Ravelry
Reviews and Complaints

Ravelry, a vibrant hub for knitters and crocheters, offers a treasure trove of patterns and a platform for sharing projects. The site's extensive pattern database and forums provide a wealth of resources for enthusiasts. However, recent controversies surrounding political stances have polarized the community. While some users appreciate the inclusive environment, others feel alienated by the platform's handling of differing viewpoints. Despite these challenges, Ravelry remains a valuable resource for those seeking inspiration and connection in the world of fiber arts.

Let's focus on what ravelry is there for. Yarn arts! It has, since its inception, been THE site to find patterns, many free, to sell patterns of your own design, to research yarns, and to find literally any information you could ask for about yarn, knitting, and crochet. The site is as politically neutral as you will ever find. Been on it for about eight years and never bumped into anything political. Not one time. Enjoy Ravelry 100% and completely support their enforcement of their longstanding rules against hate.

I've been a member of Ravelry for a decade or so now, and I have not lost my love for it in the least. It is simply THE site for knit/crochet.

It is the most complete resource available, from patterns to yarns to forums to how to's and more. I love that I can look up a pattern I plan to make, and see the different ways other people have created it. Sometimes they have made and shared their modifications - so I may find instructions to change it to a shawl collar, or add pockets, or who knows. That alone is fantastic.

But I can also look at the yarn database and see what might be a good investment for my dream sweater. Or I can ask in the forums for some help to get started with these short rows that were confusing me. Or maybe I will participate in a knit-a-long of a pattern, so we can all help each other or be stuck together.

And the price of all this? Blissfully free. The haters must be stirring up s*** to think anything but positive thoughts because this site is amazing.

Ravelry is and always will be the best platform for managing your patterns, yarns and needles. Yes, they're are forums, but some people seem to be unaware that one can use Ravelry without using the forums at all! Though, if you need help or advice there are many places where you can ask for and receive assistance. There are many forums where you can just talk about knitting and politics isn't allowed. Sure, there are areas where you can, if you do choose, discuss politics or any number of things in an reasonable adult manner.

ALL THEY SAID IS NO HATE SPEECH. They did not ban Trump supporters. They disallowed hate speech. So why are all these people so mad? Is it because they are planning to do some hate speech? Because if all y'all really want is to knit/crochet then why is all this upsetting you all so much? Just close your mouths, avoid the forums, and knit ffs.

For people who find Ravelry after all this mess fades away, do give it a chance. I think you'll like it. It's so much more than all of this current drama, I promise.

Ravelry has incredible resources for materials, tools, and patterns. You can search several different ways to help find new projects. You can track your own supplies. Search for patterns using your yarn. Track your in-progress and complete projects. It's an organizer's dream.

There are also discussion fora. Many discuss fiber arts. You can get assistance from experienced knitters. Meet fellow enthusiasts of different techniques. The depth of expertise that the site can bring together is amazing.

Other fora are purely social. In some of those, there have been political discussions. As the fiber arts world has been discussing inclusion and (unintentional?) exclusion, the owners decided to make the space as welcoming for as many as possible. In their opinion, support of the Trump administration was support for its racist, nationalist, and sexist policies. They elected not to host support of the current administration on their site. They didn't ban anyone. They elected not to host language they determined was bigotry.

Use of fora is not mandatory to use Ravelry. I support their decision to exclude racism, sexism, etc. The 1-star reviews are not based on the site itself.

Hands-down, the best-designed website, built with its users in mind. Ads are minimal and targeted and don't slow down page loading. Navigation is obvious. Users are encouraged to record and track their handwork and fibre collection with clean, well-designed data entry pages and easy to use photo uploading.

Thousands of discussion forums on every topic imaginable. Knowledgeable people to answer questions about knitting, crocheting, spinning, yarn composition, pattern reading, techniques, colour choices. It's easy to reach pattern designers - they run their own forums.

Lots and lots of cat photos. The intertubes, after all, is a system of transporting cat memes.

