By Michele Goldman
Knitting groups are quite popular on college campuses, a trend explained by one of my young customers in this way; “Knitting gets me off my computer.” I would have preferred to hear, “Knitting is a practical and beautiful outlet for my creative energy”, but age has taught me to focus on the result, while ignoring the motive. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to hear this acknowledgement by a 20-year-old that, perhaps, life shouldn’t orbit the twin planets of Facebook and YouTube and that the manual dexterity unique to humans can be used for something other than texting. Toss me a bone and I’ll run with it.
But just as the Internet has moved some toward knitting and other traditional crafts, so it has transformed how we pursue them. In the five years since I opened my shop in Orono, a single website has completely altered the way I — and all other shops, both large and small — do business. This enormously influential site is called Ravelry and can be found at www.Ravelry.com. It is billed simply as … “a free site for knitters and crocheters.” Slate Magazine has called it “The best social network you’ve (probably) never heard of…”.
Ravelry is an international community of knitters and crocheters, a humongous clearinghouse for patterns, yarn and constructive (usually) criticism on all things fiber. Before I begin a pattern I consult what folks on Ravelry are saying about it. Prior to ordering a line of yarn that had never been sold in the U.S., I searched for it on Ravelry and found rave reviews from knitters in Europe. I have a computer set up in my Presque Isle shop exclusively for searching Ravelry’s patterns for my customers.
Ravelry and the Internet share one basic feature — they enable people living in remote corners to benefit from a world of knowledge. I recommend you join today — it’s free — and add your craft traditions to its mix of funky and old fashioned patterns. Search for “Phentex Slipper Pattern” and you’ll see over 100 photos of Pichous folks have knit all over the world.
Today’s knitting tip: Do you love the new ruffle yarns? Make a simple dress for a little girl by knitting in the round, until you have the length you need for a skirt. Stitch the skirt to either a T-shirt or tank top. Ta da!
Michele Goldman owns Fiberphilia yarn shop in Presque Isle and Orono.
