Ravelry Favourites Database

In a previous post I talked a little bit about using Ravelry to search for patterns. This time I want to go a little deeper into the possibilities presented by this amazing resource and explain how I have used it to compile a database of patterns that I have in the shop, in the form of books and leaflets, as well as recommendations of patterns that are available only as Ravelry downloads.

My database is making use of a very handy facility offered by Ravelry which some of you will be well aware of but might be new to others. This is their Favourites section which allows you to bookmark and categorise patterns you are interested in, before you purchase them.

My desire to produce a searchable database of patterns goes back a long way. With so many pattern books and leaflets in the shop, the choice can be a bit overwhelming. It can also be pretty time consuming to try to find something that suits. Customers often ask me to point them in the right direction and even I have difficulty remembering where I saw particular designs!

I have used the Ravelry Favourites facility to compile my pattern database because it can be accessed by anyone using Ravelry. Any of you can log in to your own Ravelry account and then search for my Favourites and browse images and descriptions of the various patterns stored there. Here's how to find them – there's a shortcut further down the page but this method will work for finding other people's Favourites too.

Start by logging in to your own Ravelry account and the Home Page will open...

Go to the Quick Search box and enter my user name: finefettlefibres in the category: People

This should get you to the screen below. 

Click on the Fine Fettle Fibres icon or link to go to my page (seen below)

You can then click on the Favourites icon in the top right and once inside the Favourites page click on the Bundles option top right.

I think you should be able to bookmark this page for ease of access in future or use this link to take a shortcut there.

There are 46 bundles of patterns (including one of favourite designers). 

If you click on one of the bundles (above is DK women's cardigans) you will see a thumbnail of each of the designs with some notes underneath which should tell you whether this pattern is available from my online shop as a printed leaflet or in a book, or as a Ravelry download, or any combination of those options. There may also be some yarn notes. If it says 'Recommended yarn' then that means it is the yarn chosen by the designer, and if it says 'Suggested yarn' then that is my suggestion of suitable yarns from my stock. I will continue to add to these suggestions as time permits.

If you click on the pattern thumbnail image you will be taken through to the Ravelry listing for this pattern where you can find more information about the design and, where the pattern is in a book, you can also find out what else the book has to offer by clicking on the book title at the top of the page.

To buy a printed copy of a pattern from my shop you will need to go to my website. And don't forget that, if you need help with purchasing a pattern as a Ravelry download, just get in touch by email and I will be able to help with buying the pattern and printing it out for you.

If you find patterns that appeal to you, you can also click on the 'save in favourites' icon at the top right to start your own Favourites selection. This will help you find the designs you are interested in again more easily.

I am hoping that this database will help me when I'm serving customers in the shop but I also hope it will give some of you a hand when you are searching for your next project. It is obviously a personal (to me) selection of what is out there, as are the printed patterns in the shop, but it is somewhere to start! I will do my best to keep it up to date with new publications and make it worth visiting more than once!