And rav has gotten even more awesome in the past month, as the site owner has been wielding the ban-hammer. From the site rules:
" Spreading of harmful advice, hoaxes, or other disinformation is unacceptable.
Reviews and criticism that are genuine are always welcome. At the same time, if we suspect that you are trying to leverage the site for the purpose of harming a business or person, your posts will be deleted and your posting privileges may be affected." (source: https://www.ravelry.com/about/terms) It seems that advertising Russian porn, white supremacy, website hacking and being an all-around jerk of the first degree is acceptable on other sites? It certainly isn't at Ravelry, and the owners are proud of their classy, informative, userful website.

Ravelry is the perfect social media site for knitters/crocheters/yarncrafters. I've been a member since the site launched in beta in 2007. I've made a lot of good friends, found incredible patterns, researched yarn and techniques. It's helpful as a resource and a fun place to participate. There are always improvements and developments being made to the site, and in the rare occurrence of a bug, it is taken care of swiftly. Easy links to other platforms make sharing fast and easy. Here's an example: if you link your IG account, post a photo with #ravelry on IG, you'll get a message in your ravelry inbox asking if you'd like to import this photo to one of your project pages!
There has been some recent controversy regarding the owners' choice to make this a safe space from hate speech and racism. Unfortunately, there have been members who are hateful and cling to that hate to the point that they feel the need to lash out and harass others both on the site and off. They continue to prove what led up to this and why taking this measure was necessary. They will tell you that this is about politics, but it is not. They'll have you caught up in the paradox of tolerance, try to convince you that their beliefs are sacred, while, unlike a person's race/ethnicity/sexuality/gender, their beliefs are a choice, and a terrible one for humanity.
If you're a knitter/crocheter/etc and haven't heard of ravelry, check it out-- it's a happy, yarny, creative, and fun space.

I joined Ravelry in 2008, a few years after I had taken up knitting. I found not only an excellent database to keep up with my yarn, needles, and projects, but also an amazing community. After years of finding it difficult to connect with people online, I finally found my people. I am part of a community of people who really "get" me, some of whom I've had the opportunity to meet in person.

Recently, Ravelry took a stance regarding Donald Trump and his promotion of white supremacy. Ravelry announced their new policy is that pro-Trump speech promotes white supremacy, which is hate speech, and would not be tolerated on the website. This is their right as a private business, and people who don't like it can take their business/participation elsewhere. Many of those people have joined a Facebook group with the purpose of badmouthing Rav everywhere they can; the 1-star reviews on sitejabber.com is an example of their resentment at not being able to wax poetic about Trump. They also like to bully and harass craft-related businesses who have expressed support of Ravelry on social media. Ironically, they do not allow pro-Rav people in their group; they only allow free speech for themselves. It's sad, really.

Anyway, if you are interested in fiber arts and want to connect with people with similar interests, Ravelry is a great place to be. So many free patterns are available, and if you have a problem, there's always someone willing to help. I highly recommend Ravely.

Ravelry is a great website for anyone who loves to crochet or knit. They have a huge database of patterns, and many of them are free! It's really easy to sign up for an account, and once you do, you can upload as many pictures of your projects as you want. This is really helpful if you want to remember how you made something, or if you want to see what a pattern looks like on different body types.

One thing to keep in mind is that some of the patterns on Ravelry are marked as "mature content." This means that they might be political or offensive in some way. If you don't want to see these patterns, you can choose not to.

If you want to participate in the forums on Ravelry, there is a small fee of $5 per year if you want to upload pictures that aren't related to your projects. But there are plenty of forums to choose from, and they're all really helpful. The "Big Six" forums are especially good if you want to learn about a particular yarn, pattern, or technique. They're strictly moderated, so there's no thread drift allowed.

There are also forums based on groups, and the Crochet Shoulder Wrappers group is one of the best. They're really knowledgeable and helpful, and they have three Crochet-A-Longs every month. These are great if you want to work on a pattern with other people and get help or advice along the way.

Some of the forums on Ravelry are more focused on chat or politics, so if you don't want to get involved in drama, you can avoid those. But overall, Ravelry is a wonderful site for anyone who loves to crochet or knit. There might be some drama from time to time, but it's really easy to avoid if you want to.

