There’s a new app that lets you design your own knitwear from home

DIY woollies have never been so easy.

When Aussie start-up Bellish launched at the end of February, founder Megan Elizabeth could never have predicted its fate: 45,000 downloads within its first three months. I suppose a global shutdown will do that for a DIY knitting app.

Since the days have begun getting cooler and we’ve been spending the majority of them indoors, cosy knits have been getting their fair share of lovin’. With all this free time on our hands and less cash to spend, many of us have even been attempting to make our own.

But finding the right jumper pattern can be a bit disheartening and a little too reminiscent of your nan’s catalogues (and not in a good way).

The iOS (and soon to be Android) app Bellish makes that part a whole lot more pleasant. It allows you to create the pattern for the DIY jumper of your dreams in just minutes (it actually only took me about 30 seconds, but hey I know what I like).

Whether you want a turtleneck or a v-neck, a four-ply knit or a 10-ply knit, grey or cerulean, the options are endless. In fact, there have been over 85,000 designs created in only eight weeks by humble folk just like you and me.

Megan believes the popularity of her app highlights our newfound affinity for spending our time mindfully, especially since COVID-19 restrictions.

“People are looking for ways to manage stress as well as learn new skills while they might have a bit more time up their sleeve. The rate of uptake in the app’s downloads and designs speaks to the importance not only of mindful activities but also to the desire of knitters to improve their skills and have a more personalised experience with their craft,” she says.

“Since the lockdown commenced, we’ve seen a surge in first-time knitters turning to craft. And where it might take up to 40 hours for an experienced professional to create a pattern for a jumper, our app means you can design something custom and have a pattern on your smartphone in minutes. We want to make knitting easier for the first-timers out there.”

The free app releases patterns weekly, and like Megan says, they’re not just for novices. Bellish is aimed at all experience levels and even you ‘knit one, purl one’ pros out there can reap the benefits. It’s a more streamlined, integrated and time-saving approach to knitwear design and one that you and your nanna should get onto ASAP.

bellish.co