As hard as I find these to believe, there are still knitters and crocheters that aren’t members of Ravelry yet. Hard to believe because Ravelry is such a huge part of my daily routine and my business and our Fiber CSA community.
Ravelry is a social networking website that allows knitters and crocheters around the world to organize and share projects and ideas. It was founded by this amazing couple- Jess and Casey- who quickly ascending to rock star status in the knitting world. They also happen to be lovely people, which makes me very happy.
Say you’re thinking of knitting a pattern but aren’t sure which yarn you want to use. On Ravelry you can click on any pattern and see photographs of the sweaters everyone has knit from that pattern. If you see one you particularly like, you can click on the picture and find out what yarn (brand, color and dye lot) they used. Click again and you’ll be taken to an online shop to buy the yarn. So cool, right? There are also hundreds (thousands? hundreds of thousands?) of free patterns available on ravelry.
But my favorite part of the site is the forums. That’s where you’ll find our group, Juniper Moon Farm Virtual Flock, as well as thousands of other affinity groups. Are you a knitting lawyer living in Cleveland? There’s probably a group for that.
The great thing about our Rav group is that it’s a venue for shareholders to meet each other. It’s a great group of women (and a couple of amazing men)! And you don’t have to be a shareholder to join. It’s a very welcoming group.
In fact, Ravelry itself is a very welcoming place. There are people of all ages there, all brought together by their love of fiber craft. You do need to sign up for an invitation to join, but it only takes a couple of days and is definitely worth the wait.
If you’ve been holding off on joining Rav do yourself a favor and sign up today. Then get your behind over to our group and introduce yourself. I promise, you won’t regret it!
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Frankly, I can’t remember how I found patterns or yarn info before Ravelry. I’ve only been a member for about 14 months, and am THRILLED with how it’s changed my life (no, really, it has, and not just about fiber!).
Good advice.
Be sure to include this information in the letters you send to new shareholders, too. They, for sure, will want to be a part of the Juniper Moon Ravelry group.
i don’t remember my life before Rav
Knitters and crocheters AND spinners AND weavers! I believe we’ve got felters, too. Really, if it’s a fiber art, it’s on ravelry.
Come on over. We don’t bite. Much.
Love Rav. Love reading the JMF threads; you all have so much fun!!! Only problem is the more time I spend reading the forum threads, the less time I have to knit!! Love also reading yout Tweets on the left bar… SAT scores and an aspirated pea. OMG! Must go knit!
Well, shepardsusie, if you thought the group wasn’t large enough before, you have encouraged many new groupies to get in there now. I didn’t realize there was a group for your farm efforts, but have been on ravelry for many months, and that’s where I found your blog. Thanks.
I was in a pretty dark place in my life when I found Ravelry. Instantly I had a community and friends. Amazing. I found local knitting groups through a search on Rav and made some great friends – and suddenly things weren’t so bleak anymore. What are you waiting for…sign up for Ravelry!
It was so worth the months of waiting to get on rav that it took way back!
There’s no wait to join Ravelry, now! You sign up, and an instant email goes out with your code.
After reading this I will try again. I never got an invitation to join
so I figured they were full and never tried again. I don’t follow patterns much, i’m more of a visual crocheter, but I’d love to see what’s in there – I hear so many people wax on about how wonderful Ravelry is.
Life before Ravelry!!???
I found this wonderful farm and some of the most wonderful friends in my life through Ravelry!! I’m forever indebted to Juniper Moon and to Ravelry…group HUG!!!
I will be a member of Raverly for two years. (Well two years as of Nov. 27)
Raverly expanded my knowledhe of yarn, fibers, patterns. Up until I went on Raverly I never knew socks could be made sideways without the fuss of turning a heal!
The best thing about Raverly – it made me aware of Juniper Moon Farm.
Oh Karen! Even if you just join for the forums you will love it! Our group has the same spirit and feeling that the parties you came to had- the people are amazing and what Ravelry is all about for me.
Okay, okay, okay…..I confess. I haven’t joined Ravelry yet. I’ll admit I find it a bit daunting. You see, everyone has their gifts and although I have raised a handspinning flock of Corriedale sheep for more than 20 years, well, I am a terrible knitter….all thumbs. What really gives me hope and joy, though, is watching the community of knitters and spinners (and I want to stress the word “community”) who have embraced Susan and her farm like an extended family and supported her through thick and thin. It is a precious thing, not only the support for Susan but also the connection her community of knitters are making with the earth and animals that bring them the fiber they delight in making creations with. So when I make the leap, I hope I will also find a community there who can support other fiber farmers and become their extended family. And that they won’t mind that my knitting skills are, well, not so good……
Jan, do you spin? Dye? Know about various sheepie fibers and how to clean a fleece? You have a place on Ravelry. First check the Juniper Moon Farm forum. You don’t ever have to go any other place. Or the many spinning forums, like Spin Tech and others.
It’s fun. You’ll like it. You have sheepie credentials. You don’t need anything else. It’s a great group of nice people. Jump in.
I joined Ravelry this past spring, never having heard of it until searching Twitter for knitters. During that time Ravelry has gained such momentum that it’s even got members interacting on Google Wave. Funny thing is, neither entity is even out of beta/pre-beta status yet- amazing! Also, 2 unofficial groups are in the works, one on Newsvine and the other on Rav, for the mutual benefit of each community. =)