I was a 90s teen and I remember what we called “drug rugs” being so popular with the skater kids and the art kids in high school: A man in a 90s style hat and glasses wearing a striped woven pullover

I, an orchestra kid, never felt cool enough to wear one, let alone tell my parents, “I want to buy a drug rug.” But I always secretly wanted one: The hood seemed so cozy! That front pocket looked so handy!

25-ish years later, you can still buy a “Baja hoodie” online or in interstate gas stations with names like Rip Griffin or Terrible Herbst–or you can find some serape-striped fleece and try making your own:

 a bright multicolor hooded pullover made of fleece hanging against a white wall

This is the Style Arc Kennedy Hooded Top inĀ  polar fleece (of course) from Fabric.com. It had been a few (five) years since I last made a Style Arc pattern and I wasn’t nearly as bothered by the sparse instructions this time–I must be getting better. (I mean, I would hope I am, just based on the sheer volume of sewing in the last five years.)

Either way, this was a pretty straightforward sew. The pattern says it’s for knits but it’s so oversized you don’t need the stretch of a knit at all. I don’t think I need two drug rugs in my life now but it would be cool to make this up in a woven with lots of texture, like the originals.

So do I feel cool enough at 42 to wear this? The jury’s out on that; I haven’t worn it out of the house yet. The hood is cozy and the front pocket is handy and the stripe colors make me happy. I just have to channel my inner skater kid, I guess.