Ravelry is a site that has been around for a while now, and it's supposed to be a place where people who love knitting and crocheting can come together to share their interests and find patterns. Unfortunately, it seems that the site has become a breeding ground for hate and intolerance.

There are a lot of rude people on Ravelry who seem to enjoy saying hateful things to others who don't share their beliefs and opinions. This problem has been going on for a while, and it seems to be getting worse as time goes on.

One of the biggest issues with Ravelry is the double standards that they seem to practice. They have banned people who simply disagreed with them, and they don't allow tasteful designs like the God is Love hat to be sold or shared for free. However, they allow vulgar and obscene patterns with curse words if they agree with the message, even though it goes against the site's rules.

Another problem with Ravelry is the way that some groups bully those who are Christians or conservatives. Hate speech is supposed to be banned on the site, but there is plenty of it towards people that they don't like. Different opinions are banned, even though Ravelry claims to be inclusive.

It's sad to see Ravelry become a hardcore liberal and political site. It's supposed to be a place for people who love knitting and crocheting, not a place for political debates and arguments. It's also disappointing to see the way that Ravelry has labeled people who come from different backgrounds and have never said a hateful word to anyone as white supremacists just because of their political views. This is not only a sweeping generalization, but it's also racist.

Despite all of these issues, Ravelry does have a lot of free and paid patterns available. However, there are plenty of other sites out there that offer the same thing, so Ravelry isn't really necessary. It's also extremely unprofessional for Ravelry to exclude half of their members, many of whom have helped the site grow over the years. They should have just said no politics at all in order for everyone to feel welcomed. It's just bad business practice to exclude so many people.

I used to love Ravelry. It was my go-to site for hours of browsing and admiring the beautiful work of others. I never really participated in groups or forums, I just enjoyed searching patterns and learning new things. However, as a Conservative and a Christian, I had to endure page after page of $#*! hat patterns, F----k Trump patterns, and erotic patterns, never saying a word. With so many members, there were many differing opinions on the site. I just scanned past them.

But one day, I logged on to be welcomed by a hateful, rabid diatribe labeling all white, Conservative Christians as "biggoted, white supremists", banning any support for our duly elected President, and labeling us all as a group who hates anyone who is gay or black. It was just too insulting to take. They also lit up the page in rainbow flags in support of "Pride Month", which I believe was an extra "dig".

Revelry then took it a step further by instituting a policy of "Online Affirmative Action", telling members to download or purchase patterns by black, gay, or LGBTQ members before considering others. They claim to be "all inclusive", yet banned an entire group of people simply for holding ideals differing from theirs. They denounce hate but direct pure hatred at that same group. They cry out against doxxing, yet their minions have violently targeted many web-wide for disagreeing with their poisonous policy.

Their hypocritical policy is, "We are not going to tolerate your beliefs on our all-inclusive website." I just wanted to make pretty things from yarn, not have their groomed finger pointed in my face. Shame on Ravelry for infusing our craft with their leftist ideals and shaming.

It's sad to see a once-great site fall so far. I miss the days when Ravelry was a place for everyone to share their love of knitting and crochet. Now, it's just another platform for spreading hate and division. I hope they can find their way back to their roots and become a welcoming place for all crafters once again.

I've been a member of Ravelry for five years now, ever since I learned how to knit after my son was born. It's been a great source of creative inspiration and I've even made some connections for charity knitting projects. However, things have changed since their "new and improved" community rules were implemented. It seems like the focus is no longer on knitting, but on making sure everyone agrees with the mods/founders/admins in terms of politics (AKA the Trump ban).

Now, I consider myself pretty darn progressive - a registered democrat, LGBTQ ally, etc, etc. But I'm aghast that the founders of Ravelry don't see how hypocritical and divisive their new policies and political focus are. If they just banned political topics altogether, like the only other forum I belong to does, things would be much better. It seems like these folks want to live in a world where everyone thinks just like they do, all while espousing to be open and liberal. That's not how progressiveness works, kids.

