Community

Recently, I have been struck by how much I value my local fiber community. That community takes various forms: my local weavers’ group, our spinning group, the larger weaving guild, my retreat chums, and, of course, my Ravelry friends and acquaintances. In fact, one of the reasons I don’t attend any knit nights is that I have to draw the line somewhere. And I am lucky enough to have good friends outside all these groups who are also interested and actively enjoying fiber pursuits. Not only are these people great fun to be with, but they are incredibly supportive and inspirational.

Show and Tell: At most of our weaving meetings, our groups do a round of show and tell. During these times, we show our recently finished projects, talk about our current efforts, and ask each other questions. The things I get to see! And it is like having a free class every time. There is an enormous wealth of experience and generosity available to anyone what wants it. I invariably walk away with dozens of things I want to try and ideas about how to approach new things. If I am stuck, I get sound advice and lots of support to keep trying.

Working Together: Spinning and knitting get togethers tend to be a little different. While we bring our latest projects to share, because our equipment is more portable, we tend to actually spin and knit as the purpose of the meeting. I use the word “purpose” loosely because really these meetings tend to be times where we plot world (fiber) domination of various kinds. How can we get more people involved? How can we support our local fiber producers? How can we get another loaner wheel so we can teach more people to spin? When should we plan a dye day? What kind of yarn could we make and sell (from our local fiber animals)? Of course, the local hot button issues have to be discussed (on our island, these are usually road or water problems) but always respectfully. Maybe it is easier to do so while having fiber slide through your hands?

And this is just at the meetings! Every time my friends and I meet, we do the same thing! I pull out my latest project and they pull out theirs. We talk a little about what we are thinking of doing next. And sometimes, we just sit companionably and work as we talk about the things friends talk about.

I know I am lucky. Not everyone has such a vibrant community so easily accessible. However, there are opportunities on a larger scale: meetings like Madrona and the various Stitches conventions, retreats around the country, big fiber festivals like Black Sheep and Rhinebeck, and Ravelry. These are all places for people to meet and learn together. I have tried quite a few – they are easy to find on the internet – and they are all fun in different ways. There is something special about immersing yourself in a community for a bit. I am a little introverted so I find some of the bigger ones overwhelming, but it is a fun way to meet new people and learn new things. Taking a class tends to bring the event down to a scale that is more manageable for me.

Still, I walk away from all of it thinking that I couldn’t ask for a better place to be nor a better thing to be doing. My community, both close and extended, gives me a place to be imperfect and to try new and daring (for me) things. It provides a safe and nurturing place for my creativity to bloom. These are true friends who pick me up when I fall down and teach me new things each time we meet. And I know I can count on them to be kind and respect my struggles. How lucky is that????