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 FAQs / Help! 

Frequently Asked Questions / Help

Thank you for coming to our site - we really appreciate it!
We have tried to cover a variety of frequently asked questions about myKnitting.com. If your questions are not answered here, please contact us!

The following FAQ categories are discussed below. Click on one of these categories, or simply scroll down to view all the information.
View all FAQs    |    View accounts and blog FAQs    |    View general FAQs    |    View message board FAQs    |    View project FAQs
 
General
1. Why would you create a site like myKnitting.com?
Our goal with creating myKnitting.com was to make a really fun and informational site for knitters and crocheters around the world to enjoy! We love knitting and wanted to provide an easy-to-use forum to show off your projects, discuss topics on message boards, read instructional articles, etc.
2. What does Jimmy Beans Wool have to do with myKnitting.com?
Jimmy Beans Wool has sponsored the development and hosting of the site. We didn't want to have to charge users to enjoy the site, so Jimmy Beans Wool is making sure to keep it free for all to use!
3. What if I am offended by something posted on a myKnitting.com users home page, in a message board, or anything else?
The goal of a community based site such as myKnitting.com (and many others around the web), is to allow users to express their thoughts, feelings and accomplishments. This goal is also the inherent problem with these types of sites when a malicious user decides to abuse their privileges. We try to monitor all postings for inappropriate material, but if we have missed something, please contact us and we will correct the situation immediately. Users deciding to abuse their privileges will have their account made inactive so they cannot continue to harm the integrity of our site. Of course, we hope this will never happen!!!
4. How can I make suggestions for improvement?
We welcome any and all input. Please feel free to contact us anytime!
5. Are there any charges to use the site?
NO! It is a free service we wanted to provide to knitters and crocheters around the world!
6. Will you send me unsolicited email (SPAM)?
Never. We don't like people that send spam and we would never do that. We may send out newsletters in the future, and that is why in your account setup you can choose whether or not you would like to receive these newsletters. If at any time you would like to change this option, simply log in to your account and update your personal preferences.
7. I was expecting an email from myKnitting.com, but I never received it. What happened?
Many email programs will filter our emails as junk mail. To be sure you receive our correspondence, you can add info@myknitting.com to your safe list. We will never send you unsolicited emails, so you don't have to worry about your mailbox filling up!
 
Account and Blogs
1. Where do I post a blog for my account home page?
First, you must have an account to post blog information. If you have an account, please go to the login page and enter your email address and password.
After logging in, go to your blog list page, and click on the "add new blog" link at the top. Then enter your blog information complete with photos!

2. How will myKnitting.com use my personal information?
We collect very little personal information to ensure privacy matters are not a concern. We optionally allow you to put in your location information so in the future we can help you find other knitters in your area. This location information can be kept private if you prefer, and there is an option in your account preferences page to choose whether other users can view your location information or not. Please do not post any personal information you would not like others to view, if you are concerned about privacy. You can always check out your home page to see what others see, and then edit your account preferences if any changes are necessary.
Click here to view your account preferences page.

3. Is my personal information secure with myKnitting.com?
Your personal information is secure with us. First of all, as discussed above, we collect very little personal information to ensure privacy matters are not a concern. Also, we would never buy or sell personal information including email addresses. Any information you choose to enter is only used for the purposes of this site, and will never go any further.
4. What if I am having trouble creating an account?
We include information and guidelines for creating an account on the account creation page. If your questions are not answered on that page, or if you are still having difficulties, please contact us!
5. I can't seem to post my pictures for my account. What could be happening?
It is possible the photos you are choosing to upload are too large. There are 2 types of size restrictions on photos. The first is the file size of the photo. The file size limit for images is 50K (kilobytes). Please make sure your image file size is under that limit. The other type of size restriction is the height and width dimensions. Please only try to upload photos that are less than 400 pixels high and 400 pixels wide.

If you are having difficulties with these dimensions, your photo editing program will allow you to save the photos at a lower resolution (to decrease the file size) and / or change the dimensions of the photos to fit within our requirements.

Only .jpg and .gif image uploads are allowed. There are many photo editing programs available currently, so it is difficult to write exact instructions for this wide variety of options.

These instructions cover the basics, and you may have to search the help of your actual program to find the exact way to do similar tasks in your program.

These instructions are for the application Microsoft Paint. If you are using a windows based computer, you probably have Microsoft Paint. You can access it via the menu options: start > all programs > accessories > paint. If you follow these menu options from the start menu on your computer, you should be able to open Microsoft Paint (if it is installed). Microsoft Paint can do some simple photo editing functions, but most likely you will need a more full featured program to edit photos easily.

