Talk to me about Ravelry

[HomekeepingGran]

Talk to me about Ravelry. I don't know why but I feel a definite resistance about joining, maybe because I don't need another time sink but also, I think, just because it is soooooo popular and I perversely find myself holding back. If you love it, tell me why I should join and if you don't care for it, tell me why I shouldn't. I make NO promises to take your advice either way, LOL! Oh, and please... I really don't want a lot of disrespect toward Ravelry, its owners or its members. No gossip fest, please.

[crazycrochet]

I don't like it. I was really quick to join up because everyone on here said it was so great. I can't find anything on it, I have no need to keep track of what yarns I have, what patterns I am using. It is beyond my brain on how to navigate the site. I don't even go on there any more. JMHO. Sorry if it offends anyone.

[shaza1974]

I like Ravelry for the ability to store stash details, potential projects and being able to match stash to projects available. The forums are good, but very american, which is great, but can get heated between the british and the americans, so don't tend to get too involved in them.

 

As a resource centre it is just wonderful. I don't spend alot of time there because unless you knit or crochet at super speed, I find it a bit dull looking at things I would like to make but know I will never have the time to!

 

On the other hand, has really helped me find info about crochet, being a beginner.

 

Why not try it and if you don't like it delete your account. I think only you will know if you enjoy it or not!

[Cliffnote]

I like Ravelery because I like to keep pics and info on all the projects I make. Thats the main reason I use it. And I post my WIPS. Because I do more than one project at a time and I will use the same hook sometimes for more than one of them, it helps me remember what project is using what materials. It also helps to give me ideas for projects sometimes.

[Ashley3121]

I love Ravelry! I organize all my WIPs and finished projects there. I love how much info you can put into your project details. So if I ever wanted to do it again I can go back and remember what hook I used and what I did differently. Plus if it is a pattern already in their system then you can look at what everyone else did with it and see their notes if they left any. It helps alot when people say this bag's orginal pattern was to small or something like that. I'm a big bag person so that helps me from making one too small and then I just start with the pattern a bit bigger, etc.

Ooo also I can put in my magazines and books in their system and you can click on you book and see what everyone has made from it.

I also don't use there forum very much but I did find a forum for my local area and found some ladies to meet up with now. It is a lot of fun.

 

I just love to be organized and I find that site a perfect resource for that! Sorry for such a long post!

[kazily]

It is a big help if you are an organized person, unlike me lol!

 

I like Ravelry anyway, for the search features. You can search only crochet projects & specify your search parameters like cardigans, toys, potholders, doilies etc. & see all the projects people have made, the yarn & colors they used, as well as the pattern they used.

 

It's great to decide what colors you want to use for a project.

[Empress Busy Bee]

I posted several times in this thread:

 

http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?p=1573523#post1573523

 

You can use Ravelry any which way you want. You don't have to do it exactly like everyone else to make it your own. It's a huge resource not to mention all the special interest groups you can join to discuss other things besides yarn or you can do a crochet a long based on your favorite movie or book or whatever.

 

One of my favorite things is to see a project I am doing or thinking about doing, how many ways other people have done and the colorways they have choosen.

[Craw]

One day I'll use Ravelry to keep track of my stash. Right now, I like it for the free patterns. Free is good. It keeps me from buying more. I joined one local group but they don't seem to be very chatty so not much help there.

[RoseRed]

I have an account. I don't really care for flicker - I have everything on photobucket and for the life of me - I just can't figure it out.

 

Definitely check it out tho. At least if you have an account you can follow the links that are left here and check them out there.

[Ashley3121]

I have an account. I don't really care for flicker - I have everything on photobucket and for the life of me - I just can't figure it out.

 

Definitely check it out tho. At least if you have an account you can follow the links that are left here and check them out there.

 

You can upload your photobucket pics now. You just drag the ones you want up in the top.

[hayhook]

I love it, but I didn't at first. I only add new yarn that I purchase (except RedHeart). I love browsing patterns and then adding the ones I like to my faves for later. The yarn browser is great if you have a certain yarn and don't know what to make with it then you can search and see what everyone else has made with it.

[Empress Busy Bee]

Yes you can use your Photobucket account or you can even upload from your computer now.

 

[lizdini]

I have an account, but don't use it much. I don't use flicker so I don't post pictures and I find it hard to navigate. It feels like it should be useful for me, but somehow it's just not. I would still say to give it a try, it may be useful for you, and it is a cool concept.

[Lady_of_Roses]

It's good for organizing your stash, books, hooks, etc. It's good for seeing a lot of pictures of finished items to get an idea as to if you want to make it as well, or simply for inspiration. The forums section isn't the most homey from what I've seen.

[smokeyp81]

I like Ravelry too. I don't go to the forums at all. I don't need to read any more message boards. I use it mainly to get ideas for yarns I have or a pattern I am thinking of trying. It is a great resource for getting patterns especially free ones!

 

I have never understood peoples resistance to Ravelry. You don't have to use all the features. I wish more of us crocheters would join and become active. There are far fewer crochet projects than there are knit. I constantly hear how crochet is never given the credit that knit is....here is a great chance to show off our beautiful projects to knitters....

[Sylviaf]

I joined it but don't really use it. My daughter who knits loves it and thinks it is a wonderful resource, but she makes an effort to really keep track of her projects and supplies with it.

