On Saturday, we went into Bristol with the intention of going to Grillstock for the day. A few days before hand, we realised (read: the boyfriend told me) the Bristol Comic Expo was in town on the same weekend. We realised we could quite easily go to both, as the expo started and finished earlier in the day than Grillstock did. And then the other half asked me why the name Anne Stokes was ringing a bell, as she was one of the guests at the expo. Once I finished squeeing at a pitch normally reserved for non-human hearing, it was decided we absolutely definitely had to go.
And it was awesome. I got to meet Anne Stokes and get a bunch of stuff signed by her. (And if you're not familiar with Anne Stokes, go check out her artwork on her website by clicking here. No, seriously, go now. This post will still be here when you get back.) She was very tolerant of me and my extreme fan-girl-ness. I have two amazing new signed prints to hang up on the walls, and a gorgeous dragon pendant that will no doubt become my favourite necklace ever.
We had a great walk around the expo, got to talk to a lot of cool people, see some amazing costumes (even had the kiddo pose with a stormtrooper and a clonetrooper for a photo!), and get some amazing stuff. I picked up an awesome print of Chel and Wheatley facing up against a dragon (I know it makes no sense, but it combines two of my favourite things, so that makes it awesome) from ReaperWorks. I also was introduced to a brilliant artist, Jess Bradley. Her stuff must be seen. (That's a hint that Jess's website is another one of those that you must go look at right now, and this post will still be here when you come back.)
The other major highlight of our time at the expo was meeting Mark Buckingham. For those of you who don't have a clue what that name means, he's an artist - in fact, the artist of one of my favourite graphic novel series, Fables. I not only got to have two of my books signed by him, but we got to sit and listen to him talk about various Fables and The Unwritten stuff in a panel straight afterward. He's a really nice guy, and it was a real pleasure meeting him.
Now, you may notice something missing from this post: pictures! I'm sorry, I meant to sit down and take a bunch of photos of all the stuff from the day, but haven't gotten around to it yet due to other life stuff. Pictures will be coming soon! Stay tuned!
Showing posts with label awesomeness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awesomeness. Show all posts
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
The New Boston
Just a short post today, as I'm recovering from being poorly the last 24 hours.
Recently I stumbled across a website I had never seen, or even heard of, before. I don't know how I missed it, and quite honestly I wish I'd seen it a lot sooner! It's called The New Boston. It's an absolute treasure trove of information for anyone who wants to learn programming, web development, game development, the list goes on.
Thing is, it's not just computer stuff you can find there. There are sections for education-focused stuff (algebra, chemistry, etc.), game playthroughs, how to build a go-kart (yeah, dangerous one for me there!), even survival in the wilderness. All of these are presented as video tutorials. You have to forgive the early videos for their sound quality, but the stuff you get out of the videos more than makes up for it. Go check it out and learn something. Really.
Recently I stumbled across a website I had never seen, or even heard of, before. I don't know how I missed it, and quite honestly I wish I'd seen it a lot sooner! It's called The New Boston. It's an absolute treasure trove of information for anyone who wants to learn programming, web development, game development, the list goes on.
Thing is, it's not just computer stuff you can find there. There are sections for education-focused stuff (algebra, chemistry, etc.), game playthroughs, how to build a go-kart (yeah, dangerous one for me there!), even survival in the wilderness. All of these are presented as video tutorials. You have to forgive the early videos for their sound quality, but the stuff you get out of the videos more than makes up for it. Go check it out and learn something. Really.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
The Cave: Awesome
I got to play through an awesome new game called The Cave. It's on just about every platform out there, so chances are good you'll be able to play it no matter what tech you've got. And you should. Because it's awesome. (Note: This post is, I believe, spoiler-free.)
You choose three of seven possible characters who have to navigate their way through the puzzle-filled cave. Each character has a special ability and a backstory which you can learn over the course of the game. These special abilities allow you to solve various puzzles and get past obstacles in different ways. Admittedly I found some abilities more useful than others, but that could be entirely down to my playstyle rather than a reflection on the design.
Some of the levels are standard, and must be completed regardless of who you choose to go with you. However, half the levels in your game are specific to the characters you have chosen. For example, I chose the Adventurer, the Knight, and the Twins. Each of them had their own level in the cave that could only be solved by that character, and further explained their backstory.
The gameplay is great, the graphics are great, the stories for the characters are great. I've played through it once, and the boyfriend has played through it once. It's definitely a game that encourages people to play it multiple times though, and I have no doubt I will be doing so soon.
