very exciting for us knitters and designers. What’s the app like right now?

With the app, we're building a format that makes knitting patterns better!

For us, this means simpler - you only see YOUR size numbers, your units, you can add notes, and tick through. At the same time more helpful - you can choose from multiple yarn weights and options, customize text size, colours and get help a tap.

Right now the app includes 9 free patterns, from a scarf to mittens, socks, and sweaters, and a handful of our most popular paid patterns too! The app is free to download, and if you've bought the paid patterns on tincanknits.com or ravelry.com, you can access them in the app for no extra charge.

To help build the app, I know you’re having a fundraiser right now. Can you tell us more about that? What do you hope to accomplish with the help of the knitting community?

We'd love to have knitters support our development, and be part of it too!

The app is for YOU... we're making it to improve your experience of knitting patterns, so we need to hear what works for you, and what doesn't! This is a big project, and we're a SMALL team - just Emily, John and Alexa - so we could really use your support now. Like all we do at Tin Can Knits, we're focused on providing BIG value! As an app supporter you'll be part of an excellent community of knitters who want to make patterns better - and there are juicy rewards for our supporters too - patterns, knit nights, classes, and more!

Learn how you can have your say and help us make knitting patterns better!

Check out the fundraiser landing page here and give your support to this great project!

Get the app here.

A colourful knitting project next to a phone displaying the Tin Can Knits app.

In our chat the other day, it sounded like you’re always thinking about the experience that knitters have while using patterns. What kinds of challenges are you envisioning addressing with your app?

Alexa and I believe the joy should be in your hands, in the simple act of knitting and purling. We feel that struggling to read a pattern often takes away from a knitter's pleasure. The app is a good way for us to balance value (more sizes, more yarn weights, more options) with simplicity (only seeing what YOU really need, the way you need it).

The app format helps because you can:

See only your size numbers - no more mistakes because you circled the wrong size!
Select the units that you understand, modify theme colours and text sizes
Keep track by ticking through and adding notes
Access trusted support, at a tap, from each and every instruction, helping you learn new techniques
If you're blind or have limited sight you can more easily follow our instructions using a screen reader
Easy-reading on your phone or tablet, with cross-device syncing

We have plans for many more improvements and aids, including charts with text alternatives and changeable colour schemes, in-app support materials, translations, technique learning tools, and more!

https://tincanknits.com/app/vision

You all have been working hard in this industry for a decade, creating designs and resources that have raised the bar for everyone and I know so many knitters have learned to knit and learned all kinds of new skills with your patterns. And now you all are doing something ground-breaking and new! How can knitters help support you? Tell us where to find your fundraiser and how it works.

We've always aimed to create useful free patterns and resources to help knitters, teachers, and other designers too! Making knitting accessible and approachable is kind of what we're all about.

This project, though, it's just too ambitious to tackle without your support! If you've found our work helpful over the years, now is the moment to pitch in and help us make this new exciting format. In the long term, we envision this new format becoming a tool you can use to enjoy ALL your knitting patterns...not only Tin Can Knits designs.

We're not making it just for us - we're making it for all of you too.

Have you tried the Tin Can Knits app? What kinds of features are you longing for in an app like this? Tell me in the comments!