The last straw for me was when I started a thread suggesting that they go back to featuring creatively focused posts on the home page, rather than 90% of the home page posts being focused on tech tips, politics, and profiles of their "team." But instead of a productive conversation, I was flamed by "oh so liberal" members who claimed that the Ravelry community needed to be "protected" from the forces of evil by the Ravelry team. Say what? You would think I had announced my loyalty to Pol Pot or something. Then, the thread was locked because it violated "Community Guidelines." I asked for clarification on this and was given none, no response at all.

As a progressive knitter, I don't think I want anything to do with these folks anymore. I think it's best to stay far, far away.

Ravelry is a website that connects knitters, designers, and yarn manufacturers. I've been a member of Ravelry for about five years, and at first, I didn't use it much. But as I became more involved, I started feeling uncomfortable with it. There was this underlying tone that I couldn't ignore. It was full of white girls, lots of them, and they were very liberal. But then there were also very racist white girls who were completely oblivious to how condescending and racist they were. They saw people like me as their pets, their property to protect. Their activism was all about self-aggrandizement, and it reminded me of the Kipling poem "White (wo)Man's Burden."

I never voted for Trump, and I found him divisive and bombastic. But when Ravelry publicly attacked everyone who didn't share their political perspective and said that those who disagreed were not welcome on Ravelry, I knew I had to leave. I never missed them either. I found other ways to get my knitting patterns, like pattern books from the library, the Internet Archive for knitting magazines, my LYS (who privately confesses they can't stand how Ravelry has politicized the knitting world, but can't say anything for fear of retaliation), and buying direct from designers. Dropping Ravelry was easy, and I've kept my integrity, which makes me feel good.

If you decide to buy patterns direct from designers, let them know why. You might be surprised by their reaction. They might be relieved to hear that you're not supporting Ravelry's politics. You don't need Ravelry in your life, especially if it's full of uninformed Klanwives telling you what to think.

Ravelry is a site that has been receiving a lot of attention lately, and not all of it is positive. Some people have been calling it a "Nazi" site, but I don't think that's fair. Sure, there are some people on there who are a bit extreme, but that's true of any online community. Overall, I think Ravelry is a great place to find patterns and connect with other knitters and crocheters.

One thing that I do find a bit concerning is the way that some people on Ravelry seem to be trying to suppress free speech. They claim that the site is "inclusive" and "for humanity," but then they turn around and say that if you support our current president, you're a white supremacist. That doesn't sound very inclusive to me. And yet, they still allow patterns that are vulgar and disrespectful towards Trump. I don't think that's right.

Another issue that I've noticed on Ravelry is that some designers seem to be a bit snobbish. They make fun of people who have left the site and complain about not being able to access their patterns. That's not very professional, and it makes me wonder if I really want to support those designers by buying their patterns.

Despite these issues, I still think that Ravelry is a great resource for knitters and crocheters. There are so many patterns available, and it's easy to connect with other people who share your interests. Plus, there are plenty of designers who are friendly and helpful, and who genuinely care about their customers.

In conclusion, while Ravelry is not perfect, I think it's a valuable resource for anyone who loves to knit or crochet. Just be aware that there are some people on there who can be a bit extreme or snobbish, and don't let them discourage you from enjoying all that the site has to offer.

This website, Ravelry, has seen a lot of people leave in the past year. It's funny that they say they're "inclusive" when they've actually excluded a lot of their users.

To be fair, I'll review Ravelry using their own words. All quotes are directly from Ravelry. I'm not making this up.

"We can't have a space that's inclusive of everyone and also allow support for open white supremacy. Supporting the Trump administration is definitely supporting white supremacy."

There's no evidence that the President is a white supremacist. Ravelry might not like him, but that doesn't make him a white supremacist. People who support the President aren't automatically supporting white supremacy. It's ridiculous and close-minded.

"We're banning support of Donald Trump and his administration on Ravelry."

"This includes support in the form of forum posts, projects, patterns, profiles, and all other content."

As an American, you can't have an avatar that has anything to do with the President of the United States. You can't upload a pattern for a MAGA hat or anything similar. It'll be taken down, and you might get suspended or banned. This happened to people, including me.

"You can help by flagging any of the following items if they constitute support for Trump or his administration." (Followed by a list.)

They want their users to report on each other. Where have we heard that before in history?