... But I'm still taking the Twins on my next adventure. They are awesome and creepy at the same time. Really. Definitely my favourite character(s).
Well? Go play it! Go!
You choose three of seven possible characters who have to navigate their way through the puzzle-filled cave. Each character has a special ability and a backstory which you can learn over the course of the game. These special abilities allow you to solve various puzzles and get past obstacles in different ways. Admittedly I found some abilities more useful than others, but that could be entirely down to my playstyle rather than a reflection on the design.
Some of the levels are standard, and must be completed regardless of who you choose to go with you. However, half the levels in your game are specific to the characters you have chosen. For example, I chose the Adventurer, the Knight, and the Twins. Each of them had their own level in the cave that could only be solved by that character, and further explained their backstory.
The gameplay is great, the graphics are great, the stories for the characters are great. I've played through it once, and the boyfriend has played through it once. It's definitely a game that encourages people to play it multiple times though, and I have no doubt I will be doing so soon.
... But I'm still taking the Twins on my next adventure. They are awesome and creepy at the same time. Really. Definitely my favourite character(s).
Well? Go play it! Go!
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Cookie dough!
I like cookie dough. Quite a few of my friends probably remember the moaning they heard from me when I made sugar cookies at Christmas time. The dough was amazingly good, and I would have been perfectly happy to sit and eat it all without making any cookies at all.
You know, except for the whole raw eggs thing.
Yeah, okay, a little bit probably won't do any harm. But I'm a bit paranoid about food poisoning these days. And I couldn't justify the risk of being ill just for a bowl full of amazing nom-ness. I was not entirely happy with that, but lived with it.
Thankfully, there is an alternative. Egg free cookie dough! I made the chocolate chip cookie dough last night (without the chocolate chips, but only because I don't have any). It's lovely, and it's definitely hitting the spot for my cookie dough craving! Nom!
You know, except for the whole raw eggs thing.
Yeah, okay, a little bit probably won't do any harm. But I'm a bit paranoid about food poisoning these days. And I couldn't justify the risk of being ill just for a bowl full of amazing nom-ness. I was not entirely happy with that, but lived with it.
Thankfully, there is an alternative. Egg free cookie dough! I made the chocolate chip cookie dough last night (without the chocolate chips, but only because I don't have any). It's lovely, and it's definitely hitting the spot for my cookie dough craving! Nom!
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Just the hints you need
This is going to be short. I just want to share a resource that should be in every game-player's favourites list. It's called the Universal Hint System.
Quite often if a player gets completely stuck in a game, they will look to a walkthrough to get them unstuck. Problem is, most game walkthroughs tell you more than you want or need to know. They can spoil game events when all you need is the clue to one puzzle. They also take all the joy out of figuring things out, as they tell you flat out what to do, and in what order.
This is where the UHS is different. The UHS allows you to look up specific sections of the game, preventing you from reading things you haven't done yet by mistake (though its awfully tempting to read ahead anyway!). Once you've found the part you're having trouble with, you are given a series of hints. They start off very general, and gradually become more specific. You decide how many hints you need to figure it out. And if you still are struggling, the very last hint is actually the answer, written plainly.
The beauty of this is that it can sometimes give you just enough of a push in the right direction to figure out a puzzle or strategy point, without totally removing the joy of discovery. I've been using it for years, and as a gamer, I find it sometimes invaluable.
Quite often if a player gets completely stuck in a game, they will look to a walkthrough to get them unstuck. Problem is, most game walkthroughs tell you more than you want or need to know. They can spoil game events when all you need is the clue to one puzzle. They also take all the joy out of figuring things out, as they tell you flat out what to do, and in what order.
This is where the UHS is different. The UHS allows you to look up specific sections of the game, preventing you from reading things you haven't done yet by mistake (though its awfully tempting to read ahead anyway!). Once you've found the part you're having trouble with, you are given a series of hints. They start off very general, and gradually become more specific. You decide how many hints you need to figure it out. And if you still are struggling, the very last hint is actually the answer, written plainly.
The beauty of this is that it can sometimes give you just enough of a push in the right direction to figure out a puzzle or strategy point, without totally removing the joy of discovery. I've been using it for years, and as a gamer, I find it sometimes invaluable.
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi...
Okay, so I'm not actually going to run around quoting Leia. Which is a bit of a shame, because I got something very cool from the other half today. It's a Princess Leia bathrobe! Check it out!
