MY RAVELRY PAGE
Ravelry has kind of fallen a bit into the shadows of my attention... I have had a page there for many years (find me under the name My Rose Valley or Annette MB Ciccarelli) but I haven't really been active. So a few weeks ago I decided that it is time to get involved and discover a new fabulous crafty community. I jumped in with some action.Not much, but a little...
THE RAVELRY SHOP
I'm delighted to inform that I now also have a Ravelry Shop where my patterns are listed. I'm thinking maybe this makes it easier for those who are more of a Ravelry fan than an Etsy fan to enjoy my patterns. On Ravelry you can pay with Visa, MasterCard and PayPal at the check out. Just like on Etsy, it is immediate downloads and my patterns are available in US, UK and Swedish terms if nothing else is mentioned. So welcome to my Ravelry Shop!
I NEED RAVELRY HELP
Little by little I'm adding on projects I have made and so on. People "friend" me and I'm not sure what I should do? "Friend" back? How does it work? Anyone who can give me some simple user and manners advice on how to join in the club? How much detailed information do I need to add to my project listings? What is Errata? Is it better to list yarn in weight or length? How do I socialize? Any advice is welcome. I find it a bit clonky, hard to navigate, but it might just be me being a beginner...
FREE PATTERNS
I'm also planning to add some of my Free Patterns to my shop and already you can find the Maybelle Baby Blanket Pattern and the Vintage Crochet Hangers. They contain links to my blog posts, is it better to add PDF files for these too? And if so, how does that work? Do I get a notification every time someone downloads a Free pattern too? Is it really necessary or are people happy with links to blog posts?
Well as you can tell, this is new territory for me. I'm totally lost. But knowing you, you will hold my hand and guide me through it. You always do.
Kärlek
Annette
Annette
FOLLOW My Rose Valley HERE:
Hello Annette. I use Ravelry, but only as a maker. It is my go-to for finding crochet patterns, so I would say that having a presence on there is a great thing. I'm pretty sure that every free pattern that I have clicked on has taken me straight to either a blog or a website, so unless you want to keep a tally of how many people are downloading your free patterns, I would suggest that you don't need a PDF on Ravelry. Just to let you know, that one of the very first patterns I followed was your maybelle flower, so you can add me to the list! I'm sorry that I can't answer your other questions about Ravelry, but I do wish you all the very best with your new relationship!
ReplyDeleteSarah
Hi Sarah
DeleteThank you for your input. It has been so helpful to read everyone's messages about Ravelry. I'm sure I will enjoy it there ones I get in to it.
Xxx
Annette
Hi Annette.
ReplyDeleteI use Ravelry, mostly just to keep tabs on my own projects, but I have bought patterns there a few times. It is good for inspiration too.
I don't think you are under obligation to befriend back everyone that 'friends' you :)
Errata are corrections to a pattern. So if you published a pattern then later found it contained errors you would publish "errata" (or an updated version of the pattern) and I think these corrections are then sent to everyone who purchased your pattern through Ravelry.
Free patterns that I have downloaded tend to a PDF.
I hope this helps a little x
Hi
DeleteTHANK YOU! I suspected Errata being something like that but had no idea there was an automatic update service to all buyers. THAT is great! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer.
Xxx
Annette
Hi! I am SO excited you are going to be on Ravelry! I like it much better than Etsy for patterns, it is nice to have all of them in one place. I personally would prefer a pdf for free patterns, but it is free after all, so do what is best for you. I am not a designer, so I only friend people I actually know, but maybe you want more exposure so the more friends the better? I am also pretty active on the boards and such. A group for your fans might be fun? (I would join...) Crochet-a-longs are just one of many ways in which to get people excited about your patterns. Lots of people also just like to visit with each other. I hope you have fun!
ReplyDeleteHi
DeleteThank you for all these tips. really helpful. I apreciate youy taking the time to write me. Ones I'm settled I will think of adding a "fan" group. Might be really fun.
Xxx
Annette
Welcome :) I'm on Ravelry too, for a while now but I never engaged in the social part of Ravelry. Maybe I should :) ?
ReplyDeleteHi
DeleteThank you for welcoming me! I have no idea... It sounds like there is no pressure. Like with any social media, I guess it is what it is depending on how much effort you put in to it.
Thanks for popping in today.
Xxx
Annette
Welcome! I buy other things on Etsy but for patterns I always use Ravelry. I prefer pdfs on Ravelry. It's annoying to click out to another website. Errata is a term used to identify errors in a pattern. If I'm making something from a pattern in a book, I go to the publishers website to check for errata. They'll post something like "on row 87 the stitch count should say 322" or "pick up 192 stitches not 92 stitches." I don't worry too much about friending people - nothing bad happens. Ravelry lets me know when someone has added me to their friends and so i have the opportunity to think about friending them back.