"Note that support of President Trump, his administration, or individual policies that harm marginalized groups, all constitute hate speech."

Marginalized means pushed to the side in a society or group. That's exactly what Ravelry is doing. Oh, the irony!

Ravelry isn't inclusive at all. You can read their full policy online. It's full of exclusivity. This policy hurt them a lot, even though they'll never admit it. They lost a lot of users, and that means they lost a lot of money. I hope it was worth it.

I've been a member of Ravelry for a good 12 years now. The site has always had a bit of a political slant, but I never really paid it much mind. I was just there for the yarn, you know? I did join a conservative knitting group for a little while, but it just didn't feel right to mix politics with my crafting. I'm pretty politically active, but I liked having a space where I could just focus on my hobbies.

But things have really taken a turn lately. The site's owner, Casey, has been cracking down on conservative talk and patterns. It started with just posts, but eventually anything positive about the POTUS was banned. Meanwhile, there were still plenty of "[protected]@k Trump" items and other hateful things all over the site. It just didn't seem fair.

Then the purge began. People were getting their accounts closed left and right. Designers were having their patterns removed. Business owners were being hunted down on other social media platforms and bullied into taking a stance on the situation. Some people even experienced health problems because of it. I was one of the unlucky ones who had my account closed, but thankfully I had backed up all my purchased patterns a few months earlier.

A lot of people who oppose these tactics have gone into hiding. Secret and closed groups are popping up all over the place. People are afraid that the most extreme pro-Rav groups will infiltrate and harass members, like they've already done on Instagram and Twitter.

I think it's important to stand up to bullies like this. People who use force to silence others just because they don't agree with them are jerks, plain and simple. Once the dust settles, I'll be looking for alternative places to talk about yarn and knitting without all the politics.

On top of all that, there's now some concern about the site's payment platforms posing a security risk for anyone making purchases or selling through the site. I've tried reaching out to them about refunds for some add-ons I purchased, as well as why my account was shut down, but they won't respond. It's frustrating, to say the least.

Overall, I'm just really disappointed in how things have turned out on Ravelry. It used to be such a great community, but now it feels like everything's been tainted by politics and bullying. I hope things can get back to the way they used to be someday.

I've been using Ravelry since 2010 and it was a great platform for me to find patterns and connect with other knitters and crocheters. However, on June 26th, 2019, I found out that Ravelry had a political stance and it was a shock to me. They announced that they would not allow any support of the president or his presidency because they believed that supporting Donald Trump meant supporting white supremacy. At first, I didn't think it would affect me much since I wasn't there for politics, but after a week, I changed my mind.

During that week, I saw hate speech everywhere on the site, directed towards Trump supporters, policy dissenters, and even Christians. It was sickening to read and I couldn't believe that a peaceful place like Ravelry could turn into a fanatical leftist mob hangout so quickly. People were suspended for simply expressing their disagreement with a policy, and conservatives were baited into answering questions that got them suspended and their boards closed. The Ravelry crowd demanded that dyers and store owners answer if they supported Ravelry or if they were supporters of white supremacy, and there seemed to be no room for anything other than those two sides of the matter.

I was disgusted by the vile anti-Christian sentiments that were allowed and celebrated on the site, and I realized that hate speech towards Christians could be the next focus. I couldn't support a site that celebrated hate so vehemently, even if it was directed where they said to direct it. Ravelry had taken a peaceful place and turned it into a place where groupspeak was taught and two minutes of hate were directed towards those who didn't agree with their political stance.

In the end, I downloaded all my patterns and deleted my account. I couldn't be a part of a site that was so divisive and hateful. If you're looking for a platform to connect with other knitters and crocheters, I wouldn't recommend Ravelry. It's become a place where politics and hate speech reign, and there's no room for anything else.

My experience with Ravelry started off great. I was able to connect with fellow fibercrafters from all over the world and we worked together on various charity events to help those in need. It was a wonderful feeling to be a part of such a supportive community.

