I've left Ravelry - JUL 3, 2020 (Patreon Archive)

See my original IG announcement here.

Now what?

I have the option and privilege of leaving Ravelry that most designers do not. I started my own website, tinatseknits.com, earlier this year. At first it was in preparation for being in Knit Stars season 5. With all that happened in 2019, I'm glad I created it so that I can have some control over who has access to what and how. Now more than ever, I see the importance in having this other avenue for knitters to find me and my work. In full transparency, it costs me $55.66 per month to maintain the website and other extensions of the website for me to keep this tiny business running as a side business. As long as I can at least maintain that amount through pattern sales, I will be okay. If it starts to seem like my patterns sales will not be able to sustain this tiny business, then I will have to consider ending this little venture of selling patterns. There was a plan for me to consider doing this pattern writing work full time but that is out of reach, with the pandemic and other aspects that might not be possible for me right now. Not giving up yet. Just might need to pivot and reevaluate how I want to create a sustainable business around my creative work. 

Ravelry was a great place for people, like myself, who didn't know what to do with selling self-published patterns to get some knowledge and learn how to from this site. It is very unfortunate that they are abusing their power of being the largest site to host this content. In a lot of cases, problematic people and places continue to thrive despite their problematic actions just because people have no where else to go. That is what is happening here. A lot of designers rely on Revelry for their sole income.  They cannot just leave. 

Which is why I'm so excited for Liza of @lizamakesthings on Instagram to be creating a BIPOC-led app and website that will be an alternative to Ravelry. It'll be called Fiber.Club. Link to some info about it so far is available here.

Choosing not to support problematic companies is one of the ways to move society into prioritizing people over product/service, to value people first. We institute change with our dollars. When we can get society to care more about where their money goes in supporting people and not problematic companies and corporations, everyone gets a better share of the money and resources. It doesn't matter how good a product is, it shouldn't mean sacrificing human's well being in the process of upholding a "good" product.