Happy Labor Day, Comrades

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As we celebrate the workers today, remember that people died for us to get where we are, and those in power are doing their damndest to take us even further backwards. Don’t let them! Educate yourself!

Here’s Hamilton Nolan’s newsletter today, reminding us that it’s capitalism against everyone else:

We are all mad at the billionaires and whatnot but let’s be very clear about the mechanism driving all of this: American companies are making more money than ever and they don’t have to share it because workers don’t have the power to claim their fair share, and because some of the money has been used to purchase political influence to prevent the government from stepping in, and so therefore the money accrues to the owners, which is to say, to the rich.

Friday Links

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1. Some more Wendell Berry, from Life is a Miracle: “It is easy for me to imagine that the next great division of the world will be between people who wish to live as creatures and people who wish to live as machines.”

 

2. One week into unemployment and I’m not finding a job like this?? Screenshot of a tweet that says the only career path i'm interested in is one that leads me deep into the woods where I can curl up in the hollow of an ancient tree and slowly become one with the moss

 

3. Here’s Ordinary Abundance, an interactive appreciation of all the (good) things modern society has given us: “All the items in this room were once out of reach; some not yet invented, others too rare or costly for the vast majority of people. Today, most of us lucky enough to live with them walk past without a second thought.”

RIP, Wendell Berry

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He died Monday at the age of 92. Looking back through the archives here, I’m surprised I never posted this one–arguably his most famous and very much up my alley.

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Funemployment Field Trip

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Doc has Tuesdays off and I don’t have anything to do (yet–I do have some freelance starting next week, hooray!) so we went up to the Uintas yesterday. Nothing like some vast distances and being surprised by four deer bounding across the trail (not pictured) for some perspective.

Tuesday Project Roundup: New Jeans

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I finished a pair of jeans last week–my first button fly and a wearable test of a pattern designed for selvedge denim.

I didn’t do any fitting on these and overall, they’re working OK–there’s a little room to get more swole but that just means they’ll fit longer than 6 months. Plus, my denim here is an 11 ounce weight; most selvedge denims are 13-15 oz so I think if I ever make these as intended, the heavier weight will help smooth these out just a little. (Of course, the nature of a straight side seam and long fly means it’s always going to wrinkle from wearing ease–thanks to The Crooked Hem for explaining that so well!)

Since these were just a test, I didn’t want to order (or shorten) a custom-length zipper, so I used the pattern option for a button fly. I’m a complete button fly convert now–you make the buttonholes first thing so they’re easy; you don’t have to worry about hitting the metal zipper at the bottom of your fly topstitching; and you can use your RIVET PRESS.

I also used up a label from my stash of patches and labels, because why not?

Rainy Projects

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Now that I’m funemployed, the weekends are the same as the regular days and the key words are “stay busy” (followed by “save money”). So I tried making some cardamom buns–a food item I’ve always been curious about–and pulled out some twill and my patch collection to plan a project from the stash.

As the tiger patch reminds us, EVERYTHING’S FINE!

Twisted round cardamom buns on a baking sheet

A few patches on orange fabric. One includes a roaring tiger with EVERYTHING'S FINE and another has a duck holding a knife with the words BECOME UNGOVERNABLE

Friday Links

Karen

1. Mike Monteiro had an excellent newsletter this week about making art in bad times. Read about the town of Guernica, Picasso’s Guernica, and this incredible crop art from the Minnesota State Fair (by Jennifer Nelson):

 

2. Speaking of art, The Last Museum lets you explore a collection of museum catalogs by any subject you want and then links you to the artifact page.

 

3. Feeling this lately: A fanatasy unicorn illustration in pink and purple with the text, I have no prime. I will evolve until I die.

I Was Right (I Didn’t Want To Be Right Yet)

Karen

Well, my suspicion that my agency was going to cut jobs as they start rolling out mandatory AI was correct: I got laid off yesterday.

The last time I was laid off was during the 2008 Great Recession and wow, is there a difference between being 28, renting, not having anyone to rely on, and having no savings and being 46, having a house and a partner who’ll put me on his insurance , and having enough savings that I’m really not panicking (yet).

I also go this very kind text from my manager which, upon reading, made me shout, “I’m the John Henry of AI!!”
Screenshot of a text that says, I'm shocked truly because you were honestly faster and better than Al on all of my projects. I wish I had an opportunity to fight for you because you were our top performing writer.

I mean, I hope it works out better for me than it did for John Henry but by god, I’ll beat those any of those writin’ machines and I have the work to prove it.

 

But the bad boss come up laughing at John Henry,
said, “You full of vinegar now, but you ’bout through–
we’re gonna get a steam drill to do your share of drivin,
then what’s all them muscles gonna do, huh John Henry?
Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you.”

John Henry said to his captain, “A man ain’t nothin but a man,
but if you bring that steam drill round, I’ll beat it fair and honest.
I’ll die with my hammer in my hand, but I’ll be laughing
’cause you can’t replace a steel drivin’ man.”

Tuesday Project Roundup: In My Giant Clothes Era

Karen

I wore giant pants all through high school in the late 90s and lo, the wheel of time is turning back to not having any of my body discernible beneath swaths of fabric.

Seeking more giant pants, I sewed up the Awl Trousers from Alamain Studio as a wearable muslin in 7.5 ounce twill. I used soft elastic for the waistband and the combo of the heavy fabric and wimpy elastic makes the drawstring not optional, but–for a pant with 8 inches of ease at the hip–I think they’re kind of chic?

Mirror selfie of a woman in oversized olive drab drawstring pants and an oversized lapis blue t shirt.

I also whipped up a giant top to fully reject the male gaze. This is the free Jesse Tee from True Bias and my fourth attempt at an easy knit top in the last 6 weeks. (I made Top 1 too big, I didn’t like the style on Top 2 after I finished it, and Top 3 was just bad drafting so I didn’t finish and will repurpose for some undies in the future.) Thankfully this easy knit top worked out.