However, things started to change. Suddenly, people with no real knowledge of politics started to declare themselves experts and anyone who disagreed with their uneducated ideologies was labeled a white supremacist. It was confusing and hurtful. The site became a place where anything remotely supporting any ideology veering to the right of extreme leftist thought was unwelcome. People with politically moderate or conservative mindsets were silenced while the ultra-progressives were encouraged to be nasty. It was disheartening to see such hate and division on a site that was once so welcoming.

To make matters worse, a major site redesign was implemented without any usability or accessibility testing. Many members complained of discomfort or even pain from having to use the new design, but when they brought their concerns to the founder Cassidy, she went into a whiny rage and accused them of lying. She even cited a half-baked article by a non-medical doctor to support her argument. It was a poor choice of rebuttal and showed a lack of empathy for members with disabilities.

Despite all of this, I still check in on the site from time to time. However, the once lively and supportive community has become a sad and quiet place. The ultra-left membership no longer supports charity events and the camaraderie is gone. Instead, there is suspicion and finger-pointing. Ravelry is becoming a bleak wasteland. It's a shame to see such a great site fall apart like this.

I used to be a big fan of Ravelry, but recently I had to say goodbye. It was a great platform for finding new patterns and keeping track of my finished projects, but things changed when they decided to ban support for Trump. They claimed it was hate speech and even equated it to white supremacy at one point. Now, I'm not one to get too political, but I have a problem with this decision. It's not fair to lump all Trump supporters into one category of "white supremacists" or promoters of hate speech. I know plenty of people who support Trump for a variety of reasons, and they are not all the same.

What's worse is that Ravelry still allows anti-Semitic patterns, which is true hate speech, but they ban Christian patterns as hate speech. This is a double standard that doesn't make sense. I understand that Ravelry is a private company and can make their own rules, but they just alienated half of their customer base with this decision. It would have been wiser to ban all political speech and promote true inclusivity. That way, people of all walks of life could celebrate each other's work and build a vibrant community based on civility and respect. If someone violated those principles, they could deal with them individually instead of lumping a large group of people into a stereotype.

True tolerance is about how you treat those who disagree with you. Ravelry missed the mark on this one, and I had to say goodbye. It's a shame because I loved using the platform, but I can't support a company that doesn't value all of its customers equally.

Ravelry is a website that puts people into categories, and I gotta say, I'm one of the weirdest ones out there. But you know what? I love it. My last name is Pena, which sounds pretty Hispanic, but my dad always says that we're American first and foremost. I've got blonde hair and blue eyes, and I look like I could be from Scandinavia, but I'm American through and through. On my mom's side, I've got a Jewish grandma and a Choctaw great-great-grandfather, but at the end of the day, I'm still American. Her family were sharecroppers, and they worked alongside people of color in the cotton fields, but they were all Americans. Last year, some of my family members did genetic testing and found out that we've got 9% Nigerian DNA, but that doesn't change the fact that we're American.

But here's the thing: Ravelry has classified me as a white supremacist. Can you believe that? I'm American, and they're trying to put me in some kind of box based on their own prejudices. It's a bigoted site, and they've done something truly unconscionable by marginalizing Americans just because they feel like it. They're practicing norms of bigotry, racism, and misogyny, and I refuse to be on any list or be denigrated in any way for who I am. They're their own worst enemies, doing exactly what they accuse others of doing.

When it comes to yarn, I say go to Hobby Lobby. And as for patterns, you can find anything they have on another site with a little research. You don't need Ravelry for that. You can find peace of mind, acceptance, and pride in yourself and your country somewhere else. Do your homework, or be as resistant as they are and join their club of mean bullies. It's up to you.

This website, Ravelry, claims to be inclusive of all people, but it's really disappointing that their recent redesign has made it difficult for people with disabilities to use. This is a community website where many knitters find solace, but now people with and without medical conditions are experiencing migraines from the website. Some people with past epilepsy have even had seizures and had to give up their driving licenses. Ravelry's response to these issues has been dismissive, telling people to just deal with it. They are even deleting any negative feedback about the redesign, effectively sweeping the problems under the rug. This goes against W3C web guidelines, as there is no warning on the front page about the potential for migraines or seizures.

