Great stuff right there! Speaking for myself, doing manual labour has been way more rewarding than working in an office. Making things with your own hands (and getting paid to do it) gives you a whole different sense of achievement.
Boy, do you. “Shop Class as Soulcraft” if you want to focus on labor and its interior formation, “The World Beyond Your Head” if you want to focus on the ways our built environments press us into or get us out of ourselves, “Why We Drive” to explore agency in the context of social relations particularly as they manifest on the road (I’ve yet to read it but hope to soon).
Happy National Blue Collar Day! Will be sure to mark this on the calendar from now on :) Thanks for the links and reflections. How is your knitting going (I even linked it in our most recent piece as anachronistic practice:)?
Ha! I don't know how it differs all that much from Labor Day or how it came into existence or by whom, but I saw that it was so and so here I am. (Worth noting is that it falls on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! There's a crossover essay to be written there, but alas: time is short.)
Knitting is going swimmingly! I'm a knitting and purling fool. I've learnt one method for casting off. I decided to take a stab at herringbone a couple nights ago and it finally *clicked* last night as I was practicing, which was fun. It's also very visible in the pattern the exact row at which my hands had their tactile "ah-ha" moment. I'm hoping to learn to knit in the round soon so I can take aim at my real goal: socks (for my wife) and sweaters (for me).
I just knit and purl and you can make entire sweaters with those basics (see tincanknits.com). I have now perfected knitting and reading at the same time :) All the best with your projects and thanks so much for your continually inspiring writing!
Love this, Nate. I'm a big fan of "blue-collar" careers. Going to recommend your newsletter to my boys, who both chose trade careers (Machining and custom metal works).
Great stuff right there! Speaking for myself, doing manual labour has been way more rewarding than working in an office. Making things with your own hands (and getting paid to do it) gives you a whole different sense of achievement.
thank you for your great work on substack!
And thank you for your encouragement and support!
Looks like I need to get my hands on a Matthew B. Crawford book ASAP as possible!
You haven’t read that! I thought for sure you had. I borrow Walker’s copy a few years ago. It’s an incredible book!
I guess it just never made its way to me in the great BOOM exchange haha. But I’ll get on it.
I was referring to “Shop Class as Soulcraft”.
Boy, do you. “Shop Class as Soulcraft” if you want to focus on labor and its interior formation, “The World Beyond Your Head” if you want to focus on the ways our built environments press us into or get us out of ourselves, “Why We Drive” to explore agency in the context of social relations particularly as they manifest on the road (I’ve yet to read it but hope to soon).
I’ll add all to my list of “to be read!”
Thank you sir.
The first of my Twitter accounts to be banned was Token Blue Collar Friend
RIP to that and your many other accounts. It was a good run. 🥲
Ok that is the best way I've ever heard refractory described lol. The things that make the things that make the things that make the things.....
It's truly comical! As humorous as it is hardcore. I'm glad you agreed 😂
Happy National Blue Collar Day! Will be sure to mark this on the calendar from now on :) Thanks for the links and reflections. How is your knitting going (I even linked it in our most recent piece as anachronistic practice:)?
Ha! I don't know how it differs all that much from Labor Day or how it came into existence or by whom, but I saw that it was so and so here I am. (Worth noting is that it falls on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! There's a crossover essay to be written there, but alas: time is short.)
Knitting is going swimmingly! I'm a knitting and purling fool. I've learnt one method for casting off. I decided to take a stab at herringbone a couple nights ago and it finally *clicked* last night as I was practicing, which was fun. It's also very visible in the pattern the exact row at which my hands had their tactile "ah-ha" moment. I'm hoping to learn to knit in the round soon so I can take aim at my real goal: socks (for my wife) and sweaters (for me).
I just knit and purl and you can make entire sweaters with those basics (see tincanknits.com). I have now perfected knitting and reading at the same time :) All the best with your projects and thanks so much for your continually inspiring writing!
The website is fantastic: thank you!! And thanks for the kind words. The feeling is very mutual. I’m thankful God crossed our paths here on Substack.
Love this, Nate. I'm a big fan of "blue-collar" careers. Going to recommend your newsletter to my boys, who both chose trade careers (Machining and custom metal works).