Yep. I have one of those. Complete with duo hair buns on the hood. It's made of awesome.
Yep. I have one of those. Complete with duo hair buns on the hood. It's made of awesome.
Friday, 14 September 2012
Awesomeness: xkcd, GU comics
This week's awesomeness is brought to you by xkcd and GU Comics.
Simply put, xkcd is an amazing webcomic that focuses on pretty much everything that says "geek", including maths, language, computers, gaming, science, and so on. Oh, and it's also entirely drawn with stick figures.
The beauty of its limited, simplistic art is that the content of the comic has to be that much better. The humour of it must stand for itself, rather than relying on pretty images to carry it to the next page. I will admit, there are sometimes jokes that go right over my head - quite a few of the science ones, and the more hard-to-grasp maths ones - but most of them can be enjoyed by just about anybody. There's also the occasional romantic page, which helps balance the overall feel of the comic quite nicely.
Oh, and don't forget to hover your mouse over the strip itself to get additional commentary and jokes.
Moving on to GU Comics! This one, interestingly, I've not been aware of particularly long. I love gaming, I love comics (well, certain comics are not good friends with me, but that's not really the point here...). Yet it took me ages to become aware of this one, which focuses entirely on popular video games, the game industry, and the gaming community.
While reading the various pages, I find myself nodding with some, grinning at others, and genuinely laughing out loud at a few. Then I find myself nodding yet again when I read the blog posts that accompany each page. All in all, it's a great place for game enthusiasts to read a good comic and some clear opinions about the industry.
That's it for this week! More awesomeness to follow next Friday.
Simply put, xkcd is an amazing webcomic that focuses on pretty much everything that says "geek", including maths, language, computers, gaming, science, and so on. Oh, and it's also entirely drawn with stick figures.
The beauty of its limited, simplistic art is that the content of the comic has to be that much better. The humour of it must stand for itself, rather than relying on pretty images to carry it to the next page. I will admit, there are sometimes jokes that go right over my head - quite a few of the science ones, and the more hard-to-grasp maths ones - but most of them can be enjoyed by just about anybody. There's also the occasional romantic page, which helps balance the overall feel of the comic quite nicely.
Oh, and don't forget to hover your mouse over the strip itself to get additional commentary and jokes.
Moving on to GU Comics! This one, interestingly, I've not been aware of particularly long. I love gaming, I love comics (well, certain comics are not good friends with me, but that's not really the point here...). Yet it took me ages to become aware of this one, which focuses entirely on popular video games, the game industry, and the gaming community.
While reading the various pages, I find myself nodding with some, grinning at others, and genuinely laughing out loud at a few. Then I find myself nodding yet again when I read the blog posts that accompany each page. All in all, it's a great place for game enthusiasts to read a good comic and some clear opinions about the industry.
That's it for this week! More awesomeness to follow next Friday.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
MEAT!!!
Okay, so the family and I were in Swindon over the weekend. We decided to go out for a nice lunch. On the way to Cosmo (nice Chinese place), we came across a restaurant we'd never seen before. It was called Rios.
It was bright and eye-catching. It apparently was also brand new. We had a peek in the window at what they offered for food, and saw this.
That's a lot of different meats. It was intriguing, to say the least. The price was a bit steep, and we questioned whether it was worth about £18 a head, as there were four of us altogether. Then we saw that they had an opening offer of 25% off the bill (which continues until the 14th of September, if anyone is in the area and wants to take advantage of it!). Fair enough, that's a good deal. Then we looked at the sign next to the menu. Check out how this restaurant actually works.
Basically, from the moment you're seated, you can go up and help yourself to the hot and cold buffets (which look small, but actually have a good range of stuff). Then, once you have a plate, you go back to your table, where a rectangular piece of wood is standing in the middle. Half is red, half is green. If the red side is up, nothing happens. But if the green side is up, be prepared for some amazing food.
The best thing about this place is that there is no waiting for your main course to arrive. The waiters (chefs? I'm not sure, to be honest) spend their entire shift bringing meat to the tables with their green markers. They come into the dining area with meat on a giant skewer and a massive knife. They then cut the meat right at the table, allowing you to take as much or as little as you like, before moving on to the next table. Within a few minutes, another waiter comes around with another meat skewer. And then another, and another. We had completely full plates within about ten minutes of sitting down. And since every waiter brings out a different kind of meat, you're all but guaranteed to get a taste of everything.
