Just over two years ago I created my Facebook group – Kath Andrews Designs group. I wanted it to be a place where knitters could share their projects, talk about yarn and generally hang out.
The group description reads:
This group is for people to share projects, ideas and top tips or just enjoy pics of other people’s yarn and general loveliness.
This is your group – come in and have a chat!
Following the Ravelry update, which had meant a lot of people (including myself) could no longer spend a lot of time there, It had become particularly important for me to create a space where I could interact with other knitters and see what they were making. Especially when they were knitting my patterns!
One of the great features that Ravelry always had is that knitters upload photos of their projects and by adding the pattern name, it gets added to the list of the projects created from that pattern. As a knitter thinking of starting a particular pattern you can look through pictures and notes from everyone else who has uploaded their progress and thoughts and get ideas about alternative yarns, modifications people have made, issues and solutions. It was brilliant, but after the Ravelry update I have to limit the time I spend on the website, or I will get a migraine. So, as an alternative, a Facebook group seemed like just the ticket.
But new things take time, don’t they? Just because I was ready to have a Facebook group and get chatting with other knitters there, didn’t mean they were ready at the same time! People have responded well to my posts with reactions and comments and the membership of the group has grown slowly but steadily. It is now just over 100. In the world of social media I know that is nothing, but if you think about having 100 actual real people (which of course they are) all part of one group, that’s pretty cool.
And lately, more things are starting to happen. Some members have started to add their own posts, rather than just reply to mine. This is SO exciting! And I have to admit I got a little teary when I first saw one member of the group comment on another member’s post – exactly the kind of interactions I have been wanting people to start having.
Our current knit-along is the perfect opportunity for people to join the group, join in and get more active, if they use Facebook. And if they don’t? Well, the KAL hashtag, #CalonCariadKAL, can be used on Instagram and Twitter as well as Facebook, so I will be able to see it and celebrate progress, as will anyone else following the hashtag.
Why not pop over to Facebook, join the group and join in? We’d love to have you!