Let's Knit Together and Feel Alright: a review of the social media website for fiber crafters, Ravelry

When you picture someone who does fiber arts as a hobby or artisan -- whether that is knitting, crocheting, weaving, spinning and dying wool, making lace, and so on -- do you picture someone's grandmother? It's a common misconception. However, nowhere is it easier to see evidence of the wide variety of people who enjoy fiber arts than on the website Ravelry.com, a social networking site designed specifically for those who love a good stash of yarn.

Ravelry, founded in 2007, fulfills a few roles for fiber arts enthusiasts. The first is that of a traditional social network. In order to access the website, you need to make a (free) account. Much like that of a traditional social networking site, you will create a profile -- sharing information about your hobbies, which fiber crafts you like to do, your photo, where you are located, and a few cute get-to-know-you questions. You can also connect with other crafters -- search or browse people to follow, join groups based on nearly anything under the sun, chat with other crafters in forums, see what your friends have been posting lately, and check out upcoming fiber arts events such as festivals, classes, and meetups both near and far. Maybe you want to connect with other people who like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or knit the same sweater pattern alongside people from around the world and help each other out. You can do all of that under the Community tab on Ravelry's website. Many of these functions are very similar to more generalized social networking sites such as Facebook, and will likely feel familiar to those who have used a site like that before.

Another, more fiber arts-focused aspect of Ravelry is the My Notebook feature. Here you can track the tools you have (or want), the patterns or handspun projects you are working on, a project queue to plan out your crafting, your library of patterns or crafting books you own, your yarn stash (down to the detail of the dye lot of the yarn), and your favorites. These tools serve as a planner and inventory management system for craft supplies, providing organization and structure. If you do not enjoy any arts or crafts-type hobbies, you may not realize how easy it is to accumulate materials, supplies, patterns, tools and more. This provides an easy and accessible place to track all of this information. These tools are not just for your personal benefit, as well. You can mark items in your stash as ones your willing to trade or sell to other crafters, allowing you to get rid of extras and make room or barter for a dream item. Additionally, when you track your progress on a project, other people can see this information -- including which yarn you used, your rating of the pattern or yarn, your notes and photos, and a link to the pattern page if they want to try it themselves. This is a fantastic way to make decisions on whether a pattern might be a good fit for you, see feedback on problems with the pattern, and see how other people's finished projects turned out.

Finally, Ravelry boasts a positively gigantic database of patterns, yarn, and supplies. A typical profile of a pattern highlights where and when the pattern was published (book, magazine, Etsy listing, blog post, on Ravelry itself?), technical specifications such as the size of needle or hook, category of pattern, weight of the yarn, suggested yarn, difficulty level, language, and craft terminology type. They can also feature key words, such as character names, specific stitches or techniques, whether or not the pattern has photos and note other features about the pattern, such as the price. The pattern searching features are robust, allowing advanced searches by these traits and allowing searchers to really hone in on pattern traits they are interested in. With over 1 million patterns, these advanced searching tools are a very useful tool.

Ravelry boasts over 7 million users, a suite of tools made by fiber crafters for fiber crafters, and allows crafters from all over the world to chat and share knowledge about their crafts. This social networking site is a great example of how information needs can be met on the web.