Until almost a year ago I didn’t start to take Ravelry seriously, the truth is that for me it was a great unknown where maybe I bought a pattern and little else.
It wasn’t until I really saw the potential (mind you, what you can with the interface it has, it must be said!) that I started to enjoy it and dedicate time to it (yes, it takes time, I won’t deny it). Once you dedicate time and care to it, it can become a very useful tool in your power available at all times and “pocket” (depending on the internet of course, but you can always consult it).
With this post I would like to bring you a little bit closer to Ravelry, so that you understand what you can get out of the platform (at least the way I use it, I’m sure you can get more potential out of it) and encourage you to join this platform taking advantage of everything it can bring you.
Let’s start with the basics
WHAT IS RAVELRY?
Ravelry is a platform that I would define as multifunctional because it ranges from pattern store and digital bookstore, through online knitting agenda (visible to all users) to community building through forums and discussions.
Ravelry’s business is in the commissions it charges to designers for the sale of their business, so for us as users it is a completely free service, free of spam (the emails we receive are friendship notifications, updates of patterns in the library, purchases we have made and the corresponding receipts and little else) so it is a compelling reason to join (who does not like free tools that make our lives easier?).
So far so easy and it may make us curious, but one of the things that put us off using it is that it is a tool designed only in English, so below you will find the sections of Ravelry and a small explanation so you can understand the “guts” and it will be easier for you to browse through the platform.
However, we assume that you have already created an account (which is as easy as entering an email and password!).
RAVELRY CONCEPTS:
I have tried to go concept by concept so you can understand what you are going to find and how to use each section so I recommend that if you can you have on one screen the blog to read and on another screen Ravelry so you can see it and tinker at the same time 😉
As soon as you enter, in the top horizontal menu on the left, you will find yourself:
| NAME (ENG/ENG) | CONCEPT | WHAT CAN WE DO? |
| PATTERNS / PATRONES | The Ravelry database with all the patterns in every category you can imagine. | On this main page we can see what is “cooking” on the platform with designs that are trending topic or are debuting, as well as search for patterns that interest us. It’s always cool to check what the knitting or craft world likes and get ideas (this database is a great source of inspiration). |
| YARNS / BALLS – WOOL | The database with the balls / yarns that are registered in the platform. | Here you can gossip detailed information about the yarns (composition, length, colors…) as well as see projects that have been knitted with these yarns. It can be very useful to see how it looks knitted and how it looks on the garments or to see possible alternatives when replacing the balls in a pattern. |
| COMMUNITY / COMUNIDAD | This category has a drop-down menu, which includes forums (related to patterns, yarns and fibers, techniques, tools…), messages, search for people, friends, groups and events. | FORUMS/FORUMS: I don’t use this part, maybe because I prefer a known blog or look for the exact information I want in youtube or IG videos, but if you can speak English and you like the forums I invite you to gossip a little and maybe you will find topics in which you would like to know more and it’s good for you. MESSAGES/MESSAGES: pattern notifications (updates, bugs…), friendship notifications, etc. PEOPLE/PERSONAS: so you can search for users and see their activity. FRIENDS: those people you have added as a friend (in their Ravelry profile you will have a button that says ADD FRIEND). GROUPS/GROUPS: Some designers launch their tests here through the groups option on Ravelry so check out your favorite designers in case you are interested in this option and they have it available 😉 EVENTS/EVENTS: type KALS, etc. |
| SUPPORT / SUPPORT | Here you will find the help you need through the Ravelry guides (your profile, designers, buying patterns, groups…). | Gossip without fear that you can find any solution to your doubts here 😉 Problems with English? I recommend you to use the Google Lens app if you have your cell phone next to you to be able to translate quickly on the spot (be careful, it is not the best translator but it will get you out of trouble quickly). In case you can’t, you can always count on Google Translator. |
| ADVANCED SEARCH / BÚSQUEDA AVANZADA | Our search engine for all of the above where you can filter by category and narrow down your search to find what you were looking for 😉 | You can look for ideas of shawls for example with 3.5mm needles and using fingering yarns to use those precious yarns you have in your stash. |
