About Fiber Friends Group

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Mission:  The mission of the Fiber Friends Group is to provide a welcoming social space for fiber enthusiasts around the world to meet, connect, and build meaningful friendships.

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How Can I Contribute?: First and foremost, form connections and relationships with fellow fiber enthusiasts!  If you're interested in doing more than that, shoot me a message on the Contact page, and if I start needing some helping hands (especially with the Pen Pal Swap or with managing the Forums), I'll know who to reach out to!  Finally, if you're interested in making a monetary donation to support this group, you can donate to the Ko-Fi account here.  Really, though, know that we are happy to just have you here, participating in the conversations!

 

How It Started:  Fiber Friends Group all started with a series of stories on Instagram.  Promised Fibers asked a simple question: "What makes you feel excluded from the fiber arts community?"  There were many answers that I could relate to -- not being able to afford most yarns (even "affordable" options), not being part of the "cool kids" on Instagram, not knowing the "real talk" of the fiber arts because of being a self-taught knitter, and so on -- but there was one that really sunk in.  It sunk in more than the other discussions because it was something that I felt on a daily basis, and something that really hurt, no matter how much I tried to push it away.  The other answers really didn't bother me that much -- growing up I never had any of the fancy stuff, and I was never a cool kid, and that's just the way it was; I learned to enjoy life without it, and as I grew, I learned that those things tended to just be a false front anyway -- there really wasn't much substance behind them -- and I learned that I really wasn't happier with them, because those weren't the things that defined me.

 

But the answer that resonated with me was this: "Seeing ppl getting together in person (like at festival), building real friendships thru knitting."  This answer so perfectly summed up some of my most difficult emotions.  Although I'm an introvert, I crave social interactions, and my social interactions must be real and meaningful and intentional for them to be fulfilling.  Instagram just isn't enough for me most days.  I appreciate everyone's "Oh, so pretty!" comments on my newest design, but that just isn't what I need in my core for a friendship.  It doesn't fill me up.

 

As I saw more and more similar responses, each expressing how they felt left out of the relationship side of knitting, I thought, "Someone needs to create a way for us to make real friendships.  Something that is more than a "like" button and a comment relating to a pretty picture; even something more than reassurances or condolences on a moving story.  Something that allows for real friendships to start, to be fostered, and to blossom and bloom." 

 

I then had two realizations.  I'm not sure which happened first, or if they happened simultaneously.  One: I realized that, although I'd love to go to fiber festivals, I most likely wouldn't actually be making real relationships there either, because I'm an introvert.  I'd say "hi" and have a little conversation... but the reality of me making a forever bestie in a sea of noise and people... I won't say it's impossible, but I won't say the odds are high, either.   Two: I realized that I could create this much needed space for friendship.  I realized I could round up people that felt like me (I knew now that there were multiple people that felt like me), and we could hang out and chat.  We'd all know that we were looking for friendships, so maybe it wouldn't be so awkward.  Or maybe it would still be just as awkward, but we'd all know we were being awkward together.

 

I then took the first step.  I sent a message to Promised Fibers, and this is what it said: "I was thinking we need a place where we can give big virtual hugs and have legit conversations online [...] maybe we could start to form stronger relationships [...] Do you think if I created a platform where we could sit and chat [...] that there would be interest in this? [...] I would be willing to seriously think about this."  The response I got was everything that I needed.  When I sent the message, I had in mind that this idea was just an idea, something that I'd mull over in my mind, that maybe a few months down the road it would come to fruition.  But the response that I received, starting with "I think there is interest bc there have been many variations on this idea in the inbox today!" was exactly what I needed, and when Meesha loved my Fiber Pen Pals idea, there was no stopping me.  There was no waiting.  I immediately created an email account and a website, and I got to work setting this whole thing up.  I created an Instagram page, and within 36 hours of my reading the initial stories, I had the website put together, and I sent out my first request for feedback. 

 

The week before I'd listened to More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth and Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis, and I'd realized that I didn't know what my real dream was, what my mission was.  Suddenly, I did have a real dream, and it was happening.  I had something to work toward beyond "designing practical and beautiful knits."  I had something that gave me life and lit a fire within me.  I had a purpose and a mission.

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And, as they say, the rest is history.

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So, Who Started It?: Hello, I'm Jessica of Snickerdoodle Knits!  My bachelor's degree is in Architectural Engineering.  I get eye raises and impressed looks when I say that, but when people hear I "haven't done anything with it," I suddenly lose any importance that I held.  Halfway through my degree I realized it wasn't what I thought it would be.  (Laying out vents and ducts just isn't my thing, y'all.)  I worked summers during college in construction, architecture, and interior design.  Now, I'm "self-employed," and my "full-time" work is knitting and designing.  However, I keep wondering if I should "go back to work" so I can help support my "career."  Basically, it's complicated, and it's hard to tell people what I do. 

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Throughout my short existence here on this earth, I've put more and more value on the relationships and the experiences in my life.  Which is probably why we are here, in this group, today.  Because we value relationships.  No matter what the rest of our life looks like, we are here to be heard, to be seen, and to be understood. 

 

Writing much of this makes me feel very vulnerable, but I think it is in our vulnerability that connections are made.  Often (especially on social media), it is easy to see someone from the outside and to think, "Wow, they have it all together.  Their life is perfect, and they have it so easy.  They have so many friends, and they have [insert all of the things we start to list off]," when in reality we all have our struggles, and our insecurities.  The bottom line is that we are all human, and I think that is important to keep in mind as we hold conversations and seek out friendships.  And please remember we are all here because we are seeking out fiber friendships.  Let's let our similarities outweigh our differences.

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