Unraveled

When it comes to filling out information in your Ravelry projects, we know that sometimes Ravelers wonder what the notes field can and should be used for, and wanted to share some ideas for keeping project notes that are helpful to you and other Ravelers who might view your projects. Here are some specific types of notes that Ravelers tend to find useful, both for their own records and when researching patterns and yarns:

Pattern modifications: did you add or subtract length, add short-rows or shaping, decide that the shawl should really be beaded, or make any other clever tweaks to the pattern? Did you find a particular method of joining yarn, casting on/binding off, making a center ring, or seaming worked perfectly with the pattern? Share your mods in your notes! No matter how small your change is, you may want to remember it later – and it may be just the thing another Raveler is looking for!

Amount of ease and wearer’s measurements: one of my favorite things about browsing Ravelry projects is seeing beautifully-made garments on Ravelers of many different sizes, builds, and proportions. With sweater projects in particular, I always look for photos of finished projects worn by users who look similarly-proportioned to me. Checking out the size they knit or crocheted and how much ease they gave themselves gives me confidence to choose the right size for myself!

Notes about the pattern and yarn: did the instructions have any particularly clear, clever, or confusing parts? Use your project notes to list these, and any solutions you found for parts that may have confused you. Likewise, it can be a great idea to record your impressions of the yarn while you are working with it – or even to go back and add notes later on how the yarn holds up over time.

Did you find another Raveler’s project notes helpful when you were making your own version? We automatically link notes you have marked helpful (more on that below) but mentioning specific user notes you found instructive can point other Ravelers in the right direction, too.

Blocked vs Unblocked measurements: handy info for you and any others who might use the same yarn.

Mini-blog of your process: these types of records can be fun to keep and look back on. ArtLady’s Mitred Crosses blanket project is a great example of this – detailed dated progress, helpful information, and little status updates all in one (really lovely!) project.

If you are looking through Ravelry projects and find one with notes that are helpful to you, you can mark the notes as helpful by clicking the little yes button at the bottom of the notes here:

From there, you can highlight the helpful parts (more about that feature in this Tips post from last year). Later, you can find projects you’ve marked helpful when looking at projects for that pattern (Tips post about that here!). If you begin a project with that pattern, we’ll give you a handy link to that project in your “related bookmarks” section, with a little lifesaver symbol:

This is the final post in my series about Ravelry projects! I hope it gave you some ideas for helpful things to add to the notes field. You can check out the previous posts in this series for detailed information about your Project Page Overview, Adding a Project, and Adding Project Photos.