FAQ
What is craft.wang?
craft.wang is an independent, open-source crafting community. It's a place to find patterns, track your projects, and connect with other makers. It's a self-hosted alternative to Ravelry, built with the same spirit that fanfiction.lol brings to AO3. It's small, independent, and built by and for the community.
Why did you build this?
Ravelry has been the home for online crafting for over 15 years, but its UX has calcified and its ownership model is closed. I wanted something faster, smaller, and a little irreverent. I wanted something built by one person in a homelab instead of a company. Something that feels like the opposite of venture-funded social platforms.
Is there a catch? What's the business model?
No catch. No ads, no algorithm, no data broker deals, no VC funding. craft.wang is free to use and will remain free. It's a personal project I maintain because I use it and believe in it. The costs are minimal, a small VPS or homelab server, and I cover them myself.
Is my data safe?
Your data is yours. We don't sell it, we don't share it with third parties, and we don't use it to train AI models. We comply with Canadian privacy law, PIPEDA and Alberta's PIPA, and you can request access to or deletion of your data at any time. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Can I self-host my own instance?
Yes! craft.wang is open source. You can fork the repository, run your own instance, and modify it to your needs. The code is publicly available and licensed to allow self-hosting. That's part of the point, independence from platforms you don't control.
What features does craft.wang have?
- Find: Search and filter patterns by craft, category, yarn weight, hook size, and price
- Library: Bookmark patterns with status (want to make, own, made)
- Craft: Track your projects with progress photos and updates
- Connect: Browse and comment on other people's projects
- Profile: Public profile with avatar, bio, and social links
- Follow: Follow other makers and see their updates in your feed
What features are planned?
Future additions may include stash/yarn inventory tracking, more advanced search features, and better moderation tools. But the focus is on keeping things small and usable rather than feature bloat.
How do pattern submissions work?
Community members can submit patterns to the database. Submissions go into a moderation queue for review before being published. We don't host pattern files. We catalog patterns and link out to where you can actually get them, Ravelry, Etsy, designer sites, etc.
Who runs this?
craft.wang is built and maintained by Brennan Kenneth Brown on hardware in a basement in Alberta, Canada. It's a personal project, not a startup. If something breaks, I'll fix it when I can. If you have questions or issues, reach out at craftwang@brennanbrown.ca.
Can I contribute?
Yes! The code is open source, so pull requests are welcome. You can also contribute by submitting patterns, reporting bugs, or just using the site and giving feedback.
Why the name?
It's a reference to Numberwang, the classic sketch from That Mitchell and Webb Look. Also, craft.wang.