Most people make lifelong friends at work or school. I am fortunate to have met one of my newest and dearest friends in a Discord server for a YouTube channel I love.
Fundie Fridays is run by Jen and James Bryant, their videos offering commentary on the overlap between “religious fundamentalism, American conservative politics, pop culture, and gay stuff.” It’s equal parts reverent, hilarious, and educational; and the community that’s sprung up around Fundie Fridays has brought me just as much joy as the channel itself.
Phaidra and I are the same person in different fonts. Both passionate about fibre arts, sustainability, and social commentary — and both saddled with unusual names that are nearly impossible for the average person to spell or pronounce correctly on the first try. We’ve hung out a couple of times in real life for thrift shopping excursions in our respective cities, but this weekend we went on our greatest adventure yet: the Prairie Fibre Festival in Olds, Alberta!
I’ve been to the original Prairie Fibre Fest a few times in Lacombe, which has always been a blast. As the festival grew, the organizers announced an expansion to two events this year: Olds in June, and Lacombe in September.
This was my first time attending such an event with a friend who was as much of a crafty nerd as I am, and it was Phaidra’s first fibre festival ever, so it was doubly special. Armed with Tim Horton’s coffee (the requisite road trip fuel), Phaidra’s quilting supplies, and my Geogradient shawl, we were off on our quest!
Olds is an agricultural college town, with a population of just under 10,000 people. We got in a little early, so to kill time before heading back to the venue, we bopped around the downtown district for a bit.
We found Craig’s, a fourth-generation, family-owned fabric store, where Phaidra found some adorable additions for her hexagon quilt, including the cutest Kewpie print!
The day already off to an excellent start, we made our way back to the Pomeroy hotel, where the ballroom had been transformed into a glorious mecca of colour, texture, and the scent of lanolin.
Since I go to these events pretty regularly, I recognized a lot of the vendors and was excited to introduce Phaidra to them. In particular, I was looking forward to showing her Qiviut, the Indigenous-owned musk ox fibre mill in Nisku. We petted all the pelts and fibre, and are planning on booking a tour of the mill in the near future.
We both came with a mission in mind. Phaidra wanted to pick up a spindle, and I wanted to find some cool buttons. We both lucked out handsomely!
I found these incredible hand-blown glass buttons from Northern Crow Creations, which will be perfect to supplement my and Jayme’s Ren Fair vests (and any other project I need buttons for). Phaidra found a cute little spindle and a batt of merino-silk fibre from Two Times Infinity, and a sew-your-own zipper pouch kit from Studio Britta.
Time stopped when we saw the Fibre Goddess booth.
Fibre Goddess is an Edmonton-based dyer, whose patriarchy-smashing ideals bleed flawlessly into her craft. I was instantly drawn to a fire-engine-red yarn so bright it glowed from across the vendor hall. Then I saw the name: ‘Punch a Fascist,’ died, and bought five skeins.
I also bought the most enormous, luxurious tote bag from her booth that reads “Introverted but willing to discuss social justice and yarn.”
My theme for the day seemed to be COLOUR, COLOUR, AND MORE COLOUR — because I then bought a squishy, sparkly skein of Slam Fibre Co yarn that looks like a unicorn ate too many jellybeans and exploded, and a cute little pirogi stitch marker. I also impulse-bought a case of tiny interchangeable circulars from That Yarn Habit. It was a very handy purchase for the Yarn Rebels’ parking lot party.
Saturday was also Worldwide Knitting in Public Day, and Edmonton-based social group, The Yarn Rebels, hosted a gathering outside with stickers, snacks, prizes, and a one-week-old lamb named Luann for the occasion. We spent hours outside just hanging out in the sunshine with these lovely ladies, who were all extremely kind, welcoming, and funny. We are very much looking forward to going on their next Rebel Retreat in October!
Phaidra and I had a really special time, and I can’t wait for more friendship adventures to come!
What a fantastic festival. Gorgeous yarn finds.
Those BUTTONS 🤩 What a fun trip, really nice post to read.