Social Media & Knitting: A Match Made in Heaven

It is easy to see that the omnipresence of the Internet, social media, and networking tools have drastically changed the ways in which people communicate with each other. Time and space become insignificant - if you want to see someone, you can use Skype. Hungry,  but don't want to talk on the phone? Order your pizza online. Improvements in technology have allowed us to communicate instantly with people all over the globe. This phenomenon has helped to bring together people with the same interests, and those people can easily create communities in which to share their passions.

One such community that has flourished over the past few years is the online knitting community. Once considered a solitary activity, knitting has evolved from a household task to a creative activity in which fellow knitters can share their creations. The invention of the knitting machine in the late 19th century eliminated the need to make basic clothing, and allowed knitters to create beautiful pieces for their own enjoyment. Naturally, if you create something gorgeous, you want to show everyone... right? Right. Enter Ravelry.

Source: Ravelry.com

The knitting community has clearly embraced the Groundswell in nearly every aspect. Ravelry, the largest online knitting community, currently has 1,323,934 registered users, with 86,414 of those users visiting the site in the previous 24 hours. This sheer amount of users is incredible in itself, but what Ravelry has done for the knitting community is even more impressive. Ravelry allows users from all over the world to collaborate on projects, ask for help and opinions, and provide feedback for designers and yarn companies. (For more on Ravelry, see my previous post.)

Many yarn companies have taken Li and Bernoff's advice: "Why build it if you can join it?" (p. 173) With such an active community as Ravelry, yarn companies have no incentive to build communities of their own, because they will not be as successful. Instead, yarn companies are creating presences in Ravelry groups, by adding their yarns to the database, creating fan groups, and listening and talking with the Groundswell.

For example, WEBS, the largest yarn store in the country, provides discount codes for certain yarns on their Twitter and Facebook. Only people who "like" WEBS on Facebook can use these codes. By providing an incentive for spectators to participate in the Groundswell, WEBS increases traffic to their site, which will eventually offset the cost of the discount.

Source: WEBS on Facebook

By participating in Ravelry forums, yarn companies can also provide an outlet for their customers to provide reviews on certain yarns, get customer support, and ask for advice. Most of the posts are from knitters who are extremely enthusiastic and passionate about their favorite yarns, so these yarn companies are also gaining free publicity from word-of-mouth.

Online knitters are also embracing other tools to share their projects, like Flickr and YouTube. My Flickr (also on the right side of my blog) shows photos of projects that I've completed. There are also photo tutorials on Flickr that will teach other knitters particular techniques or stitches. YouTube is also popular for video tutorials. To this day, I can't do Judy's Magic Cast-On without watching Cat Bordhi's video!

Source: frecklegirl on Flickr

Often times, the Internet is given a bad reputation for allowing people to become anti-social. However, in this case, I would argue that the Internet and social media have actually facilitated in-person group meetings. For example, the founders of Ravelry recently traveled from Boston to Wisconsin for the Madison Knitters' Guild Knit-In. Jess and Casey travel frequently, and they usually give presentations on Ravelry and how social media has impacted the knitting community. They also blog about their experiences during and after the conventions!

Conventions like the National NeedleArts Association's yearly trade shows and the New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York bring together knitters who would normally only interact via the Internet. Jess and Casey also facilitate Ravelry meetups, where Ravelry friends can meet in person!

Social media, including forums and rating systems, have radically changed the way in which knitting is viewed. Now, knitting is "in." The whole "do-it-yourself" (DIY) culture is extremely popular, and knitting holds a special place in that culture. Ravelry is like the online "home base" for knitters around the world. An old-fashioned activity like knitting could have faded away very easily, but the online knitting community has allowed it to flourish. I can only imagine it will become even more popular over time.

For more information on my sources, please see my Delicious homepage. And follow me on Twitter to continue the conversation on knitting and social media!

Social Media & Knitting