Technology Makes Crafting Easier, More Fun

By Sarah E. White

by Linda N.

Just a couple of decades ago, if you wanted to learn a craft, you either had to know someone who already knew how to do what you wanted to learn or you had to find a book that was detailed enough to be able to teach you what you needed to know.

These days, however, it’s much easier to learn any craft you can imagine — or anything else you want to learn, for that matter —  thanks to the Internet. No matter how obscure the technique, you’re sure to find a multitude of blogs, websites, videos and information on social networking sites devoted to the topic.

That’s great news for crafters, who can find help, advice and pattern inspiration at any time of the day or night, but it’s also great for people who write about crafts. I happen to fall into both of these categories. I’m an avid crafter who enjoys knitting, crochet, sewing, candlemaking and other crafts when I have time for them (which isn’t that often, being the mom of an almost-1-year-old). I also write about knitting for a living on the website knitting.about.com.

knitting.about.com

I’ve been writing for About for almost four years now, and it’s amazing to me how the amount of craft information on the web has proliferated even in that short time. In the world of knitting, for example, there is an entire social networking site devoted to the yarn crafts. Called Ravelry, the site boasts thousands of users from all over the world who are passionate about knitting, crochet and making yarn.

Stephanie's Needle/Hook Inventory on Ravelry.com

The site allows users to log their yarn stashes, list projects they are currently working on or would like to be working on, join groups with like-minded crafters, discover new designers and resources and much more. It’s completely addictive and wildly popular among yarn crafters.

But there are many other places for crafters of all stripes to get information about the craft they love or crafts they like to learn more about. About.com is a great resource for learning basic information about crafts (and I’m not saying that because I work there). Searching YouTube for videos on specific techniques is another great way to find information in the middle of the night or whenever else you need it.

Even hunting around on Facebook or Twitter for passionate fans of the crafts you enjoy can be helpful for finding information and new resources. And a simple web search for the craft you enjoy plus the word blog is sure to turn up hundreds of people writing about the craft, sharing patterns and offering all sorts of advice on techniques you might not have even known existed.

The Internet is great for a lot of different reasons, but allowing connections among crafters who live all over the world is one of the most wonderful things about it. In the past, people who lived in really small towns might be the only person they knew who knit, crocheted, cross stitched or whatever craft they enjoyed. If there wasn’t a local yarn store or fabric store, there might have been no way for they to connect with other fans of the crafts to get help with patterns or simply to share what they were working on.

Now the virtual knitting circle is always open, and knitters the world over are thrilled to help other people discover the joys of  our craft, to spread popular patterns like drug pushers and to foster the community of crafters no matter where they live or what their skill level.

Sarah E. White writes the knitting website for About.com and is the author of Picture Yourself Felting Your Knitting. The mom of an almost-1-year-old, she occasionally blogs at sarahewhite.com and shares information on freelance writing at freelance-coach.com