Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Today it is my honor to feature my wonderful Ravelry Moderator, Loren. March is the anniversary month for my Ravelry Group Croc-Kween Designs and later today we'll be celebrating by going into the chat room to continue to enjoy each other's company. Please join us at 4:00 PM EST. Since Loren has been such a constant supporter in my group since the beginning and is an experienced moderator, I thought it would be interesting to get her perspective on volunteer job:
"I am one of
the moderators for Cro-Kween Designs
group on Ravelry. I get to play “Jester” to our beloved Kween,
Gwen Blakly Kinsler, and keep the “Courtesans” (group members) entertained!
I love
Ravelry, where I am known as twisted1. I get to meet people from all over the
world who share my interests; and I am so inspired by the limitless creativity running
throughout this crochet & knit community. I like being able to catalog my
projects, and I am happy to have a place where I can learn new things, teach
others and see how other stitchers interpret patterns. I am an “idea” person
and this role of moderator provides a creative outlet for me.
When I first
joined Ravelry in 2008, I looked up designer Lisa Gentry whose work I had
admired on TV. She “friended” me and invited me to join her group, Hook and Needle Designs. It was near my
birthday, and the group started a “happy birthday” thread for me, a newbie. Amazed
and touched, I was also hooked!
Currently, I
moderate three groups: Cro-Kween Designs,
International Freeform Forum, and laughing purple designs group. I met
Gwen in another group during a freeform CAL (crochet-a-long) four years ago.
She was starting her own group, and I was invited by Darlene a/k/a Hummywinger,
who moderates the Lisa Gentry fan group. I admired Gwen’s creativity and humor,
and her commitment to teaching others and spreading the joys of crochet
wherever she goes. She has a love for the unconventional, as do I. We also share
a mutual adoration for freeform, vintage crochet and beads! I thought Cro-Kween
Designs would be a fun place to hang out.
It was
during our first CAL that the idea for the “Court” came into being, with each
participant taking a Courtly role. It was during that year-long CAL that I became
moderator when I took the reins from the previous volunteer who had to drop
out.
I am a total
CAL addict and one of my duties is to come up with novel ideas for CALs. I seem
to have a gift for thinking up clever titles, or so Gwen has told me! For
example, “Crown Jewels” dealt with beading, “Child’s Play” was interpreting a
child’s drawing in crochet.
 |
| Child's Play by Loren |
We have also done CALs revolving around specific
themes, such as vacation memories, recycling, and hearts. Hearts are big in the Court. Next to crochet,
Crochetkween is the Kween of Hearts!
My favorite CAL
was “Somewhere Beneath the Sea”. It was different because not only did we have
dfads (designer-for-a-day), but we made it a guessing game. Each dfad had to choose
a sea creature, then post up to 3 clues about the creature. Once a participant
guessed what it was, the instructions to make the creature were given. The
completed projects were just stunning!
 |
| Somewhere Beneath the Sea by Loren |
We have a
lot of variety in the Court. We have done tutorials on techniques such as
beading and hairpin lace. We encourage members to post photos or links to
crochet spotted in the “real world”. We discuss yarn-bombing, books we like,
and provide a place for members to ask questions. We don’t usually discuss
cooking and the weather, we are too wrapped up in yarn for that! I love it when
we have a really good CAL going, with lots of chatting and participation. I
truly believe that creativity cannot exist in a vacuum.
As
moderator, I try to be positive, non-judgmental and encouraging; a helpful
attitude is key. Whether someone wants advice on a color choice, gets stuck on
a pattern, needs help with photo posting or navigating the site, they know they
can ask and I will provide an answer or find someone who can. A moderator keeps
the conversations going, and thinks of ways to keep the group active. A
moderator should have the ability to work well with others…it seems rather
obvious. Lead by example and inspire others.
A sense of
humor doesn’t hurt, either! I’m not out to be the “police,” although part of
the duties are to step in if things get heated, which thankfully doesn’t occur
in my groups. Humor is a good way to deflect issues. Written communication is
different than spoken communication. It is
interpreted without inflection and body language; so sometimes it’s hard to understand
what a writer really means in a post. Things can be taken the wrong way. I read
the posts to make sure the person is communicating clearly. If not, I might
reply, “Do you mean…” to clarify things before someone gets confused or takes
offense. I also get things back on track when people get off topic; moderators
are guilty of this, too.
For the past
five years, I ran an after school crochet program for ages 8-12, and I recently
taught a finger crochet class at my local library. Kids bring so much
enthusiasm and that’s what I enjoy (most) about teaching them. I was so impressed
with the students who went above and beyond what was taught in class allowing
me to create more than a few yarn addicts!
 |
| Ka' anapali Beach by Loren |
Luckily for me I always
have multiple projects going at once. Typically I have at least one knitting
project and one “car project” that is easy and portable. Being bi-stitchual helps keep repetitive
stress injuries to a minimum. I am fortunate that the “Court” offers so much variety;
there is always something going on. I do hope you will join me along with the
Kween and her creative Courtesans. We’ll lower the drawbridge for you!"
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