Digitizing Knitting Progress with a Local Storage Stitch Tracker

Tracking stitches and rows during knitting projects typically involves physical graph paper, tally marks, or mechanical clickers. These analog methods, while functional, introduce friction when managing complex patterns or correcting mistakes. To address this, I developed a simple browser-based stitch tracker [1].

Design and Architecture

The application is designed strictly as a Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) utility. It operates completely offline and requires zero external databases for state management. This architectural choice prioritizes data privacy and loading speed.

State persistence is achieved via the browser's native localStorage API. When a user increments or decrements a count, the integer is written directly to the local device. Consequently, closing the tab, refreshing the browser, or losing internet connectivity does not result in data loss. The data never leaves the user's device.

User Interface

The interface is implemented with primitive HTML and minimal CSS. It features a mobile-first layout with enlarged touch targets for the increment and decrement functions, accommodating users who may be interacting with a device while holding knitting needles. The application intentionally omits JavaScript frameworks and external CSS libraries to reduce bloat and minimize the resource footprint.