[HomekeepingGran]

So if you choose to you can delete your account with them, huh? I'll think about it a bit more. I like the idea of even more free patterns but... I hate the idea of another place to hang out on the computer for far too long.

[yankeeblue]

I joined just to have a place to showcase all my completed projects. this way, I can go there and show anyone who is interested, what I have made and when it was made. I never go to the forums. I just use it to organize my own crochet projects for my own enjoyment.

[Dave'sGirl]

Carla, I agree with you on the time sink sites. I can find ANY reason to get online and not do what I should do. I honestly don't understand why one needs to keep track of one's stash online. Just go to it and keep track physicly. I write down notes on the pattern as I go, so I don't need another place to keep track of that stuff either.

 

Thank you for asking this question. I've wondered for a while now if it was something I want to get involved with.

[Adreeyen]

I like it for the forums and the all the patterns, and you get to see how other people interpret them. I use a lot of the functions on Ravelry. But other people, like my mom and aunt, only join to search the patterns. Even if you join and hate it, you haven't lost any money

[JoBug]

Hi Carla,

I have a Rivalry account, HOWEVER, I dont spend much time there, if any. I only go there to follow a link. It is a HUGE place, and I don't have the time or will power to navigate it...lol... but I say join, that doesn't mean you HAVE to live there, just to be able to have it for a resorce if you need it. EVEN though I get most my resorses from here..lol... thus I live here too much.

[Katchkan]

I like Ravelry as it is very designer orientated. I love having a place to see all the patterns a designer has out in one place. Which makes it nice for me and also for anyone who likes a designers work as they can go check out what other things a designer has done.

It allows me to see who is working on my designs and how they are enjoying them.

It also allows me a great place to get feedback on what designs people like so I have an idea what is appealing and what ones are a bust.

I don't use it to keep track of my stash. Heck it would take me a year alone to calalog and enter my entire stash. Would rather spend my time with hook in hand. But I do use it for some of my works in progress and to see my completed projects all in one place. For that they are very organized.

I don't use the forums often as I really don't need another place to visit all the time. I prefer to spend most of my time actually crocheting. So I will keep my visiting to this forum.

So for me Ravelry is great place to be in addition to Crocheville. They are my two places I bring up anytime I am on my computer.

[Lisaizme]

I had a ravelry account at least a year before I started using it.

 

I've joined a few groups and am in a Block a Month crochet along group that I'm enjoying.

 

Ravelry is like any other place on the web.. you can be as active or quiet as you like.

 

My advice would be to go ahead and get an account there.. and just give it time. I wouldn't delete the account if you find you don't use it, just let it go inactive. You might change your mind in the future and might have a hard time getting a new account. JMO.. YMMV (just my opinion, your mileage may vary)

[Wiste]

I think it's really intimidating when you first get started but afterawhile you figure out what's useful to you and how to use each part. I use the notebook area for posting my finished projects and sharing them with the groups I'm in. I like that the project pages have a form to fill out so when you look at other people's finished projects you usually know what they used to make it and where they got the pattern. I also like to look at the pattern database and the finished projects to get ideas. I use the forums mostly for the groups and tend to avoid the main forums unless I have a question that I'd like to ask to a broad audience. I'm in groups for my local area, for amigurumi, and for crocheting. I've also made friends with people who live in my area to go yarn shopping with or to all meet up together as a group to knit/crochet.

[DesertCrocheter]

I've nothing new to add, really, except that like so many, I love the search function. I cannot tell you how many times I've plugged in a pattern or a yarn to see what I can do. In fact, just yesterday, I was looking up Rave Crochet because I have about 8 balls of one color and am not sure what to do with it. Type it in, and voila, all the items people have made with that yarn are displayed together. Do I want to make a kids item, or an amigurumi, or what have you? Love it!

 

And smokeyp81 is absolutely correct about the lack of crocheted items. I'm hardly the best crocheter, but I think probably 40- 50% of my projects are requested by the moderators for use of my photo on the pattern page because I was the one who entered that pattern information. And my version of the pattern is probably not even particularly good!

 

I also love that so many designers are there. Many answer questions about their patterns very promptly on ravelry itself. I love being able to see if a certain pattern is beyond my skill. I love getting inspired by finding patterns I would never have found otherwise. Yes, I love the free patterns, too, but have sought out some pattern books after seeing other people's finished objects. On real-sized people. Using yarns other than those sepcified by the pattern itself. So no, I can't afford the quiviut, but I can search and see if someone made that same pattern in LB or Cascade 220 or whatever I have on hand or can afford, what problems they encountered with the pattern, how it fits on a real woman, sized 10 or 12.

 

No, I don't hang out in the forums too much. I belong to a few small ones that I do check out regularly, including Interweave Crochet. Yea, some get contentious, but what do you expect with a forum with over how many hundreds of thousands of members? I ignore them--anyone with any internet forum experience will recognize right away the buzz words used to incite discord.

 

It's just like here. I don't design, so I never look in those forums. I don't do jewelry, so I never look in that forum. You can use ravelry the way you like.

 

And having had my house broken into and photos stolen, it's very nice to have a place online where photos of the pieces I've done are stored safe. I'm kicking myself for all the photos that I lost, not to mention the photos of the zoo and family. patty