I just started using skritter, and I have a few questions.
1) How does the progress bar up top work? What does it mean by (number) to review. Does it give me a certain amount per day? Also, what does the number of added characters mean? whats the point of it?

2) I created a vocab list for me to use with 16 words from a lesson from my Chinese textbook. It's set up to review all 4 things (tones, writing, etc). What I don't like is that it chooses only a few words to give me tones or pinyin for. What I mean is that for a word like Ni,it will only make me give it the tones everytime I get it, so I don't learn how to write it, just the tone.

Thanks for any help!

The progress bar indicates how many items are overdue and how many news items have been added today. Overdue items require you to study them soon.

Since you are set to study reading, writing, tones and definitions, a single character consists of 4 items. Once you learn the tone for 你, either reading, writing or the definition will be added to your studies next. I'm not sure in what order these are added.

Okay. Thanks. I have one last question though. If I make my own list to study a few words, will it still automatically add words, or will it just give me the words I told it to give me? If it doesn't add any more words, will I be missing a chunk of what skritter is for? I'm using skritter alongside a textbook and tutoring so I can learn the words from my lesson, so I don't need it to teach me words, just help me write the words I learn from my book. will it still be using the spaced repetition software, and will I still be getting my moneys worth?
Thanks again!

It will only add the words from your lists and it will use spaced repetition. If you want to get your money's worth, you could add some additional lists. For example, the HSK lists.

Hi,I also started recently, and I'm also creating my own lists from my textbook. You don't need to add the pre-made lists from Skritter; when you are done with your chapter 1 words for example, you can add your own chapter 2 list.

Skritter will start teaching the writing after you can recognize the character.

The "characters learned" and other statistics really only start making sense after a few days. I don't know all the details, but you don't get "credit" for knowing a character the first time you get it right.

Do Skitter a few minutes every day, and by the end of the week, you'll be hooked!

There might already be a list of words for your textbook here http://www.skritter.com/vocab/textbooks

My textbook is there, but it's not organized by chapter for some reason. They have it in three parts. The book is integrated Chinese 1 part 2. Look at it and see what I mean. Thanks to everyone who helped.