Sunday, July 22, 2018

Ravelry's Newest Index Feature is Pure Brilliance

Way back in 2011, when Ravelry only had 1 million users (it is, currently, approaching 8 million and should surpass that number sometime in August), Farhad Manjoo noted in this Slate article that Ravelry "... plays an important part in the way [my wife] practices her craft" (she both crochets and knits, I am happy to report). Applying this to myself, I wholeheartedly agree. For anyone who wants to know the current state of my yarn-based making, all they need do is look at my Ravelry profile, and it's pretty much there in black and white - what I'm discussing, the projects I'm working on, what yarn I'm using - all right in one clearinghouse except, of course, all the new and/or otherwise secret stuff.

So when Ravelry recently tweeted about a new index feature for anyone with 10 or more projects, my eyes perked up:


My most viewed project on Ravelry is the sample 
for the first design I ever worked up, thanks to 
Lyn Robinson's generosity in sharing a stitch 
pattern - the edging on my sample of the
 Festival Shawl
I was, of course, one of those people who originally missed the newest feature tab in my notebook. However, once I clicked on it, I can say it's now my new fun organizing tool. It also reveals my penchant for not using the same organizing/descriptive terms consistently. Because this index provides a snapshot of tags used as well as for whom you've made projects, I can confidently state I have found more than a half dozen ways to categorize making something for myself. The tool underscores the imperfection of language and punctuation.

I currently have 289 projects in my notebook, but this index has also shown me that number is somewhat lacking. I have had an inconsistent approach to adding samples I work up, but if I'd like my notebook to be a clear reflection of my making, then I will need to add those not currently in there. 

While I am no database junkie, I am a somewhat organized person - not too much to have a problem, but just enough to know the current state of most things in my world. I am super pleased with this latest Ravelry feature - just one more reason why I will never leave Ravelry, and despite some complaints to the contrary, Ravelry continues to grow in membership, I am not alone in my sentiments.

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