The Malabrigo racks are full again, and I’ve got two big cartons of Brown Sheep to crack into. So the time for self-reflection is over. Back to work!

Okay, this isn’t yarn related at all, sorry. Some of us were chatting on Discord about Rent and the weirdness of 1990s media. But that conversation, as well as listening to an episode of the “You’re Wrong About” podcast (Phones Are Good, Actually) got me thinking about growing up enmeshed in a national culture of conservatism and nationalism. I was born in 1972, so my childhood and teen years were all during the Reagan/Bush era. Then in mid-college, Clinton was elected, and my twenties were during a time of increasing openness and acceptance of new ideas and diversity. A lot of those early tiptoe steps look pretty cringeworthy now. And it all came to a crashing halt with the election of W and 9/11.

But it made me think about a couple of my good friends who’ve recently entered their 40s. They grew up in those latter Bush years and entered adulthood with the Obama election. And then hit the disaster of Trump at about the same time in their life as 9/11 hit me. They say everything happens in cycles, that there’s nothing ever truly new. That history doesn’t necessarily repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. So for those of you born around 1986-88, I see you. I feel you.

I hope that the current crop of kids growing up in this garbage-fire era gets their own chance to spread their wings and have hope for awhile, even if it inevitably gets snuffed out somewhere down the line. Be good to each other, y’all. Enjoy your problematic faves and make friends across generations. We can learn a lot from each other.

At the outset of yet another illegal Republican war fought for oil companies (why do people never learn? the patterns are not camouflaged!), I keep thinking of how to engage with the world. On the one hand, our system seems so broken and entrenched that I have a strong desire to retreat. Some of us in our community have bandied about the idea of co-housing, or a communal farm, or some other kind of space to build safety and covenant and new structures of togetherness. That’s a really appealing dream, and in order to beat capitalism, we definitely have to test-run other models of ownership and survival. But in some ways it feels like putting our heads in the sand and abandoning people who we could be helping.

Watch this space more as we develop the idea of the Craft Underground (aka Purl’s After Dark). We want to make it an ongoing retreat and space of safety. But we also want to engage with the wider community, to collaborate with other like-minded groups, to foster survival skills and mutual aid networks. We have lots of ideas. But it’s not going to be Elizabeth and I making it all happen: we truly want this to be a collaborative project that can grow beyond our wildest dreams. We need a place to draw back to, our own little blanket fort. But there are so many people who need to be invited in with us.

It’s strange on this third day of the year to be filled with so much anger and desperation, but also to have these hopes and dreams developing. Over and over in my life I have felt the darkness overshadowing me, from nuclear fears to the ashes of the World Trade Center, to loved ones with cancer, and more, and more. But we are not alone, none of us. We are not going to solve the big problems of the world, but we can do a lot more than nothing. It makes me happy that we are doing them together. Elizabeth and I love you all. If you ever need a hug or a friendly voice, come on by.

As mass-market digital platforms devolve into AI slop, we are still promoting and supporting real creativity and craft. Sometimes it’s a months-long magnum opus, and sometimes just a quick sketch, but true inspiration only comes from the human mind.

Let’s make 2026 full of wonderful handmade things!

Our favorite City Council member lives the same values we already promote in our window, so we thought it was very appropriate to put up her poster! And of course it’s beautifully hand-drawn. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a mayor who represents the people, not the real estate developers?

There’s a lot I didn’t know about Barbara Walker. She was just as prominent in the Feminist and Atheist communities as she was in the fiber arts. She was instrumental in collecting a huge archive of traditional knitting stitch patterns, as well as inventing the SSK decrease. She passed away recently and though she didn’t believe in an afterlife, her legacy will live on for decades and maybe centuries.

We’re probably not going to be on Zoom tonight, but if you’re local and need some crafting fun, we love the Tool Library and all they do!

It’s cheating a little because our Shopify sales numbers started at 1001, not 1 (I guess like a new check register, for anyone who still writes physical checks). Still, It’s impressive to see after switching to this new system in early 2020. We’ve filled almost 4400 orders this year! Thanks for all your support.

Need a righteous hoodie? Luigi is a quick knit, done with 6 to 9 balls of chunky Jody Long Colourspun. You don’t need to have dreamy good looks or debatable ethics to wear it (but it doesn’t hurt). Free pattern with yarn purchase.

Last year we sold $8400 during the holiday weekend. That’s a lot for one person to handle! So we’re instituting a temporary fee that will help raise even more for BeLoved (on top of the 50 percent of all proceeds). If you don’t mind coming back another time, it’s still free.