She Spent Weeks on a Gift, Then Her Friend Mocked It Publicly

A woman seeks advice from the Reddit community after a painful experience with a friend leaves her questioning her own actions. The poster, a 28-year-old woman, shares her love for knitting, describing it as her way to “relax, decompress, and show love to the people in [her] life.”

She explains that last month, she spent weeks making a special scarf for her friend Sarah’s 29th birthday. “It was in her fave colors, super detailed, and honestly one of the best things I’ve made,” she writes in her post, expressing just how much heart went into the handmade gift.

At first, Sarah seemed happy to receive it, even posting about the present online. “Cool, right?” the poster adds, still holding onto the hope that her friend appreciated the thoughtful gesture.

But things took a turn at a recent party, when someone complimented Sarah’s scarf. The poster recalls, “Sarah literally laughed and went, ‘Oh this old thing? [OP] made it. She spends all her time with yarn instead of, you know, having a life.’ ”

The moment didn’t end there. Sarah went on to joke that she only wore the scarf out of pity and called it “so last season,” all while the woman who made it stood nearby, listening.

“I was honestly so embarrassed,” she writes. Hurt and humiliated, she later approached Sarah privately. “I walked up to her, gently took the scarf off her neck, and said something like, ‘If it’s such a pathetic pity gift, then you don’t need it.’ ”

Sarah was stunned, but the fallout didn’t end there. According to the poster, her friend is now telling others that she’s being “petty and jealous and overreacted.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Some people are saying I should’ve just ignored her,” the woman admits, clearly still shaken by what happened. “But I don’t know, it really hurts.”

The Reddit community wasted no time jumping to her defense, with one commenter writing, “I’m sorry that happened to you. What a horrible thing for her to say,” pointing out that Sarah’s behavior speaks volumes. “Do you even actually want to remain friends with someone that bashes you publicly for a few cheap laughs at a party?”

The poster responded with appreciation for the support. “Thanks, I get that. She could’ve just been honest instead of making fun of me in front of everyone. It really hurt.”

Reflecting on the whole experience, she shares just how much the gift meant to her. “I put a lot of love into it, so hearing that was really painful.”