Oh, and did I mention the food itself is absolutely fantastic? We all took a huge liking to the Parmesan Pork. The rump steak, though a bit bloodier than I usually like my meat, was amazing. In fact, there was very little they brought out that I didn't immediately love. The chicken was not particularly special, and I think one of the things they brought around were chicken hearts (so the boyfriend says). But they will tell you what the meat is if you don't recognise it, and as I said, almost everything is well worth trying.
As for a couple tiny points of interest, what made the experience even better was that the staff were lovely. All of them were smiling and cheerful, and they were happy to answer any questions or requests. Also, though it isn't listed on the menu in the window, there is a reduced price for kids between 5 and 10, and kids under 5 eat free.
So yeah. I think we found our new favourite eatery in Swindon. :)
It was bright and eye-catching. It apparently was also brand new. We had a peek in the window at what they offered for food, and saw this.
That's a lot of different meats. It was intriguing, to say the least. The price was a bit steep, and we questioned whether it was worth about £18 a head, as there were four of us altogether. Then we saw that they had an opening offer of 25% off the bill (which continues until the 14th of September, if anyone is in the area and wants to take advantage of it!). Fair enough, that's a good deal. Then we looked at the sign next to the menu. Check out how this restaurant actually works.
Basically, from the moment you're seated, you can go up and help yourself to the hot and cold buffets (which look small, but actually have a good range of stuff). Then, once you have a plate, you go back to your table, where a rectangular piece of wood is standing in the middle. Half is red, half is green. If the red side is up, nothing happens. But if the green side is up, be prepared for some amazing food.
The best thing about this place is that there is no waiting for your main course to arrive. The waiters (chefs? I'm not sure, to be honest) spend their entire shift bringing meat to the tables with their green markers. They come into the dining area with meat on a giant skewer and a massive knife. They then cut the meat right at the table, allowing you to take as much or as little as you like, before moving on to the next table. Within a few minutes, another waiter comes around with another meat skewer. And then another, and another. We had completely full plates within about ten minutes of sitting down. And since every waiter brings out a different kind of meat, you're all but guaranteed to get a taste of everything.
Oh, and did I mention the food itself is absolutely fantastic? We all took a huge liking to the Parmesan Pork. The rump steak, though a bit bloodier than I usually like my meat, was amazing. In fact, there was very little they brought out that I didn't immediately love. The chicken was not particularly special, and I think one of the things they brought around were chicken hearts (so the boyfriend says). But they will tell you what the meat is if you don't recognise it, and as I said, almost everything is well worth trying.
As for a couple tiny points of interest, what made the experience even better was that the staff were lovely. All of them were smiling and cheerful, and they were happy to answer any questions or requests. Also, though it isn't listed on the menu in the window, there is a reduced price for kids between 5 and 10, and kids under 5 eat free.
So yeah. I think we found our new favourite eatery in Swindon. :)
Friday, 7 September 2012
Awesomeness: GameGlobe
It's been ages since I've done an awesomeness post, so here's one. Only one link today, because it's got enough awesomeness without sharing the post with something else. (Also, I've been doing little else but programming and eating food this week, and a majority of people don't find programming all that awesome. So.)
Who here has heard of GameGlobe?
If you have, then you probably already know how awesome it is (possibly because of me going "oooooooooh" over it all week). If you haven't, then you quite simply must go check out this link here. Check the screens, watch the trailer. Wow.
GameGlobe is, essentially, an adventure game you can play in your browser. But it is also a way to make adventure games - in your browser. Sadly I don't know much more than that, as GameGlobe is still in beta. However, you can sign up for the beta if it floats your boat. I have. *grin*
There's also an article from Edge magazine at this link here, if you want to know a bit more about it. Me, I think I'm just going to go mess about with the beta for awhile!
Who here has heard of GameGlobe?
If you have, then you probably already know how awesome it is (possibly because of me going "oooooooooh" over it all week). If you haven't, then you quite simply must go check out this link here. Check the screens, watch the trailer. Wow.
GameGlobe is, essentially, an adventure game you can play in your browser. But it is also a way to make adventure games - in your browser. Sadly I don't know much more than that, as GameGlobe is still in beta. However, you can sign up for the beta if it floats your boat. I have. *grin*
There's also an article from Edge magazine at this link here, if you want to know a bit more about it. Me, I think I'm just going to go mess about with the beta for awhile!
