Online connections in the Knitting World

Hi again! It’s me, Jess, Gwen’s and Kellie’s assistant. Today I’m continuing our Prize-A-Palooza theme with a discussion of the online connections we make through the magic of knitting!

I’ve always loved the ability that knitting has to bring people together. I don’t know about you, but if I meet someone for the first time and I find out they’re a knitter, I’m instantly more interested in getting to know that person! My husband jokes that I only like people who are crafty, and he’s not entirely right, but that connection certainly has helped me to make several friendships over the years!

These days, I get almost all of my knitting-based relationships through online connections. I work from home, I home-school my 3 kids, and I keep pretty busy doing those two things. So I don’t have a lot of time to go to knit group meetings or knitting retreats, but that doesn’t mean I don’t make connections with other knitters! Through the magic of the Internet, I’m still able to find and talk to other people who love yarn as much as I do, and I think that’s a pretty great thing.

Gwen and Kellie have talked a lot about knitting connections, and the impact of the online world on the knitting world, over the years on this blog. Here are some of my favorites:

• Kellie’s post on modern collaboration – is crowdfunding good or bad for business & any particular industry?
• The post on the start of EduKnit – I feel personally saddened that the EduKnit project never really took off like we hoped it would, because in this modern age of “everyone’s an expert on the Internet,” I loved having a place where I could find reliable expert knitting instruction and connection with other knitters!
• Gwen’s post on changes in the knitting industry – this one is full of insights about the ways that the Internet has changed knitting from all sides.
• Kellie’s post on the connection of knitting – a great story to remember all the ways that knitting connects us to the world around us, and how a great knitting teacher is able to spark that connection in her students.
• Kellie’s post on Spinzilla breaks down the process of participating in one of the bigger ways to connect online as a fiber artist.
• Lest you think online connections are the only way to meet other knitters, Gwen’s post on knitting in groups is a reminder of the value of a face-to-face connection when learning or practicing a skill.

So what about you – what are the ways that you connect with other knitters? That’s our prize-a-palooza question for this week!

To be entered into the drawing to win a fabulous knitting prize, please answer the following question in the comments below. Make sure you include a method for contacting you – only one answer per question per person, please!

Question: How do you connect with other knitters? (List any that apply.)

• local knit group
• attending events/classes at my LYS
• knitting festivals and retreats
• Ravelry
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• I read knitting blogs
• Anything else we missed? Tell us in the comments!

I will draw for winners at the end of the month and contact everyone about getting them their prizes. Thanks so much for sharing your connections with us!

PS. If you want to keep connecting with the experts, here’s how to find them: Kellie and Gwen.