Ravelry

Ravelry is the best, most inclusive website out there for fiber artists. It has patterns, both free and paid, and forums that cover almost any topic.
Topics that can't be discussed are ones that constitute hate speech or show support for white supremacy.
A lot of people have recently left and started posting negative reviews wherever they can because of the addition of showing support for white supremacy to the rules of Ravelry. More specifically, Ravelry said that "support for the trump administration was support for white supremacy. " Many people mistakenly equated this to being called a white supremacist, and called anyone who tried to explain the difference a troll.
So, please ignore the negative reviews. Read the TOS with an open mind and decide for yourself.
Ravelry really is a great place.

Ravelry tries very hard to be all inclusive but requires the people who post to be good to each other. You can believe anything you want to believe but you can't put anyone down for their color, their race, their religion, etc. Now if they are stupid it might be open season. The politics got out of hand recently but most of the site is a very helpful place to learn more about the crafts of knitting, crocheting, spinning and weaving. If you have a question about a technique/a pattern/a yarn someone will have the answer.

I have been a member of Ravelry (Rav) since just a few months after the site opened. It is the single best pattern source and data base for knitting and crochet patterns. Over the years it also has developed into a fantastic social media site for fiber arts enthusiasts. As a designer, I love their business model and easy of access for small scale designers like me.

The database of pattern is second to none. All patterns linked and cross referenced to user submitted projects, yarns used, comments and recommendations, blog posts, and so on. A brilliant piece of work, and the best possible resource for the beginner and expert alike.

The communities at the cherry on top, a safe place to meet people and positively contribute to the community.

I joined when the site was still in beta, and I can say I have made so many friends and learned so much. I wouldn't be without Ravelry.

Ravelry's administration run it like a communist country. They have a group called Ravelry Rubberneckers that troll all the forums for things to make fun of and then post links to members and their conversations. Then they ridicule these people and make fun of them. When Ravelry says it's against hate speech, it's only against speech they hate. If you ask a question, you get attacked and insulted. I cannot recommend this site to anyone.

Ravelry is an awesome site to connect with other fibre artists, search for and purchase patterns from amazing designers, and see how the design you like looks on other people. You can ask for help and get tips and techniques, find out about new trends in knitting/crocheting and follow up and coming designers, and generally just hang out in the best place on the web. Also a great way to organize your stash and store patterns. Highly recommend.

I will miss Ravelry's large pattern marketplace, but that is ALL I will miss. I was a member for 2 years, and had purchased 68 patterns in that time.
Yes, PURCHASED. I'm pretty tired of those who are defending Ravelry saying that it's no loss that many members have quit them. They mistakenly believe that 'we' were only there for the 'free' stuff.
Um, nope!
In fact, I never participated in the social media aspect of the site, until the day they announced that I had no voice there. That's fine, you go ahead and be the 'only groupthink is allowed here' bullies.
Meanwhile, those of us who treasure ALL discourse as a process of working things out and finding commonalities will create inclusive spaces where rational, well formed, and politely shared opinions matter.

If you're a designer, they don't care if your patterns are pirated, but heaven forbid you say something positive about the Trump administration, God, prayer, or anything positive, really. They say they're against hate speech, but there has always been lots of hate speech on that site, but it's the "right kind", meaning it complies with the owners' views, so that' okay. There are groups set up specifically to hunt down posts just to make fun of them. You can easily avoid anything you don't like, unless you're a liberal on that site. They search out things to be offended by and then report it so others can pile on. Even something as innocuous as a hat that says God Is Love, because they think that that is a "dog whistle" and is really a homophobic message. If you want a nice site to enjoy you love of fiber arts with like minded folk, Ravely is not it.

Meets all my needs and more, from project tracking to patterns, yarn information to connecting with other fiber users. With every decision the owners make about where to take their business I find the site becoming better and better!