how to use ravelry

In a previous post I introduced the website Ravelry, which I only recently started really digging into. As a newbie using Ravelry I ran into some problems because there were all these terms flying around that I didn’t understand. Maybe it is because I am a self taught crocheter that I hadn’t encountered them before, but they made me feel a little out of the loop. Many of these are terms and acronyms you won’t only find on Ravelry, but in the yarn/craft industry in general. I thought it might be helpful for others that are just discovering Ravelry to share some of the key ones:

LYS = Local Yarn Shop
- Used often in discussions about a physical yarn shop vs. an online store.
ISO = In Search Of
- Seen in groups and forums for people looking for a specific yarn or pattern that they are having trouble finding and want the help of others to obtain it.
CAL = Crochet ALong
- A fun event held by an individual or a company where everyone who joins crochets the same thing at the same time (usually) and share the experience together by providing comments, questions, and photos. Sometimes a prize is involved!
OT = Off Topic
- Often found in the rules of a forum/group specifying they will not tolerate off topic comments. Or, you may simply see it in individual posts by people indicating they realize they are going off on a tangent with their comment!
FO = Finished Objects
- These are completed projects. Often seen in forums and groups that want you to share photos of your finished crochet and knit items.
WIP = Work In Progress
- Used when referring to a project you are currently working on but haven’t completed yet.
UFO = UnFinished Object
- Like WIP above, but often neglected or abandoned all together.
OTH = On The Hook
- Also similar to WIP above, it is the project that is currently on your hook that you are in the middle of crocheting.
FSOT = For Sale Or Trade
- On Ravelry you can make some of your items (including yarn in your stash) available for sale or for trading with other members.
raveler
- A member of ravelry.
ravatar
- The profile photo of a ravelry member.
destash (DS)
- This is the term used when you want to reduce your yarn inventory (or stash) – either by throwing out, selling, trading, or giving away the yarn you don’t want anymore. There are whole forums dedicated to destashing.
frog
- I think this is a very common term in the knit and crochet community, but when I saw it on Ravelry I had to look it up! It refers to a project you undid, either slightly to fix a mistake, or completely to abandon the project. You can change the status of your ravelry project to “frogged”, which means you took it all apart and decided not to make it anymore. Supposedly the term came around because when you make a mistake you “rip it” out, which sounds like the frog noise “ribbit”!

These are the main terms I came across when first exploring ravelry and the ones I think are most useful for those just starting out. For a complete list of terms that you may encounter, check out the main glossary page: Ravelry Glossary.

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Until next time,

I just started using the website Ravelry more extensively this year. If you are unfamiliar with the platform, it is a community for fellow crocheters and knitters to interact and share everything about their craft. Actually, it is more than that – it is so many things it is hard to describe in just one sentence.

There is so much you can do on this website, I am still learning everything! As a quick overview, here are some of things you can do on Ravelry:

Manage your stash of yarn and make a list of every skein of yarn you own and how much you have.
Maintain an inventory of all your hooks and needles.
Keep track of all your projects, both what you are currently working on, what you have completed, and what you plan to work on.
Make a collection of all the patterns you own in a “library”.
Join (multiple) groups of like minded crocheters and knitters to discuss anything and everything (including local meet-ups and clubs).
Buy and sell knit and crochet patterns and ebooks.
Read and write reviews for patterns and yarns.
Check out other members’ creations and “favorite” them (similar to “like” on facebook).
Share your blog posts on your profile, and check out other blogs.
Make new friends!

My favourite things about Ravelry:

(1) The ability to keep track of all the crochet projects I have made. When I want to look back and see what pattern and yarn I used for a particular project I made previously, all I need to do is look it up on ravelry! When you add a project to your profile, you can add the exact yarn you used, how much of the yarn you needed, what hook size you used, any alterations you made to the pattern, as well as photos.

(2) I am a bit of a snoop and I like looking at the projects of other members, especially if it something from a pattern I am considering using. I can see what yarn they used and see how it turned out by looking at their photos. I can also see if they ran into any problems with the pattern, which helps me make my final decision on whether I want to invest my time and yarn into the project.

(3) I really like having a place to store all the patterns I come across and want to save for future projects. On a daily basis I find patterns I really want to make, but just can’t at that moment. I don’t want to forget about them, so I find the patterns in the ravelry database (which so far has had EVERY pattern I have searched for) and add them to my favourites to go back to later.

(4) I especially love how I can sell my patterns on a platform in which all the members are into yarn crafts (a very targeted audience!), but is still open enough to allow non-members to buy patterns, too (you don’t need to sign up to Ravelry to purchase a pattern from me!).

(5) And finally, I am really excited to use Ravelry as a place to connect with my customers who have bought one of my patterns. I started a hookabee group page on Ravelry for people to ask questions and share their finished hookabee creations. I hope to create a fun community there as hookabee grows!

If you are new to ravelry, don’t be overwhelmed by all that you can do on the site. Take your time exploring it and discovering all that is possible. Read forums and check out the Ravelry 101 help guides (click on the question mark tab on the ravelry website).

The site opens up so many opportunities to sell your own patterns, buy from other designers, organize your crochet projects, and to simply meet like minded people with a similar love for the yarn arts! Ravelry is a great community to be part of, and it is FREE to join. Crazy!

Until next time,