weekly digest #6
february 2-8, 2026: killing stella, merrily we roll along (2025), thrift shopping, kaffe fassett studios
Another cold, gray week. Unfortunately, I miss instagram.
reading
I read Killing Stella by Marlen Haushofer, translated from German by Shaun Whiteside, which was written in 1958 but only published in English in 2025. I loved Haushofer’s The Wall and was excited to read more of her work; I thought this was good but not great. The novella follows Anna, a 40-year-old housewife and mother, as she reflects on the death of Stella, her friend’s 19-year-old daughter who came to stay with Anna’s family for a year. Stella is seduced and taken advantage of by Anna’s husband, a series of events that the entire family pretends they cannot plainly see. The story is brief and sad and disturbing, while also being somewhat cold and distant. Anna is a largely apathetic narrator; though she feels guilty about Stella’s death, she didn’t actually care about her, and speaks of her as inconvenience more than a vulnerable young woman.
I then read most of Five Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula K. Le Guin, a collection of five related short stories. I’m still figuring out what I think about this, and will write more about it when I’ve finished reading.
watching
I watched the proshot of the 2023-24 Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along, released in theaters in 2025 and finally available to rent at home, which was a kind of bad recording of a great production. Recording a stage production is always a game of compromises, but the choices here were frankly bizarre. There were a ton of close ups, frequently holding on one character’s face for the majority of a musical number, making it hard to follow what was happening or even how many people were on stage at any given moment. This was especially frustrating in the opening number: there’s a long series of shots following Jonathan Groff as he enters, then a bunch of close ups of various ensemble members. It’s several minutes until the entire stage is visible and we can tell what the hell is going on.
The constant close ups capture individual performances decently well, but frequently lose the blocking, and it’s hard to see people in relation to each other. I’m still glad that this production was recorded – Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez are all doing career best work, and Maria Friedman’s direction makes a notoriously difficult to stage show look effortless. I just wish it had been shot and edited differently. The whole experience made me want to rewatch the West End 2012 production, also directed by Maria Friedman and filmed, which I watched once probably a decade ago. I remember thinking it was artistically interesting but not being particularly moved by it. I’m not sure if something is working better in the 2024 version, or if my tastes have just changed.
I also kind of watched the Olympics opening ceremony and the Super Bowl, though I didn’t pay very much attention to either of them – I was more in the same room as the TV. I did think Bad Bunny’s performance was good, though.
listening to
After watching the Merrily proshot, I mostly listened to New Broadway Cast Recording, which was pretty heavily on repeat when it first came out. This is a show where the music has really grown on me over time, with the exception of Franklin Shepard, Inc., which I’ve been obsessed with since the first time I heard it.
eating & drinking
For dinner we had white bean stew, ginger peanut chicken with coconut rice, tofu and brown rice lettuce wraps with peanut sauce, maple soy salmon bowls with quinoa and brussels sprouts, broccoli and potato soup, and spicy tomato soup with tortellini and sausage. The ginger peanut chicken (I think this is significantly improved with a splash of soy sauce, but neither of my parents add any to their bowls) and tofu lettuce wraps were the highlights, but everything was good. On Saturday we ordered a pizza :) I am very boring and got plain cheese.
We also made Super Bowl Sundaes, which are just ice cream sundaes that you eat on Super Bowl Sunday. If the Eagles aren’t playing, this is the only part of the Super Bowl I care about.
making
I have turned the heel of my second sock and am about halfway through the foot. Hopefully I can finish it next week!
I’ve been thinking about sewing myself some clothes. This is something I’ve been curious about for a long time but have dismissed as too difficult. Now that I’ve made my little throw pillows, though, I don’t see why I can’t tackle a simple skirt. I’ve started making a mock-up out of an old sheet – more on this soon…
shopping
My mom and I went to the thrift store on Saturday, mostly just so I could get out of the house. They were having an incredible sale on books, so I picked up Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa, The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy, and Knitting Color by Brandon Mably from the Kaffe Fassett studio for a quarter each. These were all pretty random, but they were a quarter! I really need to start reading my way through my physical TBR soon.
I also picked up some gorgeous purple wool/silk blend yarn. It’s one of the softest yarns I’ve ever touched. It’s also a lace weight – the finest weight typically used for hand knitting. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, but I think it’ll make something beautiful. It was $8 total for a 50 gram hank and a 27 gram oddment.
kitsch corner
The designs in the Kaffe Fassett studio book I got are not particularly kitschy, but a lot of the patterns designed by Fassett himself are more over the top. He’s known for his bright color palette and bold motifs. I really like this cardigan, “Porcelain,” which was published in Rowan Magazine 63, and this wacky fruit and vegetable needlepoint chair. A lot of his designs are more geometric and less kitschy.
See you next week.
xoxo,
Franny 💋🏈
gorgeous food listing as always. i honestly know like 2 songs from merrily. should i listen?