The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Bionic on January 05, 2013, 08:29:31 am

Title: Ravelry help
Post by: Bionic on January 05, 2013, 08:29:31 am
I know that SITN uses Ravelry quite a bit and I suspect that some of the rest of you do too. I joined it a while ago but am having a hard time trying to navigate my way round. Any tips?
thanks
Sally
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Alistair on January 05, 2013, 09:02:18 am
Ditto, can't fathom it, makes me ill, joined a couple of boards but don't what to do next sought of thing, maybe we should have our own board?, obviously someone else would have to set it up cos I'm crap.
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: jaykay on January 05, 2013, 10:22:13 am
Well this is how I use it (and I'm living on there at the moment)

Find some active boards that are into the thing you're into. A lot of them are US based, sometimes that doesn't matter, sometimes it does.

Ideas to start with might be UK Spinners, UK Classifieds.

There's just chat and stuff going on on the boards, so you join in, or you start a topic and ask for help.
Most boards have 'pages' at the top (a tab at the top) which has info in for beginners, resources etc.

Then there's the very wonderful search option. For example, you can search for all knitting patterns, for adults, that you can knit with 500m of fingering (sock) weight yarn and so on. I find that's incredibly useful.
Much more dangerously, you can search people's stashes for yarn they're prepared to sell  :o (contributing to the SABLE we were talking about in Fleecewife's thread  :D)

Some people use it to record all their yarn, so they can see how bad their stash is  :D

You can search for people you know. SITN is Castlemilk on Rav and I am, unenterprisingly, JayKayG. Then you can see what they're busy with at the moment......

Before long you will spend more time on there than on your projects!
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 05, 2013, 10:30:56 am
Ditto, can't fathom it, makes me ill, joined a couple of boards but don't what to do next sought of thing, maybe we should have our own board?, obviously someone else would have to set it up cos I'm crap.
Great idea.   :thumbsup:

I would be prepared to be one of the Ravelry moderators for such a group, if we decide we want one.  But I haven't done it before, nor set up a group, so ideally someone with that experience will volunteer to do it or at least support me or someone else doing it...

I've posted a starting point conversation under 'UK Spinners' - linky (http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/uk-spinners/topics/2422239).  I know that not everyone on TAS is in the UK, and that not everyone who would participate in a Ravelry TAS board spins, but hopefully it's a good enough generalisation to start a conversation in a suitable location.

Rosemary, Dan - do you have views on what such a board should be called?  Friends of TAS?  of Accidental Smallholder?  Explicitly not containing either TAS or Accidental Smallholder?
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 05, 2013, 10:48:46 am
Oh, and anyone with an Ashford wheel, can I direct you to one of the friendliest, most helpful groups on Ravelry?  Ashford UK Spinners (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/ashford-uk-spinners)   Just started in September and only 17 members short of 200 already  :)


Pop into the Tea room  (http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/ashford-uk-spinners/2297161) to say Hi and make some new spinning friends...  :wave:  (And meet up with some folks you already know, too  ;))
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Fleecewife on January 05, 2013, 11:37:51 am
I'm a bit like Bionic Sally and Alistair - haven't made myself at home on Ravelry yet, in spite of Sallyintnorth's help earlier.   This sounds a great idea though so I will try to be there. :wave:    Perhaps because I have spun mainly on my own for 16 years I have a load of stupid questions to raise  :dunce: ;D
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Bionic on January 05, 2013, 11:47:10 am
Fleecewife I have just joined the UK spinners and Ashford UK spinner groups. Still can't find my way round though  ;D 
If you think your questions are stupid you wait until I start posting  :roflanim:
I am Purpledrum on Ravelry
Sally
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Fleecewife on January 05, 2013, 12:14:32 pm
I'll look out for you  :thumbsup:    I'm....tada....fleecewife  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: quiltycats on January 05, 2013, 12:26:00 pm
Fleecewife I have just joined the UK spinners and Ashford UK spinner groups. Still can't find my way round though  ;D 
If you think your questions are stupid you wait until I start posting  :roflanim:
I am Purpledrum on Ravelry
Sally

 :innocent: you have a reply on the Ryeland group
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: quiltycats on January 05, 2013, 12:28:24 pm
Ravelry got me a bit depressed this last week tbh. probably more to do with winter blues though if I am strictly honest. Sally, you know my vote already.
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Mammyshaz on January 05, 2013, 01:31:16 pm
Hello  :wave: from another raveller  :eyelashes:
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: jaykay on January 05, 2013, 01:34:38 pm
But if have a TAS forum on Ravelry, won't we post on here about crafts anymore?
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 05, 2013, 01:49:56 pm
But if have a TAS forum on Ravelry, won't we post on here about crafts anymore?

It's a risk - and it would be a great shame to lose the activity levels that have recently been achieved here. Judging by the response to my post on Ravelry (some of which has arrived as PMs) I bet we'll do as much directing Ravellers to TAS as we do TASers to Ravelry...

