Why you NEED to be on Ravelry right now!

So I'm pretty much assuming that I'm going to be preaching to the converted here. That most of us that live and breathe yarn are already on the Ravelry train. So then, what's the purpose of this blog post?

Well, one of my customers very kindly asked me to do a 'why you need to be on Ravelry post' so she could forward it to her friends. So this is for her friends, and any of yours that need to be convinced that they need to be a part of the single most exciting thing that has happened to knitting & crochet in like FOREVER!

What is Ravelry?

Ravelry is a free social networking website for knitters & crochet folk. I often describe it as Facebook with a purpose. It has over 3 million members worldwide and has even scored its own wikipedia entry. Pretty impressive for a website that only started in 2007.

What can I do on Ravelry?

You can:

• search for patterns
• search for yarn
• match yarn up to patterns
• search for alternative yarn for patterns
• browse through other people's projects photos and notes
• upload your own projects to a page, including photographs
• upload & manage your own stash
• join groups with like minded knitters, such as those in the suzy hausfrau group
• participate in forums on all sorts of topics, knitting and otherwise
• find where to buy yarn 
• download patterns direct from designers (pdf format), including lots of FREE patterns!
• participate in 'show and tell' by having other people comment and 'like' your projects, and by you doing the same to theirs.
• and heaps more

Does it cost anything?

Not a penny

What do I do to join?

Head on over to the home page here, click on join now and follow the instructions. You will need to chose a username (commonly known as a Ravatar!) and a password...and chocks away you're off!