Friday, 22 June 2012
Awesomeness of the Week
In case you're curious, I had every intention to post a few things this week. And then I lost my internet connection last Friday afternoon, and only had it (finally) reconnected late Wednesday afternoon. I was not a happy bunny. But at any rate, it's fixed now, so there will hopefully be more interesting posts this week!
For now, it's the awesomeness of the week!
Colour Lovers
This one at first glance seems to be a site good for decorators and the like, but it can be incredibly helpful for other things as well. This site is stuffed full of colour palettes and patterns, pretty much any that you can think of. And if you happen to think of one you can't find on the site, you can always add it yourself! I most recently used it to try and find an appropriate colour scheme for designing the cards in my board game project. I was able to find what I consider to be the perfect palette, especially since I already had a good idea of the kind of colours I was looking for.
Did You Know Gaming?
This blog is, quite simply, awesome. Every day it posts little-known facts, trivia, and Easter eggs to be found in the many video games that exist. Most of what is posted is fascinating. Anything that is posted about games I actually own inevitably leads me to try and find it myself in the game. I mean, I personally never noticed that one of the islands in Mario 3 looks just like Japan. Or that GTA uses the same font for their title as The Price is Right. Did you?
For now, it's the awesomeness of the week!
Colour Lovers
This one at first glance seems to be a site good for decorators and the like, but it can be incredibly helpful for other things as well. This site is stuffed full of colour palettes and patterns, pretty much any that you can think of. And if you happen to think of one you can't find on the site, you can always add it yourself! I most recently used it to try and find an appropriate colour scheme for designing the cards in my board game project. I was able to find what I consider to be the perfect palette, especially since I already had a good idea of the kind of colours I was looking for.
Did You Know Gaming?
This blog is, quite simply, awesome. Every day it posts little-known facts, trivia, and Easter eggs to be found in the many video games that exist. Most of what is posted is fascinating. Anything that is posted about games I actually own inevitably leads me to try and find it myself in the game. I mean, I personally never noticed that one of the islands in Mario 3 looks just like Japan. Or that GTA uses the same font for their title as The Price is Right. Did you?
Friday, 15 June 2012
Awesomeness of the Week
It's time for more brilliant stuff I've found on the tinternets!
The Bloggess
This has got to be one of the best blogs I've ever read. Most of the time she is absolutely hysterical. Sometimes her posts are extremely serious, but are still a fascinating read. Particularly funny is her response to people who send her stuff to advertise on her blog. I mean, what better way to reply than to send them to a link with a picture of Wil Wheaton collating paper?
The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson, also has recently published a book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. Though I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of it yet, rest assured it's only a matter of time.
nanDECK
So this one's probably only of interest to you if you design games, or if you want to make your own version of a game you like. All the same, this is an awesome little program. nanDECK lets you create your own cards for your games. It's styled in a way that lets you write very simple, HTML-style code to make the cards. This makes card creation very, very fast and easy, particularly for when you're in the early stages of prototyping and playtesting.
I'm currently using nanDECK to make the prototype cards for my own board game project-in-progress, Twisted Tales. (That title will probably not stick. Or it might. I don't know yet.) It's been a brilliant way to quickly put the cards together and print them without any thought to the finer details... yet.
The Bloggess
This has got to be one of the best blogs I've ever read. Most of the time she is absolutely hysterical. Sometimes her posts are extremely serious, but are still a fascinating read. Particularly funny is her response to people who send her stuff to advertise on her blog. I mean, what better way to reply than to send them to a link with a picture of Wil Wheaton collating paper?
The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson, also has recently published a book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. Though I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of it yet, rest assured it's only a matter of time.
nanDECK
So this one's probably only of interest to you if you design games, or if you want to make your own version of a game you like. All the same, this is an awesome little program. nanDECK lets you create your own cards for your games. It's styled in a way that lets you write very simple, HTML-style code to make the cards. This makes card creation very, very fast and easy, particularly for when you're in the early stages of prototyping and playtesting.
I'm currently using nanDECK to make the prototype cards for my own board game project-in-progress, Twisted Tales. (That title will probably not stick. Or it might. I don't know yet.) It's been a brilliant way to quickly put the cards together and print them without any thought to the finer details... yet.
Friday, 8 June 2012
Awesomeness of the Week
It's not the greatest title, but it'll do until I can think of anything better. There are so many awesome things on the internet, and I want to be able to share them with anyone who has not yet discovered them. You may find them just as awesome, you might hate them, but they will still be here. So let's get started, shall we?
