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To Ravelry (or Not)

Here's a way back story for you: thirteen years ago I belonged to a yarn co-op for Juniper Moon Farm, when I was seriously considering getting back into crocheting and maybe even selling my projects.It was such a great experience, being able to contribute funds the farm needed and receive their yarn in return.

I loved learning how to wash the beautiful wool they sent me, and it sang through my fingers as I crocheted with it. I was probably the only crocheter in the co-op back then. :)

This is the little baby blanket I made with the yarn I got that year, and it remains one of my favorite pieces I've ever made.

I was reminded of this time when I went on my account over at Ravelry to check out the yarn stash feature. I do want to organize and keep track of my yarn, and it could be helpful. I didn't recall that I had put my JMF yarn on my stash there, or that I intended to inventory and keep an online ledger of my yarn.

Why did I leave Ravelry in the first place? At the time I was very busy with my high profile career, and I also started noticing some issues at Ravelry's community boards that concerned me. I lurked for a while, and that got worse. I just wanted to talk about yarn and crochet, and I saw the tide turn to other topics I am not interested in and several I personally find repulsive. Then came 2016, and all the political issues pilled on the site, people started attacking each other and getting banned, and Ravelry did not cover itself in glory with their reactions to several things. At that point I was pretty much done with them.

Ten years later, I'm not sure I even want to use the site again. I don't want to be around anyone who is toxic to me and my happiness, so that's the biggest reason. I think I would end up having some contact with the other members and they may turn out to be even worse than they were thirteen years ago. But could I just use it for inventorying my stash? Maybe. I don't know. So now I'm thinking about it. Maybe it would just be better to do an Excel worksheet for my stash . . . .

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