Social network Ravelry solves a tangled problem
When thinking of knitting and crocheting, one doesn't often associate it with social networking Web sites. Despite being a solitary activity, knitting is also a social event and a chance for people to get together and share tips, projects, and chatter--also known as the "stitch and bitch." Ravelry is a new site for knitters and crocheters that's taking that online, and adding an interesting Web spin with project management, and the creation of a massive directory of user shared patterns. The end result is a social network that doubles as a place to find new projects and talk to others who have done them.
The service is set up to give everyone their own social profiles, including a blog that can be slurped from your existing site. There are also themed groups, with shared project and yarn pools, and private forums. Interestingly enough, instead of grouping "neighbors" by geographical region, Ravelry instead chooses to group people together by the projects they're working on.
The real draw, however, is the "stash," which is a place to document whatever yarns or fibers you own. Just take pictures of it, upload, and tag them. It then resides in your stash, until you've used it (which then goes into your "used" pile). The hope is that Ravelry users will keep their stashes up to date, letting other users ping them to purchase or swap the yarn, or ask questions.
According to CNET's resident knitting expert, and published author Jennifer Stafford, the stash actually helps to solve a real world problem in the crafts community--dyeing. Each lot of yarn has its own unique color, and if you somehow can't get more of a certain color later on, you're pretty much out of luck. Assuming people have tagged their stashes correctly, you might be able to pick up that oh-so-important missing piece of your project.
Ravelry is still in its private beta testing phase and is whittling down its waiting list of over 17k users by inviting about 500 new ones a day. You can sign up for it here.
Note: This post has been changed since its original publish to correct inaccuracies about the neighbors and patterns features, and to specify terminology about what's in the stash.
Each project gets its own page where the creator can blog about the experience, and share tips and pictures.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
User profiles are the typical social fodder, but Ravelry also lets you do some project management with a list of queued projects, and a hit parade of past accomplishments.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Josh Lowensohn writes for Webware.com, CNET's blog about Web applications and services. E-mail Josh, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Josh. 
First and foremost: "The real draw, however, is the 'stash,' which is a place to document whatever yarns or fabrics you own." "Stash" on Ravelry is for yarn and fiber, not fabric. I'm sure a number of members sew, but the site is focused on knitting, crochet, and other fiber crafts. I'm not sure I'd call it the "real draw", either. Stash appeals to the Excel junkie in a knitter, a way of keeping your yarn organized and easy to look through without digging into a number of boxes and closets. It's hard to point to the most popular thing on the site. It really depends on the individual knitter. Looking at what people have made is probably near the top, though, which relates to . . .
"user generated patterns" No. Some patterns in Ravelry are written by members, but the vast majority are patterns written by other people. Users are able to link to information about the pattern they used to make something. This is one of the most effective pieces of the database behind Ravelry, and what makes it so much more than a social site. Members can look up a pattern they're thinking of making and see photos of finished knits from a variety of users, in a variety of yarns and colors, along with comments on issues, variations, adjustments. This makes the pattern database an invaluable resource for members. Honestly, the database pieces of Ravelry are just as important as the social aspects. Ravelry isn't just "Facebook for knitters", it's an important reference. Many designers are on the site, though, as are many knitting celebrities.
"You can even opt in to share your zip code, which will let the service group you together with your "neighbors" in case you want to get a local knit group together." Sorry, not even close. :) There isn't a place to enter your zip code. That's not how "neighbors" are determined. Your "neighbors" are determined by who has knit or queued the same patterns as you, and how many patterns you have in common. People in New Jersey and Germany could be neighbors. Meetups of members have happened, but they are generally organized in the forums, which are not private within the site.
The best way to see Ravelry if you're not a member is probably to check out the video tour here. If you're just curious about other opinions on Ravelry, do a Google Blog Search for "ravelry". You might find one or two people blogging about the site.
Thank you for this article. I know I seemed mostly negative, but I would just hate to see potential members confused about the site's features or focus. Also, consider getting the Domiknitrix to teach you how to knit. You might enjoy it! You'll at least have plenty of company. :)
Thank you for the extensive feedback, it's quite helpful, and the post has been updated to reflect your corrections.
Also to clarify, by "user generated patterns" I meant patterns that were submitted to the site by users, not actually designed by them. I've updated the verbage to be a little more clear.
Thanks for reading!
I too wouldn't say that the stash database function is my primary draw to the site, it has its uses and i was very happy that the yarn database (which is tied into the stash functions) was there the other day when I tried to find the colorways of the yarn I used for an afghan I am knitting. But really my favorite parts of the site are the forums and pattern database. As a male knitter who tends to knit for himself as opposed to others, its really hard to find good patters. The database elevates this problem by allowing me to search through thousands of patterns. There is also a "queue" button next to every pattern that allows you to put the pattern in your queue of patterns that you want to knit which has stopped my "oh where did I see that pattern at again?" problem.
As to finding people in your area through Ravelry - I have actually done this (not through the "neighbors" part, as booksherpa pointed out) but through searching people in my area. I actually got invited to a knitting group that way, which is great when you are new to a country (and city) and don't know any other knitters.
Finally - also as part of your notebook there is a section to catalog your books and your needles (this is very very useful).
Oh and you should learn how to knit, it really is wonderful
- Great to see this article, but slightly inaccurate
- by margaret912 October 3, 2007 5:00 PM PDT
- I'm a ravelry member, waited on the waiting list for 3 and a half months, and I'm thrilled to be able to use it now. I would say that the most interesting features of ravelry include the ability to link your project from "Pattern X" to the "project X" of hundreds of other ravelry members. When I'm' looking at a pattern in a book, I can search on ravelry and find dozens of people who have already completed the pattern. I can read about their thoughts about it, see their end result, find out about typos in the pattern etc. This search feature also works with yarn.
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(4 Comments)Nonknitters will probably read this and not understand what makes ravelry more interesting than Facebook or myspace, it is a very practical site and I'm getting a lot out of it so far.