Why Ravelry?

I've decided to manage my knitting projects better with the help of Ravelry. As you can see in my left side bar (my current knitting projects), I have 3 ongoing projects or WIPs. The other projects are now in hibernation. To keep my focus, I need to stick to 3 WIPs. As I complete one project, I should be able to rotate a project from hibernation and get it done. We'll see how that works for the month of June.

I love Ravelry. This is one site/tool that has helped me stay organized and keep track of my knitting projects and progress. It's a great place to document knitting projects for future reference. Save favorite patterns. Most importantly, it's a big help when I've forgotten what yarns I have in my stash. I can also keep track of the knitting needles and crochet hooks I have. Instead of accidently purchasing duplicate needles, I can use that money to buy more yarn. :) I also have a library where I can keep an eye on all the books and magazines I have.

I can also look up yarn information and see what projects others have made with the same yarn I'm interested in. A search can be done by fibers, name of the yarn, or by brand.

I can search patterns by categories and then find a particular pattern I'm interested in knitting. I can then see all the ongoing and completed projects others have tackled. I enjoy going through the galleries and seeing pictures of the garments/accessories in different colors and in a variety of yarns.

I love how the knitting projects/patterns are linked back to the appropriate knitting magazines and books. I can go into my library and select the magazine I have and find all the projects other knitters have created. There's a lot of cross-reference information available and I've only touched a fragment of this lovely site/tool.

The group/forum is a great place to join and ask questions or just read what other knitting folks are up to. There are many groups available. Local or worldwide.

The galleries and groups are great resources as others uncover knitting issues or errors in patterns. A great place to learn something about your knitting pattern.

If I'm looking a garment/accessory pattern, I do my initial search on Ravelry. There are many free patterns here as well as inexpensive ones.

I love using the message box feature to keep in touch with my fellow knitters.

Ravelry reminds me of a one-stop knitting resource and communication tool for knitters. Kind of what PatternReview is to sewists.

If you are interested and new to Ravelry, you can request an invitation for Ravelry here. It typically takes 2-3 days before you will receive an invitation to join.

For those of you who are members, I would love to hear how you use Ravelry or neat things you've uncovered. :)