Sorting 12 rolls of gimp in the art yurt at 8 a.m — got me wondering — who knows the true origin of the word “boondoggle” for plastic lacing? I’ve heard it traces to 1930s WPA craftwork, and I’m turning it into a teachable moment: can you also tell me why the square stitch we demo before lunch is nicknamed the box?
And i buy the WPA angle too — NYT blasted it in 1935 and the name stuck for lanyards; earlier a Scout leader supposedly coined “boondoggle” in the ’20s (see BOONDOGGLE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster)… Teaching tip: for the pre-lunch “box” stitch, I knot two colors and clamp the starter loop with a binder clip so the square stack is obvious — tape is a mess at 8 a.m.; you still sorting all 12 rolls, @OP?
, sorting 12 rolls at 8 a.m. is peak yurt energy. On the word: MW tags first use 1935 and OED shrugs “origin unknown,” with a Boy Scout leader claiming an earlier coinage; the WPA/NYT flap just turbocharged it. The “box” name is literal — snip a finished inch and show the square cross‑section — quick visual before lunch, and here’s a clean cite: BOONDOGGLE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster.
Fun fact: it’s not related to “boondocks” (that’s from Tagalog bundok); a quick overview of the term’s camp-craft life is here: Boondoggle - Wikipedia. For the “box” name, the square stitch makes four flat faces — snip the end clean and you’ll see a little square core, a tiny plastic 2x2. Do you also run the round stitch as a follow-up?