Ravelry

I just started crocheting this summer and one of the first things any beginner needs is patterns. Finding the Ravelry community for knitters and crocheters has been wonderful.

Ravelry describes itself as "a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools, and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration. The content here is all user- driven; we as a community make the site what it is."

While it's still in kinda-beta, you request an invitation on the site and then your account information is emailed in 3 or 4 days. It's completely free to join.

I'm not in any way affiliated with Ravelry, just a happy member of the community.