I made myself a promise that this year I will be better about tracking my knitting on Ravelry. I was an early tester of Ravelry (my number is 31!) and I used to be obsessed with it, constantly checking my friend activity page, queuing up lots of patterns, taking and sharing photos of my knitting and handspun. In recent years, though, with the advent of Facebook and Instagram, Ravelry just became another social media platform and I got overwhelmed with trying to stay on top of it. So I just sort of stopped. I didn’t stop knitting and I didn’t stop using it for finding and purchasing patterns, but I definitely stopped tracking things – my knits and yours, too.
I have a plan, though, for using Ravelry more and I bet you know, since today is Thursday, that my plan is a 3 pronged approach.
Thing the first: getting my project page caught up with the things I knit last year. I spent some time on this the other day and made pretty good progress. Once I photograph Peace Cowl #2 (it’s currently blocking) and once I block and photograph the Islington Shawl, I will be completely caught up there. And that gives me a chance to start fresh with 2018. I love a fresh start.
Thing the second: Using my phone to get update Ravelry. First, I set up a shortcut to Ravelry on my iPhone. And then I read about how to start a project on Ravelry from my phone. I’m a big app user but there’s no app for Ravelry. Turns out, though, that it’s pretty friendly for mobile use and that will make a world of difference to me. For one, it means I can add a project no matter where I am when I start it or think of doing it. For another it means that I can add photos of my project right from my iPhone. That alone will make it super convenient for me to keep my project page current.
Thing the third: The Ravelry Project Challenge. You know I can be a bit, errrr, competitive and the idea of a knitting challenge truly appeals to me. I haven’t made any definite decisions yet of how I will use this challenge but at it’s simplest it will be similar to the GoodReads challenge I set for myself every year. Seriously, if I can commit to reading 75 books then I really ought to be able to commit to knitting a specific number of knitting projects. Plus, I think it’s a great way to narrow down my queue to the things I really want to knit soon.
I bet you all are big Ravelry users and if you’ve got tips and tracks for how to use it to my best advantage I’d love to hear them!
If you wrote a post for this week please include your link below so we can all see what you’re talking about this Thursday.
Ravelry is probably my favorite social media platform, but I did have to curtail my use so I didn’t spend more time perusing patterns than actually knitting them. I use it to see how a pattern might look knit in a certain yarn, and to look at helpful projects for any improvements I might want to make. I try to keep my projects updated, but that’s mainly to keep myself honest about wips and notes for future projects (and I don’t knit that many projects so it’s easy to keep up). I don’t really have any tips more than to just do it! I love seeing friends’ projects!
I love ravelry, but I’ve had some issues with being on the internet too much, so I’ve deleted my account twice already. I’m back now (determined to stay this time) and thinking about going back in time slowly, adding projects I deleted, but that will take a long, long time. I am trying to keep up with my current projects though. Using my phone could be helpful. Got to think about that…
I’m doing a 52 hats challenge, but I’m still not sure if the commitment is going to inspire me or drive me crazy.
I don’t spend time on Ravelry nearly as much as I used to, but I do use it to browse patterns — and to see what the patterns I’m thinking about look like in various yarns, etc. I keep my project page updated — but don’t tend to add a project until it’s finished. I don’t plan to use the new “challenge” feature at all, because I’m a lot more . . . fickle . . . in my knitting, and I just don’t want to set goals for something I do for fun and relaxation. (But I think it’s cool that they came up with that feature, and it’ll be fun to watch how it works for others.)
I love Ravelry — and how it works in different ways for different knitters. It’s made me so much more organized in my knitting, and I love having patterns and ideas and inspiration right at my fingertips — anytime I want it! XO
I have never stopped using Ravelry extensively as a reference. However, I, too, have stopped posting my projects…many, many projects ago. For one thing, in the day I had to take photos, post them to Flicker, then post to Ravelry (even that was complicated). I can’t get that digital camera to agree to the current date after charging, so no more photos on Ravelry…until now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this post! I’m planning on a Lopi knit-along, and didn’t think I could post the pictures of progress it requires. Yes! My Iphone! I’ve bookmarked the page of directions, and will try it soon.