ReplyDeleteHi
DeleteThank you so much for your message. Really helpful and detailed. Will have to explore the errata one day. Sounds like a great service.
Xxx
Annette
I prefer to get my patterns from Ravelry as, once purchased, they are in my library forever; I can download the pattern again easily if I need to. If free patterns are offered as Ravelry downloads it makes life a little simpler, but I'm happy to visit the designer's web site for the pattern. Another thing I like about buying patterns via Ravelry is that if you update the pattern, I will get a message informing me there's an update. I think for free patterns (Ravelry downloads), there's no message, but you do see it in the 'available updates' section of your library.
ReplyDeleteI found the Friends etiquette a bit confusing at first, too. There's no obligation to friend back :) I mostly friend people who have interesting projects - it makes them easier to find and follow using the 'People' tab.
Project notes - I love them! They can't have enough information in them, for me. When I'm considering making something, I always look through the projects and I hate it when people haven't noted the yarn they used, or the needle size. I also tend to filter on 'helpful projects' too, you can learn a lot from those :)
My preference is for both weight and length to be noted (on patterns - if you fill in the weight on your project notes, Ravelry will automatically calculate the length). Within the different yarn weights, yardage per 100g can vary a lot, so if I want to substitute a different yarn, it's useful to know the weight and the yardage.
Hi
DeleteVery helpful! Great information. Thank you so much. I guess "friending" is more like following than socializing. And I shall remember the "more info the better". Thanks!
Xxx
Annette
I'm on Ravelry as Smidgentigre (the names of our cats when we first got internet! Smidge and Tigre). I am less social than I used to be on Rav but I still have a bunch of favorite groups. I use it to keep track of my projects, put patterns in my queue (obscenely huge!) and look up specific patterns. While being able to download a pattern directly via pdf is great, I don't mind a link to a website for a freebie.
ReplyDeleteI am a knitter who dabbles a bit in crochet. I adore your work! Your color choices are wonderful and your patterns are so fun looking, I might just go out a few into my Rav queue as incentive to work on my crocheting! Ravelry is my first stop for pattern searches.
Hi LAurel
DeleteThank you for sharing this. I found you and O M G you have a big list of projects... :)
Xxx
Annette
Hi Annette, I am so happy to see you going to Ravelry as well!! I'll repeat others and say it is my go-to for patterns and ideas. I enjoy yours so much from your newsletter, but now will be able to add them to my library in Ravelry, to have in a consolidated place! As for the rest of it, I have to say I am otherwise clueless to the social aspect of groups etc.. But I do thank you and wish you the best in this step!! P.S. Be sure to put up the R button on your site! :) I looked for it
ReplyDeleteHi
DeleteThanks for the tip about a Ravelry button in my side bar. Will work on that. :)
Xxx
Annette
I love ravelry! Its my go-to place for patterns. Brilliant on you for opening a shop there! As far as the free pattern opening as a pdf or directly to the website, I've seen it both ways. Each person is going to feel differently, so do what feels best for you. Personally, I like seeing the maker's website, it's fun to read their blog post and get to know them a little bit. But then, I am a blogger who enjoys blogs. Someone else might only want the pattern and not care about who you are ( which seems harsh, but thats the way it is). And directing to your blog creates more exposure for you, which is always a good thing.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the ravelry pages of other designers.
Errata is when designers publish corrections to their patterns for people who downloaded them before the problems were caught and corrected in the pdf.
Congratulations!
Thank you! Really appreciate your input on this. I'm so excited.
DeleteXxx
Annette
Well you know I'm a big Ravelry girl, so I think it's great that you're on there. 😀 I'm used to it as I've used it for so long that I'm used to it but I guess it does feel quite clunky and old fashioned compared to modern sites but don't let that put you off, it's an amazing community! You don't need to friend people back necessarily, it's not like Facebook and sites like that and I don't think there's any great need to socialise if you don't want to, but if you do just look through the groups and see which ones interest you. You can come find mine if you wanna! 😉
ReplyDeleteS x
THANKS! I'll come and find you.
DeleteXxx
Annette
Best wishes with your ravelry adventure. It's not the easiest to navigate but a great place for inspiration for like minded people. You'll find me as angela8626 there. The more info the better I find and links or pdf is fine for the patterns.
ReplyDeleteThank you Angela. I found you and added you to my friends list. You have a lovely project list.
DeleteXxx
Annette
Это так прекрасно! Все очень красиво!
ReplyDelete