Reveling in Ravelry

Everyone I know who has become part of the new Ravelry community is completely in love with it. Like thousands of others, I signed up for the beta version a couple of months ago when I first heard about it. And a few days ago, I received my invitation to join. I've spent lots of time over the last several days entering information into my little Ravelry cubby and making some acquaintances there.

What is Ravelry? For those who have not heard of it yet, it's an amazing new online community for knitters and crocheters. And more than a community, it's a wonderful collection of organizational helps like a place to inventory your fiber stash, needles and crochet hooks, and track and display finished objects and works in progress. You can also queue up projects and organize yourself into the future.

The creators of Ravelry are a couple, Jess and Casey, who birthed this fabulous new concept and then set about growing it to some maturity before setting it loose on the public at large. They are doing a great job of that, incorporating member suggestions for improvements daily, hourly, and sometimes almost minute to minute. They keep members informed in the Forum section of the community and solicit feedback for improvements there.

They've created an environment where beginning yarn crafters can rub elbows with more seasoned knitters and crocheters, and where designers can incubate projects and relationships. They are really making the best of what the 'net is all about -- networking.

I've noticed a personal impact for myself already. Just seeing the amazing works of others is motivating me to do more. And already I've made contacts with people whom I might not otherwise have the chance to know, including some of my favorite knitting podcasters.

One of those people is Sharon, who has the She-Knits podcast. If you aren't familiar with her podcast, you can check it out at either Itunes or her podcast site. You don't need an Ipod to listen, you can just download onto your computer and listen.

Sharon has a thing for felted bags, just like I do, and it's been great having a chance to get to know her a little bit, and I'm looking forward to knowing her better.

Aren't we living in an amazing time? A time when we can reach out across states and countries and meet other people who are more like us than we realize? And then to become friends with them, helping one another along the way? Just goes to show you that we are creatures that crave interaction. It's what we were built for, and even as our world becomes more and more modernized, mechanized, and computerized, we find ways to use all that to create and nurture relationships.

Anyway, check out Sharon and her podcast, and if you think you might be interested in Ravelry, check that out too. And when you get there, look me up. I'm always pretty easy to find.

Have a great day!