Unraveled

Sometimes when we are working on a project we come to a place where we just get stumped. If that happens, there are many ways to get help from the generous community here at Ravelry!

The Patterns and Techniques Forums

Patterns and Techniques are two of the “main boards” here at Ravelry – forums where all Ravelry users are automatically members. This means that your help questions will often be seen by a large number of people, and you can get assistance quickly!

• Post in Patterns if you have a question related to a specific pattern.
• Techniques is the place for you if your question is more general and has to do with a specific technique.

Designer Fan Groups

Many designers have their own groups here on Ravelry, where they often participate, and some designers even offer pattern support through their groups. Often there are also other people in the group who have made the same pattern, and are willing to help you so that you have a successful FO (finished object) as well!

You can find the groups of your favorite designers by using the search field on our groups tab!

Techniques and Project Based Groups

Ravelry has thousands of groups and many of them are related to specific types of projects or techniques. Try searching our groups page for the type of project you are making (a sweater, socks, fingerless gloves…) or the craft or technique you are using (Tunisian crochet, stranded knitting, cables or lace…) and you’ll be sure to find a relevant group with a wealth of information!

Posting Tips

If you magic link your pattern in the first post in a new forum thread, we’ll show a little lifesaver by the thread title to any Ravelry users who have made a project from that pattern. If you see the lifesaver, it’s a handy indicator that you might be able to help the poster!

A general forums tip I wanted to mention: when starting your thread: try to make your forum thread title as specific as possible! Thread titles such as “help!” or “is anyone else confused…” are a little vague, and will not get as many interested helpers as a more clear description of your problem. Even a very basic title like “Mara shawl increase question” will encourage more people to jump in and assist you – even if they haven’t made the pattern, they might be an expert on increases and have just the solution you need!

As you can see, there are lots of places on Ravelry to turn to when you need pattern help! Keep in mind that we do have cross-posting guidelines for the site, which mean that you can only post the same thing in two places throughout Ravelry. Because of these cross-posting guidelines I’d recommend checking out the options above before posting your question to see which forum or group would be the best fit for you.

I hope you have lots of success with all your projects and feel a little more confident asking the Ravelry community for help when you need it!