Ctrl+Alt+Del
This is a webcomic I've been following for quite some time. What I love about it is that the author doesn't stick to strictly gag-of-the-week humour. He often has long-running plot lines, even if they are incredibly over the top and ridiculous (talking penguin, anyone?). He also is not afraid to take the comic to hard places, as he showed when one of the main characters suffered a miscarriage. I remember that particular strip as one of enormous impact, largely due to the lack of any dialogue in that page whatsoever.
That said, most pages are aimed to entertain, and he usually succeeds. The current storyline sees Ethan, who is normally off-his-head crazy, suffering a concussion due to electrocuting himself. The result has made him into a perfectly normal guy - possibly the strangest thing this comic has ever seen - and turned his housemate Lucas and his wife Lilah into... well, crazy-Ethans. The switch is, in my opinion, highly amusing, especially when Ethan's only aid comes from his talking X-Box.
Ravelry
This one is aimed at anyone who likes knitting or crocheting. Ravelry is an enormous website designed to help people find patterns, yarns, and like-minded people online. It's such a simple description, but I promise you the site is so much more than that. Just about every published pattern you can think of is listed somewhere in Ravelry's database. Many of them are free, many of them are available to download straight off the site instantly. You can purchase some patterns from Ravelry directly, or if the pattern can't be gotten from the site, they can at least tell you where to find it. It also has a massive database of yarns. Got a question about the particular thickness of a yarn? Not sure if it will work for the pattern you have in mind? Look up the yarn in the database, and check out other people's comments about it. Doing this has saved me from using a beautiful yarn that falls apart as soon as it's knitted, amongst other mistakes. It's also introduced me to new yarns to look out for.
But beyond the incredible database, is the amazing community. There are millions of Ravelers, as some call them, from all over the world. The forums are constantly active, which is brilliant when you have a question or need help with something. There are smaller groups to join as well, such as Nerdy Knitters, or groups aimed at people in particular local areas. You can find just about anything in the forums - and the few things that aren't there already won't take long to be discovered and discussed! If you have any interest at all in the world of knit and/or crochet, go have a look. You'll love it, I hope.
That's it for this week's awesomeness!
Ctrl+Alt+Del
This is a webcomic I've been following for quite some time. What I love about it is that the author doesn't stick to strictly gag-of-the-week humour. He often has long-running plot lines, even if they are incredibly over the top and ridiculous (talking penguin, anyone?). He also is not afraid to take the comic to hard places, as he showed when one of the main characters suffered a miscarriage. I remember that particular strip as one of enormous impact, largely due to the lack of any dialogue in that page whatsoever.
That said, most pages are aimed to entertain, and he usually succeeds. The current storyline sees Ethan, who is normally off-his-head crazy, suffering a concussion due to electrocuting himself. The result has made him into a perfectly normal guy - possibly the strangest thing this comic has ever seen - and turned his housemate Lucas and his wife Lilah into... well, crazy-Ethans. The switch is, in my opinion, highly amusing, especially when Ethan's only aid comes from his talking X-Box.
Ravelry
This one is aimed at anyone who likes knitting or crocheting. Ravelry is an enormous website designed to help people find patterns, yarns, and like-minded people online. It's such a simple description, but I promise you the site is so much more than that. Just about every published pattern you can think of is listed somewhere in Ravelry's database. Many of them are free, many of them are available to download straight off the site instantly. You can purchase some patterns from Ravelry directly, or if the pattern can't be gotten from the site, they can at least tell you where to find it. It also has a massive database of yarns. Got a question about the particular thickness of a yarn? Not sure if it will work for the pattern you have in mind? Look up the yarn in the database, and check out other people's comments about it. Doing this has saved me from using a beautiful yarn that falls apart as soon as it's knitted, amongst other mistakes. It's also introduced me to new yarns to look out for.
But beyond the incredible database, is the amazing community. There are millions of Ravelers, as some call them, from all over the world. The forums are constantly active, which is brilliant when you have a question or need help with something. There are smaller groups to join as well, such as Nerdy Knitters, or groups aimed at people in particular local areas. You can find just about anything in the forums - and the few things that aren't there already won't take long to be discovered and discussed! If you have any interest at all in the world of knit and/or crochet, go have a look. You'll love it, I hope.
That's it for this week's awesomeness!
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