To make matters worse, if you say anything negative about the redesign, even if it's legally okay, the admins will delete your account. It's like a dictatorship where there is no consultation or discussion. They don't want to hear any constructive criticism, and they delete posts and accounts within five minutes to prevent others from seeing the issues. It's shocking to think that the owners of Ravelry are Democrats, yet they are behaving like Republicans by censoring everything. What has happened to this website?

In my opinion, all designers, sellers, and buyers should quit using Ravelry until they fix these issues. It's not fair to exclude people with disabilities and ignore their concerns. This website needs to be more inclusive and considerate of all its users.

I joined Ravelry back in the day when you needed an invite. I loved the forums and met so many friends there that I'm still tight with. But even then, there was a lot of junk on the site and it's only gotten worse as people have gotten more brazen. I knew people who wouldn't go on Ravelry if their kids were around because they didn't know what kind of nastiness they'd see. There's a group called Lazy, Stupid, and Godless that's just as gross as it sounds and they're proud of it. There's a Rubberneckers group where they make fun of conversations in other groups (and no groups were private). The libs would go into conservative groups and ask a "harmless" question, then their buddies would come in and pile on, then they'd flag our responses as offensive. Those flags were one reason we got shut down. Most of the group got banned soon after when we took our political discussions somewhere else. Nowadays, you can post a "$#*! Trump" hat pattern but "God is love" is hate speech. An avatar with Whatsherface holding Trump's severed head is okay, but Betsy Ross is offensive. I deleted my account a few months ago, but lots of people I know are deleting theirs now. Seems like most of us don't want to be lumped in with a group that covers half the country. They say that being a Trump supporter means you're automatically a white supremacist, but a lot of these folks aren't even white!

I been on Ravelry for a long time. I use it to find patterns and yarn, but I don't go on the forums or post any pictures of my projects. I was shocked when I found out on June 23, 2019 that they think I'm a white supremacist just because I support the President of the United States! They say that "hate speech" is not allowed, but they let people say bad things about Mr. Trump and that's okay. But if you have an American flag or a hat that says "God is Love," they call that hate speech. Even if you ask them about it, they say that's hate speech too. They said that people who are conservative can stay on the site, but they are kicking out people who support Mr. Trump. They are also bullying businesses and designers who don't agree with them on Instagram. The people who run Ravelry say that they want everyone to feel safe and included, but they are the ones who are being mean and hateful. Some of the people they call white supremacists are actually part of groups that they say they want to help. Some of them don't even like Mr. Trump, but they don't like the way Ravelry is treating people. I used to like Ravelry, but now I don't think anyone should use it.

I've been a part of Ravelry since way back in 2008. Let me tell you, it's been a wild ride. This year alone, there have been two purges of dissenting voices from the site. And this is actually the fourth time it's happened since I joined. It's become the norm for people to troll, stalk, and harass those who don't agree with the majority. And honestly, it seems like the Ravelry admin is okay with it.

Now, let's talk about the website itself. It's not exactly the most modern-looking thing out there. In fact, it looks like it's straight out of the early 90s. But that's because it is. Ravelry's architecture is based on a game site from the 1980s. And while they did finally add emoticons a couple of years ago, you still have to pay a fee or link off-site to embed a photo in a message board post.

But let's talk about the good stuff. The pattern database is absolutely massive. And you can keep track of your personal stash too, which is super helpful. However, there's a big problem with Ravelry. They seem to have a lot of disdain for a large portion of their members. It's the opposite of inclusion and tolerance. Some members have even made a list of people who support Ravelry's intolerance of dissenting views. And they've targeted those who don't agree with them. It's not a good look. And when I dared to point out the hypocrisy, my account was suspended for 120 days. So I said "screw it" and deleted my account.

Now, let's talk about this site. I've noticed that there seem to be fewer negative reviews than there were earlier today. It makes me wonder if someone's deleting them or undercounting them. It's not a good look, guys. Let's be honest and transparent here.

This website used to be really good. It's a place where you can store data about knitting and crocheting, but the best part is the people who use it. At least, it used to be that way. Then something happened with a person named Cassidy.

The website was started by Jessica and Casey Forbes in May of 2007. I joined not long after. It was great. The people who came in were nice, helpful, accepting, open, and tolerant of everyone. They were just good people.

