How I know people of color are not making SPF

I've spent a good bit of time in the out-of-doors on our few sunny days this spring, and have twice burned my face and neck inadvertently. So, this morning, before heading out to meet my with my friend Rachel for a bike ride, I decided it would be prudent to slather on some SPF, SPF 60 for babies, to be specific. I applied the recommended amount, and after rubbing and rubbing the junk in, I looked like this:





This is ridiculous! I look like that creepy kid from Powder. I fear skin cancer as much as, or perhaps more than, the next person, and so I want to protect myself. However, I cannot go out in public looking like this. It's not a matter of vanity; it's just common sense. I have to believe that if there were people of color working in the sun-protection industry that they would try to advance a plan to develop high SPF lotion that wouldn't make people like me look like stand-ins for Baby Jane. Right? So, hows about someone get to work on this soon, OK?




Whiteface aside, the bike riding was super fun, despite the fact that we ran into two separate races taking place in the park: one for runners and one for bikers. The hundreds of bikers kind of came upon us in a wolf pack, like the cars on the freeway in that scene from Clueless when Murray tries to teach Dion how to drive. I was pleased with myself for making it out on time this, since I was up until 3:30 this morning finishing my Lace Bolero.

I came home from a friend's party around 11:30 last night and decided there would be no sleep until the thing was finished. Like, completely finished. I sewed the sleeves up and everything.

The pattern is Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher, knit up on US6s and US10s, using some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (an 80/20 cotton/wool blend) that Amy passed on to me last year. The pattern was fun to kit and easy to memorize, save for the wackadoo transition from the lace portion to the 2x2 ribbing at the end. I may have been too tired to get it, because it had me completely baffled. I eventually gave up and just started in on the ribbing. I don't think anyone will notice, and if they do notice, I don't think they'll care. It's a great little cover-up that I expect to use quite often this summer and fall.

I also managed to turn out another little project for myself this week, the Spring Beret by Natalie Larson.

For this, the less slouchy version of the pattern, I used Knit One, Crochet Two's 2nd Time Around yarn, which is made of recycled cotton and acrylic. The yarn, which is a remnant from a yet to be revealed secret project, has a tendency to curl in around itself, but was otherwise a pleasure to work with. I was happy to experiment with a recycled yarn, and even happier to get it on deep discount at The Point's going out of business sale in April. Recently I've been wearing my hair pulled back and twisted, which is more conducive to hat-wearing than my usual do, so I decided to fill a void in my wardrobe: the I-hate-to-carry-an-umbrella-yet-want-to-keep-my-hair-dry-on-these-drizzly-spring-days hat. I think it will do its job quite nicely.