I hope we will post in both places because we'll all be in both places.  Won't we chatter in more Ravelling terms over there, and more about smallholding-related crafty things over here?

There'll be some TASers never go on Ravelry (I could be wrong but I somehow don't expect to find topics starting with a fullstop over there...  :-J)

I don't know how much ongoing discussion there'd be in a TAS Ravelry group.  Maybe it would mainly just help Ravelling smallholders get across to TAS, and help TASers find their way into Ravelry amongst people they know and feel safe with... 

Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Alistair on January 05, 2013, 01:52:13 pm
I'm bandage on rav, can't remember why, think I'd hurt myself at the time
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Mammyshaz on January 05, 2013, 01:55:11 pm
I think I'll still be posting on here as I just don't know where to go on revelry, it is so big. On here I feel part of the community  :hug: but on revelry I am just a little blip in a deep, deep ocean  :tired:
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 05, 2013, 02:02:36 pm
One of the things that helped me get started on Ravelry was to look at the groups my friends, and other Ravellers who sounded 'my kinda people', were in.  Any group hasn't had any activity in more than a month is unlikely to be worth joining.

Ravely is very very large, overwhelmingly so, and I don't think I know much about most of it.  I use the forums quite comfortably (although I know there are many things I haven't worked out how to do that would make them easier to use) and have managed to find patterns ok. 

I'd work harder at it if they'd implemented the support for spinning - it's brilliant for knitting projects but we all have to do our spinning-specifics in comments or off the computer.

However, I do often direct TASers to helpful threads on Ravelry (and occasionally the other way too  ;))
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Wyesue on January 05, 2013, 03:17:12 pm
Hi, I'm Wyesue.
I've been on Rav for a very long time, but only been a member here for minutes.... So I will need help here ;-)
After seeing a post from Sally I have started a forum on Rav called 'crafty smallholders UK'

No question is too silly to ask, How else do we learn things....

So if you want to learn about rav, please join up, (click on groups at the top, search on smallholder, Click on the group, then join group button at the top right)

hope to get to know you there and here.....
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Anke on January 05, 2013, 04:11:26 pm
I joined Ravelry a while ago, but also cannot find my way round it that well.... maybe will have another go, but actually probably will do some more knitting instead... just too big for my liking and although I am quite keen on my fibre stuff I also have a smallholding to run and so just don't have the time to do that many projects....
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: quiltycats on January 05, 2013, 04:23:21 pm
Searching groups sort of helps, key words of those things that specifically interest you. I also look at the profiles of people who seem to have similar approaches to life as me. Profiles show what group a person is in. I admit I have been scared off posting in a few now :gloomy:. but reading through groups even with out posting is valuable in its self and you dont have to join or participate to read. All the knitty patterny :knit: stuff is beyond me any way since I dont knit (yet) but I like the purty pictures  :eyelashes:

Down side .....not enough emoticons plus sides lots of tid bids of spinning info.
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 05, 2013, 06:29:39 pm
Thanks for Wyesue for JFDI'ing it and making a group for TASers on Ravelry.   :D

Here's  (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/crafty-smallholders-uk) how you get straight to that group.

If you want to tap into Ravelry but find it too large, overwhelming, unfriendly, whatever - post your query in the Crafty Smallholders UK (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/crafty-smallholders-uk) group, and hopefully someone there can help you find what you are wanting in Ravelry.  :thumbsup:
Title: .
Post by: RUSTYME on January 05, 2013, 07:29:51 pm
You never know Sally , i could be there already ! lol . Been on the net a long time now , and only in the last couple of years been using the mobile .
I am not though , my poor old mobile only just copes with tas !
So you can breath a sigh of relief , it will remain a rustyme free zone , for now , or will it ? ;-)
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 05, 2013, 10:53:12 pm
Thanks for starting this thread, Sally.  I've just started getting a bit involved by joining two groups (about to be two more) although I registered ages ago.
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 06, 2013, 12:43:15 am
Well it's lovely to be meeting up with some TASers over on Ravelry. :)  And hopefully we'll draw some smallholdingy Ravellers across here too  :)
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Dans on January 07, 2013, 12:58:31 am
 :wave: I'm Nanashimoriko on there.

I mainly use Rav for keeping track of my stash, my projects to do, the projects I'm working and searching for patterns. Mainly an organisation  tool for me. I used to use the forums, fairly local ones, but less time now so spending my forum time here.

http://www.ravelry.com/people/Nanashimoriko (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Nanashimoriko) That's my profile if anyone new wants to see how it can help with organising yarn and projects.

Dans
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Bionic on January 07, 2013, 06:49:31 am
Wow Dans that looks really organised. I'm not sure I will get round to taking all those pics of my stash though, eventhough I don't have anywhere near as much as you do.
I must organise myself and at least add some of the recent projects I have finished.
thanks
Sally
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 07, 2013, 03:37:31 pm
I'm impressed, too, Dans.  Is that your photo on there with the long hair?  Isn't it interesting how different people are to how you picture them.