There are a few tasks that may or may not need to be done, depending on the current format of your photo.

1. You may have a photo in an invalid format for our site.

If your photo name ends in something other than .jpg or .gif, you will have to change the format in order to upload the photo. To create a .jpg or .gif image, on most photo editing applications you can choose:
  • Open your photo image file in your photo editing program.
  • Click the File menu.
  • Select Save As.
  • The Save As dialog box displays, enabling you to name your file.
  • Use the Save as type drop-down list, select JPEG (.jpg) or GIF (.gif).
  • Click Save or OK. Remember where you saved the file so you can find it again.
  • Now, attempt to upload the file you just created to myKnitting.com.


2. Your photo may be wide or high for us to accept.

To fix the dimension problem, follow these steps:
  • Open your photo image file in your photo editing program.
  • Click the "select" button. It looks like:
  • Select the starting point on your image, click your mouse button, and drag the dotted highlight line to the proper dimensions. The currently selected area is being displayed in the lower right hand corner (i.e. 100x85). Make sure the image size is equal to or smaller than the allowed dimensions.
  • Click the edit menu and select the "copy" option.
  • Click the file menu and select the "new" option.
  • Click the edit menu and select the "paste" option.
  • Use the Save as type drop-down list, select JPEG (.jpg) or GIF (.gif).
  • Click Save or OK. Remember where you saved the file so you can find it again.
  • Now, attempt to upload the file you just created to myKnitting.com.


3. Your photo file size may be too large for us to accept.

Microsoft Paint does not have an easy way to fix the file size problem. Most other photo editing programs have a way to change the image quality to reduce file size on disk. Search in your photo editing program for "image quality", "photo quality", "file size" or the like. In Jasc Photo Shop, these are the steps you would follow to reduce file size:
  • Open your photo image file.
  • Click the file menu and select the "export" option. From the additional options that appear, select the "JPEG Optimizer" option.
  • Change the "compression value" on the "quality" tab to higher numbers until the file size is appropriate.
  • Click "OK" and it will prompt you for a location to save the new .jpg file.
  • Click Save or OK. Remember where you saved the file so you can find it again.
  • Now, attempt to upload the file you just created to myKnitting.com.


** If you still have difficulties, email us your photo file along with a description of what you were trying to save the photo to (a project, blog or for your account). Email it to info@myknitting.com. We will reformat and return it to you so you can upload it!
6. How can I keep my personal location information secret?
There is an option in your account preferences page saying "Display your location information (next 4 fields) in your profile". If you would like your location information kept secret, choose no. Otherwise, if you don't mind having these few general pieces of location made available to people using the site, choose yes. Click here to view your account preferences page.
7. Do I have to enter my personal location information?
No, you can choose whether or not you would like to enter location information. Also, even if you entered your location information, you can choose whether or not to make it visible to others. See the above question for details about how to make this update!
8. Can I share my account login with friends? Of course we cannot prevent you from doing this, but we would HIGHLY recommend having your friends create their own account. It's free and very easy to get started on our account creation page!
9. I was expecting an activation email from myKnitting.com when I created a new account, but I never received it. What happened?
Many email programs will filter our emails as junk mail. To be sure you receive our correspondence, you can add info@myknitting.com to your safe list. We will never send you unsolicited emails, so you don't have to worry about your mailbox filling up!
10. I wanted to be notified when a particular message board was updated. Can I do this?
Yes, you can! First, log into your account (you need an account to receive notifications). Then navigate to the message you would like to set up for email notifications, and click on the "update notifications here" link near the top under the message title. Then you can elect to receive email notifications whenever someone updates the message. You can remove the notifications in exactly the same manner.
 
Projects
1. Where do I go to enter my project information so everyone can see it?
First, you must have an account to post project information. If you have an account, please go to the login page and enter your email address and password.
After logging in, go to your project list page, and click on the "add new project" link at the top. Now, enter your project information according to the directions at the top.

2. I can't seem to post my pictures for a project. What could be happening?
It is possible the photos you are choosing to upload are too large. There are 2 types of size restrictions on photos. The first is the file size of the photo. The file size limit for images is 50K (kilobytes). Please make sure your image file size is under that limit. The other type of size restriction is the height and width dimensions. Please only try to upload photos that are less than 400 pixels high and 400 pixels wide.

