Podcast Summary: “Fogged Glasses and Felting Fibers”

Podcast: Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep
Host/Storyteller: Kathryn Nicolai
Date: December 8, 2025
Episode Theme: Finding calm and connection in everyday moments, with a focus on gratitude and gentle attention

Episode Overview

This episode, “Fogged Glasses and Felting Fibers,” guides listeners through a cozy, gently narrated story about attending a craft night at a local theater. Woven throughout are mindful reflections on choosing gratitude (“yum or yuck?”), navigating small discomforts, and finding belonging among fellow crafters. The narrative unfolds in Kathryn’s trademark soothing, detailed style, encouraging relaxation and calm, ideal for bedtime.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Mindful Attention

• The “Yum or Yuck?” Mantra
  Kathryn introduces a sticky note seen at a coffee shop—“Yum or yuck?”—which becomes a gentle mantra throughout the day. This encourages listeners to notice moments and intentionally decide how to perceive them, leaning toward appreciation even in discomfort.

  • Quote: “In this moment was I looking at the world and saying yum or yuck?” [06:44]

• Reframing Small Annoyances
  Everyday inconveniences (fogged glasses, sliding sock, cold air, scraping ice off a windshield) are reframed as opportunities to look for beauty and gratitude.

  • Quote: “But there were dozens of moments every day when I could redirect my attention. I could choose not to take the discomfort personally. I could lean into the sweet spots, which seemed to appear more often the more I looked for them.” [34:54]

2. A Night Among Crafters

• Setting the Scene
  Kathryn describes bundling up for a winter outing, feeling her glasses fog up, and making her way to a local theater for “Crafters Night”—a cozy community event that combines film screenings with crafting.

  • Quote: “My scarf was wrapped all the way up over my head. And every breath fogged my glasses in the cold night air.” [05:36]

• Welcoming Environment
  The event is structured to be inclusive: beginner crafts are offered, and seating is communal, helping strangers to connect. The warmth of the lobby, smell of popcorn, and excited chatter set a comforting tone.

  • Quote: “Even if you didn’t have a project going, you would by the time you left.” [11:05]

• Moments of Connection
  Kathryn navigates mild social awkwardness but finds herself welcomed by a friendly group: “That awkward twinge disappeared, and I felt like I’d just walked into the cafeteria with my lunch tray in my hands to find that someone had saved me a seat. Yum, I thought.” [13:42]

3. Meditative Crafting and Conversation

• Craft Details
  Attendees work on various crafts—embroidery, felting, and paper ornaments. Kathryn stitches “doodles” of cozy objects, while the woman next to her creates a felted mince pie, sharing the basics of her craft.

  • Quote (Felter): “It’s basically strategic tangling,” she said. [17:14]

• Savoring the Atmosphere
  The theater is filled with low conversation and the “steady sound of clicking knitting needles,” providing a meditative communal background. The lights are kept up so crafters can work.

• Creating a Memento of Gratitude
  Inspired by her mantra, Kathryn embroiders a scene surrounded by cozy symbols and adds, in the center, the phrase “Yum or yuck?” as a reminder to savor moments and shift perspective.

4. Gentle, Reassuring Closure

• Support for Listeners’ Wellbeing
  Kathryn’s tone is warm and affirming; she reassures listeners about the value of soothing input for busy, restless minds, normalizing the need for gentle structure at bedtime:

  • Quote: “For many of us, especially folks with ADHD or busy brains, total silence at bedtime isn’t actually relaxing... It’s actually good sleep hygiene.” [03:17]

• Repetition to Induce Calm
  The entire story is told twice, with the second version slowed and softened, to deepen relaxation and aid sleep.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mantra Inspiration:
  “It just said Yum or yuck. And it made me stop with the cinnamon shaker in my hand, hovering above the foam of my latte...” [06:20]

• Gratitude in the Ordinary:
  “When the snow was piled up on my windshield... I noticed the reflection of the moon in the passenger window and looked up to see a sky full of stars. Yum, I’d said.” [07:28]

• Finding Community:
  “A woman at the end of a row caught my eye and tipped her head toward an empty seat beside her... That awkward twinge disappeared, and I felt like I’d just walked into the cafeteria...to find that someone had saved me a seat. Yum, I thought.” [13:10–13:59]

• Crafting Joys:
  “[The felter] had a felting needle with tiny barbs that would catch the strands of wool... She slipped a few finger protectors on with a wink, saying she’d learned the hard way that it was better to wear them than not.” [16:16–16:42]

• Gently Reframing:
  “Because maybe I couldn’t stop ice from building on my windshield or my sock from slipping down in my boot. But there were dozens of moments every day when I could redirect my attention.” [18:19–18:43]

Important Timestamps

• [04:01] — Episode title and gentle preview of story themes
• [05:36] — Beginning of the story: setting out on a cold night
• [06:12] — Introduction of “yum or yuck?” mantra
• [13:10–14:03] — Warm welcome and overcoming social awkwardness
• [15:23–16:03] — The movie begins, atmosphere of crafting and camaraderie
• [16:16–17:14] — Introduction and explanation of felting by another crafter
• [18:03–18:54] — Embroidering gratitude as a design and an outlook
• [19:10] — Start of the story’s second, slower retelling

Episode Tone and Style

Kathryn Nicolai’s narration is meditative, cozy, and affectionate. The language is gentle and immersive, full of sensory detail (“the scent of fresh popcorn,” “the steady sound of clicking knitting needles”). The focus is always on soothing rhythms, gratitude for small joys, and creating a safe, comforting listening experience.

Summary Takeaway

“Fogged Glasses and Felting Fibers” is a bedtime invitation to slow down, notice life’s small comforts, and intentionally shift perspective toward gratitude. Through the lens of a wintery crafting night, Kathryn Nicolai models how to transform “yuck” moments into “yum” ones, fostering community and contentment, stitch by stitch.