About three years ago, things started to get weird. They started going after certain designers, then they banned all conservatives, and they put up a gay pride flag that's been there for over a year. They also keep pushing their political ideas on everyone. And now they're hurting people who have disabilities with their new website design. People are getting migraines, eye strain, and seizures from it. But when people complained, Cassidy called them liars.

Cassidy came out as transgender during all of this. That's fine, but Casey used to be polite, considerate, kind, and compassionate. Cassidy is acting like Regina George without any friends or power. She's mean, rude, and just not nice to the community.

They've lost their focus and the trust of the community. They're going to lose their power soon because they forgot the golden rule.

I gotta say, if I'm ever in the mood to knit and unwind, I used to head straight to Ravelry. But lately, I've been feeling like this site and its community have taken a turn for the worse. It seems like they're more interested in promoting their own agenda and suppressing free speech than they are in just sharing patterns and ideas.

I mean, I knit to relax, not to get caught up in someone else's political views. And it's not just Ravelry - it seems like everywhere you turn these days, people are so quick to hate and judge each other based on their beliefs. It's exhausting.

I used to watch TV to escape all of that, but now I feel like I can't even do that anymore. And now Ravelry is just another place where I have to worry about being bombarded with negativity and hate.

I don't understand why these people feel the need to bring their politics into everything, even something as innocent as knitting. I don't care who designed a pattern or what their beliefs are - if it's a good pattern, I'll use it. And if it's not to my liking, I'll just scroll past it. It's not that hard.

But I guess some people just can't handle the idea of others having different opinions than them. They need to censor everything and everyone to fit their own narrow worldview. It's sad, really.

Anyway, I think it's time for me to start looking for knitting ideas and patterns elsewhere. I don't want to be constantly bombarded with hate and discontent when all I want to do is relax and knit.

I gotta say, I have some serious issues with Ravelry. I mean, I get it, they wanna be inclusive and all that jazz, but when they start excluding people based on their political beliefs, that's just not cool. Like, if you're gonna say you're inclusive, then you gotta include everyone, even if you don't agree with them.

And don't even get me started on their whole Trump supporter thing. Like, just because someone supports Trump doesn't automatically make them a white supremacist. That's just ridiculous. And by saying that all Trump supporters are unambiguously white supremacists, they're just being hypocrites. Like, they're not being inclusive at all.

And the worst part is, they're hurting people's businesses by shutting down any possibility of promoting patterns that Trump supporters could have bought. That's just not right. It's like economic oppression or something.

I mean, I guess they could have just banned all political items, but instead they chose to limit the voices of those they don't agree with. That's just not fair. And I really wish people would have thought more about a total political ban instead of just jumping on board because of a few key words and phrases like BIPOC and LBGQT+. Like, come on, people, let's think this through.

I've been a part of Ravelry for a long time, like over ten years. Back when they were just starting out and needed some cash to get going, I donated some money to help them out. And you know what? They didn't ask me any questions about who I am or what I believe in. They just took my money and that was that. But now that Casey, the guy who runs the show, has made a bunch of money, he's decided that some people who use the site are hateful and shouldn't be allowed to express their opinions. I mean, sure, it's his company and all, but it would have been nice if he had been upfront about this stuff from the beginning. I've spent a lot of money on patterns and stuff over the years, and now it feels like my support was for nothing.

It's not just me, either. Lots of designers and advertisers are getting boycotted because of this new policy. But you know what? People are starting to make new websites to fill the void that Ravelry has left behind. They're still pretty new, but they're doing well so far. Tyson A. says that Ravelry is the best social media site in the world, but I always thought it was just a place for people who like to knit or crochet. I didn't realize it was supposed to be some exclusive club or anything.

Casey likes to brag about how many members Ravelry has, like eight million or something. But every time I log in to download my patterns (before I get banned, that is), there are only like 1,800 people online. Where are the other 7,800,000 people? Are they just bots or something? It doesn't make sense to me.

Anyway, I'm pretty disappointed in Ravelry right now. It used to be a great place to hang out and find cool patterns and stuff. But now it feels like they don't really care about their users anymore.