If you are having difficulties with these dimensions, your photo editing program will allow you to save the photos at a lower resolution (to decrease the file size) and / or change the dimensions of the photos to fit within our requirements.

Only .jpg and .gif image uploads are allowed. There are many photo editing programs available currently, so it is difficult to write exact instructions for this wide variety of options.

These instructions cover the basics, and you may have to search the help of your actual program to find the exact way to do similar tasks in your program.

These instructions are for the application Microsoft Paint. If you are using a windows based computer, you probably have Microsoft Paint. You can access it via the menu options: start > all programs > accessories > paint. If you follow these menu options from the start menu on your computer, you should be able to open Microsoft Paint (if it is installed). Microsoft Paint can do some simple photo editing functions, but most likely you will need a more full featured program to edit photos easily.

There are a few tasks that may or may not need to be done, depending on the current format of your photo.

1. You may have a photo in an invalid format for our site.

If your photo name ends in something other than .jpg or .gif, you will have to change the format in order to upload the photo. To create a .jpg or .gif image, on most photo editing applications you can choose:
  • Open your photo image file in your photo editing program.
  • Click the File menu.
  • Select Save As.
  • The Save As dialog box displays, enabling you to name your file.
  • Use the Save as type drop-down list, select JPEG (.jpg) or GIF (.gif).
  • Click Save or OK. Remember where you saved the file so you can find it again.
  • Now, attempt to upload the file you just created to myKnitting.com.


2. Your photo may be wide or high for us to accept.

To fix the dimension problem, follow these steps:
  • Open your photo image file in your photo editing program.
  • Click the "select" button. It looks like:
  • Select the starting point on your image, click your mouse button, and drag the dotted highlight line to the proper dimensions. The currently selected area is being displayed in the lower right hand corner (i.e. 100x85). Make sure the image size is equal to or smaller than the allowed dimensions.
  • Click the edit menu and select the "copy" option.
  • Click the file menu and select the "new" option.
  • Click the edit menu and select the "paste" option.
  • Use the Save as type drop-down list, select JPEG (.jpg) or GIF (.gif).
  • Click Save or OK. Remember where you saved the file so you can find it again.
  • Now, attempt to upload the file you just created to myKnitting.com.


3. Your photo file size may be too large for us to accept.

Microsoft Paint does not have an easy way to fix the file size problem. Most other photo editing programs have a way to change the image quality to reduce file size on disk. Search in your photo editing program for "image quality", "photo quality", "file size" or the like. In Jasc Photo Shop, these are the steps you would follow to reduce file size:
  • Open your photo image file.
  • Click the file menu and select the "export" option. From the additional options that appear, select the "JPEG Optimizer" option.
  • Change the "compression value" on the "quality" tab to higher numbers until the file size is appropriate.
  • Click "OK" and it will prompt you for a location to save the new .jpg file.
  • Click Save or OK. Remember where you saved the file so you can find it again.
  • Now, attempt to upload the file you just created to myKnitting.com.


** If you still have difficulties, email us your photo file along with a description of what you were trying to save the photo to (a project, blog or for your account). Email it to info@myknitting.com. We will reformat and return it to you so you can upload it!
 
Message Boards
1. What if I am offended by something posted on a myKnitting.com in a message board?
The goal of a community based site such as myKnitting.com (and many others around the web), is to allow users to express their thoughts, feelings and accomplishments. This goal is also the inherent problem with these types of sites when a malicious user decides to abuse their privileges. We try to monitor all postings for inappropriate material, but if we have missed something, please contact us and we will correct the situation immediately. Users deciding to abuse their privileges will have their account made inactive so they cannot continue to harm the integrity of our site. Of course, we hope this will never happen!!!
2. How do I get started posting messages on the message boards?
Anyone browsing our site can view messages on the message boards, but you have to have an account to post messages.
Click here to go to the account creation page.

If you already have an account, log in and navigate to the discussion you would like to post a message in, and there will be a link at the top saying "or add new discussion". Click on that link if you want to create a new message within this discussion.

If you want to reply to a message already posted, make sure you are logged in first. Once you are logged in, go to the message you would like to reply to and click the "reply" button next to the specific message you would like to respond to. The message text you are responding to, as well as your response will be posted in this string of messages.
3. I wanted to be notified when a particular message board was updated. Can I do this?
Yes, you can! First, log into your account (you need an account to receive notifications). Then navigate to the message you would like to set up for email notifications, and click on the "update notifications here" link near the top under the message title. Then you can elect to receive email notifications whenever someone updates the message. You can remove the notifications in exactly the same manner.