I have most of my stash in big plastic boxes and did ut lists of the contents on the outside and on the door of the cupboard the boxes are kept in but never kept it up to date.  Maybe I should be better organised.
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 07, 2013, 03:40:24 pm
Ignore me. I've just seen your picture on here so know it is you.  Now why didn't I think of looking?   :dunce:
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Dans on January 07, 2013, 04:08:20 pm
I did start when my stash was smaller and I'd just started knitting. I love rav for being able to look up so many different yarns, search the patterns and see how it comes out knitted by different people in different colours and different yarns (if you search a pattern click projects once opened and you'll see other Ravler's attempts at that project). But most of all for organising the yarn for me and telling me if I have enough left for particular projects.

The quality of my pics have gone down hill as now I upload pictures from my phone rather than the OH's fancy camera, but if I wasn't using the phone and the ravelry app it would have fallen behind long ago.

lol I know what you mean MGM you build up a picture then you meet the person and it can be very different.

Dans

PS open to making TAS friends on Rav
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: jaykay on January 07, 2013, 04:14:08 pm
Quote
Ilove rav for being able to look up so many different yarns, search the patterns and see how it comes out knitted by different people in different colours and different yarns (if you search a pattern click projects once opened and you'll see other Ravler's attempts at that project). But most of all for organising the yarn for me and telling me if I have enough left for particular projects.I
Me too!
That's an impressive stash Dans  ;D

What I also like about Rav is that people say a bit about themselves and their family - sort of gets you a bit of background too. And I like seeing photos of people (and should therefore be brave and put one of me  ::))
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Dans on January 07, 2013, 04:22:58 pm
noooooo you're all meant to say it's a puny stash and that you have a much bigger one and then I can once again buy yarn again!  :innocent:

Wow just noticed how out of date that profile is, was from when I had just started. Updated now!

Dans
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 07, 2013, 04:24:14 pm
What I also like about Rav is that people say a bit about themselves and their family - sort of gets you a bit of background too. And I like seeing photos of people (and should therefore be brave and put one of me  ::))
Jay, your Ravatar is almost as good as a pic - anyone who knows you would recognise you from it!   :D
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: renee on January 07, 2013, 04:30:00 pm
  And hopefully we'll draw some smallholdingy Ravellers across here too  :)
I got snared and brought over to TAS
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: SallyintNorth on January 07, 2013, 04:35:33 pm
  And hopefully we'll draw some smallholdingy Ravellers across here too  :)
I got snared and brought over to TAS
And very glad to see you here, too, renee  :wave:  I don't know if you'll see it but I waved to you on your other post (sheep with nosebagbucket) too, and asked you to please introduce yourself and tell everyone about your lovely sheep and holding.

(And if you hadn't guessed, I'm 'castlemilk' over there.)
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 07, 2013, 09:36:41 pm
More members.  Great.  Welcome from me in Shropshire  (Lesleykays on Ravelry)
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Welshcob on January 14, 2013, 05:39:09 pm
Hi I'am also on Ravelry and my username is.... you guessed.... Welshcob!!  :roflanim:

I'll be happy to make friends from here over there (mind boggling...) as I seem to go through phases. There are times when I'm on TAS every break I get from work, now I'm the Rav phase. I think it's because my brain can only take one forum at a time!!  ::)

I use Rav mostly to keep track of what I've been making because I'm terrible with writing down modifications, tension swatches etc. I struggle on Rav anyway, but when I finish something I'll write up about it. No chance I'll ever have time to update my stash until at least when the PhD is in and hopefully have a few weeks holiday  ;D

I also do what Dans said, to check up different versions of a pattern. It's amazing to see what people can come up with! Also I like to search for patterns and there are so many that are free and quite good. Although I seem to have a dangerous addiction to Kate Davies's patterns now and they all require quite expensive yarns - so you can look up at different folk what cheaper alternative they have chosen. Or put up yours.

Love both here and there!

(Get me out of both and back to work!!)
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 14, 2013, 08:31:34 pm
Welshcob I have just added you to my friends on Ravelry.  I'm intrigued.  Why are you Welshcob when you lilve in Scotland?
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Welshcob on January 15, 2013, 12:53:12 pm
Mind boggling I know  ;D

Mostly because I went through a phase (again!!  :roflanim:) when I liked Welsh Cobs (all sections of the Stud Book). Now I prefer other breeds but the username stuck - and it's easy to remember  ;D
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 15, 2013, 09:09:37 pm
Makes sense and they are lovely.
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Mammyshaz on January 15, 2013, 10:43:45 pm
It's great trying to guess TAS on revelry  :D  I'm so boring ' mammyshaz'  :roflanim:
Title: Re: Ravelry help
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 15, 2013, 10:57:16 pm
Does make life easier though.