We continue advancing and in the upper horizontal menu but this time on the right, we will find ourselves:
| NAME (ENG/ENG) | CONCEPT | WHAT CAN WE DO? |
| BASKET ICON | Our shopping cart where we will see the patterns we have added broken down by designer, and will have the number of patterns you currently have in the cart. | Here we will be able to see what we are going to buy, if there is any discount that applies only or apply it ourselves with a coupon and make the purchase. WARNING: you will not be able to purchase from several designers at the same time, but only one purchase per designer. |
| ABOUT | Here we will see the messages that we have discussed in the previous table. | You will be able to read and reply to incoming messages. |
| SANDWICH WITH E | Direct” access to previously viewed forums. | Same functionality as mentioned in the previous section. |
| MY NOTEBOOK / MI CUADERNO DE NOTAS | Our super knitting agenda, here we have several concepts within this category that we will break down in detail below. | Itemized below. |
| ICON WITH OUR PROFILE PICTURE | Access to our profile, purchases made, Ravelry settings, etc. | We will be able to add our linkedin profile, blog, information about us, etc. |
Let’s go deeper into the MY NOTEBOOK concept, which is where we will be able to get the most out of this platform:
| NAME (ENG/ENG) | CONCEPT | WHAT CAN WE DO? |
| PROJECTS / PROYECTOS | Projects that we have started to weave or have already woven. | Here we will see all the started or finished projects that we register (by adding project or by clicking on the “cast on project” button on the page of the pattern in question). This section is our mine because here we can register: – Size – Needles used – Sample – Number of balls used and which ones (what is used is automatically subtracted from our stash if we select to take balls from our stash). – Start and end dates – Project status – Public notes – Private notes and much more. For me this part has made me forget about the notes in the pattern on paper or on loose sheets and switch to digital, making sure that I do not lose any information. Here for example I take the opportunity to include in notes (either public or private) annotations of the changes I have made in the pattern, measurements if necessary, measurements of the sample without blocking and after blocking, links to videos I have used (for example short loops, seams, stitch assembly…). Anything you have used that might be useful when redoing the project or if you need it for similar projects. |
| QUEUE / COLA DE PROYECTOS | The list of projects we want to do. | Here we will be able to see those projects that we have put in our list and order them by priority (with the add to queue button on the pattern page) We can also assign balls that we have in our stash to have everything already in mind for when we knit it. Here we can add both projects that we have the pattern purchased or not. |
| STASH / ALIJO | Our database of all our yarn balls that we have hidden around the house | We can register in this tab all our balls (some brands will be registered in the platform and others will not and we will have to put them by hand). It will allow us to have registered: quantity of balls (weight/meters), color, dyeing, date of purchase, store… It takes time but having the registered balls will help us when we see a pattern will tell us if we have similar options in our stash of balls or when we go to a festival and want to buy balls know what we have at home at a glance and not buy similar (or if we need it!) |
| HANDSPUN / HILADO A MANO | Section for those balls that we have spun by hand. | Unless we are super pros and make our own balls with different fibers I doubt we will use it but here you will be able to register those balls that you have spun by hand with a spinning wheel, etc. (not spun). |
| TOOLS / HERRAMIENTAS | Our database with the tools that we have (knitting and crochet needles). | I don’t use this function for example, but if you are interested you can register the tools you have to have an overview of what you have at your disposal. |
| FAVORITES / FAVORITOS | Here we will find all the patterns or projects that we have marked as favorites. | You will be able to create categories to save your favorites and make it easier to find them, add comments… you have a thousand options! |
| LIBRARY / LIBRERIA | Here we will find all the patterns we have purchased on Ravelry. | We can search through our patterns or we also have the option to mark those patterns that we have purchased on another platform that we already have (although here we can not upload PDFs or documents to the platform, we only have the option to mark that we already have it, but not upload it). |
All that remains is for you to see how within a page of a pattern you have the different options discussed above.