I found the #makenine and Ravelry project goal super helpful in getting me focused on what I want (and need!) to knit this year. and thanks for the phone tip(s) for Ravelry – don’t know why I haven’t put that shortcut there already!
Oh, Ravelry. My first social media adventure, my attention has waned. That was by design because I spent more time gawking than knitting some days. And, I joined IG because I wanted to get back into quilting which is not a Ravelry option. I do use them both as places to browse for new projects, and consider alternative colors or other changes. My life has enough challenges, my only creative challenges are creative skills attempted, not in numbers. But I can see it being useful for sure.
I love how versatile & flexible Ravelry can be for users. One of my favorite things is the “Your Pattern Highlights” on the pattern page — showing me patterns that I might like based on things that I already like or have made. It satisfies the need to know what’s new in the world without getting lost in it all! I do more extensive searches only when I have something very specific in mind. And I’ve been a very infrequent participant in groups/forums/discussions. I have never liked the forum format, so that’s been pretty easy! I love keeping track of my projects — to keep me honest and because I suck at remembering details. 😉
I think one of my favorite things about Ravelry is searching for patterns based upon a gauge swatch. It is the best thing ever!
And, I will be cheering you on in your Challenge Goal! XO
I’ve used Ravelry for patterns for years, but never any of the other features. I had decided to make 2018 my year of using Ravelry to see how I like it, so I understand the need for a three proved approach! My game plan for getting current on it this year was to start by adding my stash, then my current projects. Since I’ve never put projects in before (despite knitting lots of them!) I’m thinking of just going with my 2018 projects and beyond.
Okay, I confess—no Ravelry use—gotta get with the program!
I’m really good at keeping track of my projects on Ravelry, since I do enjoy that part a lot. The other things (forums, etc.) I get obsessed with in spurts. But I’m so glad it’s there!
Great plan! I love using Ravelry, it’s very much a go-to for me, except for when I ended up spending too much time there and not much time knitting! Same goes for any social channel though I suppose.
I mainly use Ravelry for a reference. I don’t like the idea of using my time to keeping any social media platform up to date. Yes, I am a partial Luddite, but I spend enough time on line without adding this to my to-do list. I am in awe of you folks (I’m looking at you, Carole) who are able to keep everyday life in the road and meet social media demands. I do think Ravelry is one of the most useful social media platforms out there for anyone who knits or crochets.
I am so with you on this. I think where I sorta fell down was that living in an apartment I could never find a good place to model and photograph my FOs. I plan to do better in 2018 and knit from not only my stash of yarn, but my stash of patterns. Maybe this blog community can help keep us all on track for this year.
I love Ravelry. I was a Beta tester, too but not as early as you were. I really like the shortcut on my phone and really like that I can now upload pictures easily.
I love Ravelry. I set a goal of 26 projects (I figure hats are quick). 🙂
I also just added the phone shortcut recently–now I need to see about starting a project from the phone–that would streamline things for me!
I still love Ravelry for looking for patterns and yarn ideas, though I check forums rarely.
I’ve been pretty much the same as you in regards to Ravelry. There are just SO many social mediums to keep up with these days that it sucks so much time out of your life if you let it. I have been trying to be better about keeping track of and reducing my internet time…..but I have been working on keeping more current with Ravelry with my last few knitting projects.
I LOVE Ravelry for finding patterns and keeping up with new knitting trends. I’ll have to try adding a project via my phone…thank you for mentioning this. 🙂
Thank you for showing me how to make a Ravelry shortcut. I like keeping track of my projects and stash (sort of), but don’t use many of the other features. I find enough to knit just by reading friends blogs!