Friday Links

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1. I learned a new word this very morning: Isicathamiya, “an a cappella singing style that is popular in the Zulu South African music community. It is known for close harmonies and choreographed dance moves performed by the singers.” How did I learn this? I saw a clip from The Joy, a group out of Durban. They picked a good name for themselves:

 

2. Hell yeah: Meet the Veteran Who Chases ICE on a Scooter.

“The first time I caught up to them, I could tell that they already knew who I was,” he told me when we first spoke on the phone in late October. “They had seen me before, so they thought they were just going to speed away. I was like, ‘Ha ha, bitches, I got a new scooter!’”

 

3. How every day of 2025 has felt:

 

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Fashion! History! Catalogs!

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Now that I’m sewing for long periods of time without having to go sit with an old kitty (sob), I’ve finally started listening to podcasts. Well, a podcast–the history of fashion one, Articles of Interest, by Avery Trufelman. I’d heard about it a few years ago when she spent a whole season dissecting Ivy League style. When she launched the new season about the history of outdoor gear, I jumped in.

It is FASCINATING. So far I’ve learned about:

  • How Brooks Brothers made Civil War uniforms out of a material called “shoddy” that were so bad, the adjective stays with us today
  • How the US Army adopted olive drab instead of blue
  • How soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division started gear companies and ski resorts
  • How WWII surplus led to the popularization of khakis on college campuses
  • And how the military look gradually became mainstream after the Vietnam War, leading to all those WWII surplus stocks getting scarcer, which led to people starting businesses selling European military surplus, which led to…

…BANANA REPUBLIC.

In the newsletter that accompanies each episode, Avery includes photos and links. I clicked on “what the pictures of Banana Republic used to look like” so fast I might have broken the sound barrier. Someone has collected old photos but also SCANNED THE CATALOGS:

 

That’s right, Banana Republic was doing J. Peterman BEFORE J. PETERMAN. And if I’d never listened to a podcast, I would never have known! I’ve been liking the “Gear” season so much that I went back and listened to the entire Ivy Style season between new episodes of Gear being released. Check it out–think of the things you could learn!

Tuesday Project Roundup: Gift Bags

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I know the me of 25 years ago, who worked in a stationery/gift store and treated Martha Stewart’s December issue like the Bible, would not recognize the me of today, who thinks, “Wrapping gifts just takes so much TIME. And there’s so much waste!”

But you know, change is how we grow…and reusable fabric gift bags are how we evolve. Nine fabric gift bags piled on a carpeted floor. They are bright prints of christmas ornaments and wreaths in red, pink, and turqupise.

I, uh, meant to make these two years ago when I bought the fabric but they kept getting pushed for December birthday/holiday gifts. So I banged them out Thanksgiving weekend in an afternoon and now Doc and I are set for gift “wrap” for each other’s presents for the rest of our lives.

I just used half yards and fat quarters and didn’t calculate any finished sizes. This tutorial was a good reminder on how to make a drawstring bag (the casing always trips me up if I try to do it from memory).

Tile! Pies! Kittens! Shopping!

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What a nice five days off that was. I made a bunch of pies, including one for the tile guys who finished the grout Wednesday at about 7:00 pm. We’ve all been hanging out for three weeks new and they did a great job, so we sealed our friendship with pie. A shower enclosure with white subway tiles on the wall and black and white mosaic tile on the floor Four apple pies with a crumb top crust sit on a stove top

 

Then we had Thanksgiving with my brother’s family, where I felt like the Turkey Princess because it was my first turkey in 25 years and my brother outdid himself with everything. There are also FOUR KITTENS at my brother’s, including Pakhet here (she’s the real princess). A little black kitten in a big cat bed bites a towel

 

And I bought some stuff for the basement, including a Black Friday chaise lounge and the deal of the century on home dec fabric from the local warehouse: Two cuts of fabric draped over a white chair. One is a dark green print with orchids and the other is a rainbow Dutch floral

Wednesday Links

Karen

1. How about a heartwarming story about typewriter repair? How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life.

2. How about a Thanksgiving-appropriate poem?

Praise Song
by Barbara Crooker

Praise the light of late November,
the thin sunlight that goes deep in the bones.
Praise the crows chattering in the oak trees;
though they are clothed in night, they do not
despair. Praise what little there’s left:
the small boats of milkweed pods, husks, hulls,
shells, the architecture of trees. Praise the meadow
of dried weeds: yarrow, goldenrod, chicory,
the remains of summer. Praise the blue sky
that hasn’t cracked yet. Praise the sun slipping down
behind the beechnuts, praise the quilt of leaves
that covers the grass: Scarlet Oak, Sweet Gum,
Sugar Maple. Though darkness gathers, praise our crazy
fallen world; it’s all we have, and it’s never enough.

 

3. I’ve got the rest of the week off so I’ll see you on Monday. Don’t forget to hold hands.
Screenshot of a Tumbler post with a reply. iamnotlanuk: I dunno maybe the horrors would be less daunting if we were holding hands. animatedamerican: with each other or with the horrors? brinnanza: I've got two hands

Tuesday Possible Project: Felted Sauna Hat

Karen

Of course I looked up knitting patterns for sauna hats after I read about them. (Who doesn’t?!) There were far less than I thought there would be but Ravelry had a handful, including this felted gem with jaunty earflaps!
A green felted hat with short fitted earflaps is displayed on a mannequin head

A gray felted hat with long earflaps is displayed on a mannequin head

 

The designer’s Ravelry page tells me I can get the pattern in English, which is good because their actual site is all in Norweigian. It’s still fun to click around, though–and look at what else I found I could make for a future sauna life: A DRINK-HOLDING MITTEN!

Those clever Norwegians…

Maybe I DO Like Saunas After All

Karen

Doc had an unexpected Saturday off so we tried to look on the bright side of not having a pet and went up to the hot springs for most of the day. I didn’t take any pictures IN the springs (too much steam in the cold air) but the river was really showing off in the afternoon light.
Looking north over a flat calm river with mountains on either side. In the foreground the water is covered in green duckweed.

Looking south over an autumnal river valley. The clouds are filtering the light and there are dried weeds in the foreground.

Black mountain silhouetted behind a river, with gold grasses in the foreground getting the light.

 

They’d added a SAUNA since we’d been there last–wood fired, right by the side of the river, and with a huge window looking out over the water (you can barely see it through the door here). And guess what? I DO like saunas when they’re like this and have views and hot water to warm up in after you cool down.
A wooden sauna building on the side of the river. It has a glass door and stairs going into it.

The other thing that I think contributed to my sauna enjoyment? I wore a hat! After our Sauna Public visit when I saw bros wearing beanies in there I did some research. Turns out sauna or banya hats help you stay in the sauna longer by, paradoxically, keeping your head cool (!). When your ears and scalp are protected from the hot, the rest of your body can keep up better. I broke out my favorite wool hiking hat and really could tell the difference.
A woman wearing a neon green wool hat, wrapped in a red towel, sitting at the side of the river.

Friday Links

Karen

1. “A new study documented wild wolves using ropes to pull crab traps ashore, offering what may be the first proof of tool use by these animals.” (There’s video!) I, for one, welcome our canid overlords.

 

2. A longer essay from a dad about his adult child realizing they’re trans. The love is palpable.

 

3. Do I need to make a giant Thanksgiving centerpiece using Trader Joe’s flowers? Probably!

@casavfloral Back by popular demand, let’s make a Thanksgiving centerpiece 🍂 #traderjoesflowers #thanksgiving #centerpiece ♬ original sound – Alicia 🌷