I searched for a random PetiteKnit pattern that I didn’t have on my list, here’s a screenshot of how it would appear to you too:
The following pattern options appear below the menu mentioned above:
- Details: details – where we will see all the pattern information (needles, balls, sizes, pattern languages…).
- Yarn ideas: ideas of yarns to use based on projects that have already been knitted by other knitters.
- Projects: projects already knitted or in process where you can see photos, comments, yarns used, etc. Very interesting to get ideas.
- Comments: comments that people have made about that particular pattern.
- Forum posts: posts in the forum that talk about that pattern.
If we focus on the DETAILS tab, on the right margin (at the height of the first photo on the left) we will see that different options of the pattern appear:
- Add to favorites: add to favorites
- Cast on project: add to projects
- Share this: share
- Add to queue: add to project queue
- Add to library: in case you have purchased the pattern on another platform and want to indicate that you already have it (so as not to buy it twice).
Below you will find the purchase option:
- Buy it now: buy it now (it would be like Amazon’s 1-click purchase).
- Add to cart: add to cart (if you want to buy more patterns and continue gossiping)
- Send as gift: send it as a gift.
Well, now that we know what Ravelry is, let’s move on to what we are really interested in…
WHAT CAN RAVELRY BRING US?
I have tried to show you throughout the concepts the usefulness and profit we can get from each one of them, but let’s focus a little more on it:
- Order in our started and finished projects (if you are one of mine with a couple of projects at the same time… you will appreciate it!) That is, to be able to have in each project the size, balls and needles used, notes (whether public or private) of things to keep in mind in case you repeat, do something similar or to help others.
- List of projects you want to do updated and easy to modify. Do you want to have a list of everything you want to do and sorted by priority? This is your tool, at a glance you can see all the patterns you want to make (remove, put, order…) and with notes you want to add (plus the yarns you have in mind to use).
- Have an inventory of yarns that is easy to review and available in your “pocket”, especially if you are in a store and need to buy yarns you are missing, a whim you have but don’t buy look-alikes or review information for a fair.
- Online library of your patterns: although it only allows you to have the PDFs of those documents purchased through the platform, it is a perfect tool because you can have the patterns of different designers in one place (without having to resort to your own storage – in the cloud or on devices to save the patterns). It does not expire at any time, you can download the patterns without any limit and you also get the pattern updates automatically (great, isn’t it?).
- Perfect database for inspiration or search of patterns to knit: it has a search engine that allows you to refine your search based on your preferences (for example: category, age, language, needles, colorwork, type of work, yarns, difficulty… and many more filters).
- Follow people we like their style or inspiration and be able to gossip about their projects or favorites and get ideas or see notes/statements they make.
- To be able to keep up to date on topics that interest us through the platform’s groups or forums.
WHAT NEGATIVE THINGS COULD WE SEE FROM RAVELRY?
For me, the detractors I see are few but they do have their weight:
- It takes time at the beginning to upload all the information: once it’s done, it’s a piece of cake.
- It means having a routine when using it: if you buy yarns remember to upload them to Ravelry, project and progress notes, etc.
- The interface is not very user-friendly, but it’s all a matter of getting used to it and learning the tricks.
- We don’t have it in local languages but I hope that having this guide with the translations and what we can do with each concept can help you a little in this aspect.
CONCLUSIONS:
- It opens up a range of possibilities when it comes to meeting new designers and projects without relying on IG’s algorithm.
- It gives you alternatives to the wools used in the patterns by the designers based on projects that have already been knitted and you can get an idea of how they look.
- It allows you to store patterns from different designers and to call on them at any time.
- It helps to maintain order and encourages us to put notes and clarifications that we might otherwise miss as they would be made physically on the pattern paper (or on the tablet but we would not be able to access it at all times).
- It takes time to upload the initial information but then you get the hang of it and it is a matter of incorporating it into your knitting routine and you will see improvements in no time.
Have I convinced you to join Ravelry yet? 😉 You can find me under the user easypeasyknitterm, I look forward to your friend request!
See you soon!
Marta