It must be love

I have a new love.

Pretty, right?  She played a role in the adventures of my last post, but I didn't really introduce her.

I'd been thinking of getting a new bike for the past two years, but kept putting it on hold for a variety of reasons, the most significant of which was that I already had a bike. But mine was a men's model mountain bike and I wanted a ladies style cruiser: upright and cute.  Then, one Saturday  in April as I was walking to the farmer's market with my compost, I saw a vendor unloading vintage bikes to sell at the Brooklyn Flea.  I almost panicked, I was so excited!  And this was just a week before my birthday, so you know, fate. I took her for a test ride and then took her home.  Thus began our romance.

But like any relationship, it's had it's ups and downs.  There was a magical, misty ride to Sunset Park for dim sum with Jane and Penelope, and a sunny sojourn to meet up with my knitters on the Upper West Side.  Oh!  And then there was the flat (pictured above - front tire) that stopped me a mile from my apartment.  It's much harder to walk a bike with a flat tire than one might expect. Just after that was fixed, we had some more serious mechanical difficulties involving my gear shift.  Merrily peddling along was I when I noticed the bike wouldn't stay in gear.  I was able to get it to cooperate only by manually holding the gear shift in place; no mean feat when climbing a hill. Then, while crossing the Manhattan Bridge I heard the unmistakable ping! ping!  that told me bits and pieces were flying off of my ride.  Turns out that bikes, like people, have history and baggage, and when you get one that's approaching 40, this baggage can present challenges.  But a little patience and the help of some friends (at Gotham Bikes in TriBeCa) can do wonders, and for the past four weeks, my lady love and I have been getting along fantastically well. 

She takes me to work, and this commute has changed my life.  We had a  heat wave last week in New York, and she brought me sweet relief from oppressively hot and subway platforms. 

No longer am I relegated to steerage class on New York City Transit!  The sun, the air, the vistas all make me so happy.  I usually take the Manhattan Brodge, as it has far less pedestrian traffic than the Brooklyn Bridge, and so is an easier and more relaxing ride.

That't the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance.  New York isn't known for it's bridges, as is my hometown of Portland, OR, but we really do have quite a few here, and they're (msostly) beautiful  When crossing a bridge on foot or bicycle I think a lot about the engineering and physical efforts that went in to building it. Imagine how different our lives would be if we didn' have bridges!

Coming off the bridge on the Manhattan side, I see this man every morning.  He's meditating.  Right off of Canal Street.  He don't mess around.

Not all of the ride is traditionally scenic; nevertheless, I find it charming. Like this here: one woman is doing morning tai chi exercises.  The other is walking backwards.  Hmm . . .

Here we are, under the FDR. 

Over the past few years, our city government has established a lot of bike lanes.  Some are painted green for high visibility and some are even separated from car traffic by physical barriers.  They make riding much more fun and safe. 

A view of DUMBO and Vinegar Hill, and a bit of my beloved Manhattan Bridge.

For me to go on and on like this, it must be love.

No Wire Hangers!

I love long weekends.  That's not exactly revelatory; I think everyone loves a long weekend.  Whan I have one, I susally spend one day running errands and being terribly efficient, one day being crafty/domestic, and one day is lost.  It makes for a nice balance and I come out of the weekend feeling both productive and refreshed.

Yesterday, July the 4th, was my crafty day.  It was super hot outside and I don't have a pool, so I didn't mind spending the entire day inside.  Besides, I had a bee on my bonet about starting and completing a project this long weekend, which made the scorcher a perfect time.  Around 7 am I started digging through my stash for some yarn, and by the end of the day, I had all but sewn together these little ones:

Details:

Pattern:  Daphne and Delilah, the Momma and Baby Monster, by Rebecca Danger

Yarn: unknown worsted weights (less than 70g each)

Needle: US 5/3.75mm

I've named them Joan and Christina Crawford after one of my favorite books and movies from childhood, Mommie Dearest.  You've seen it, right?  Vain and fading star Joan Crawford adopts a strong-willed little girl whom she names Christima.  They often dress alike, at least when in public.  They are rich and pretty, and everything seems perfect . . .until the cameras shut down and the fans are out of view, when Mommie Dearest's monstrous side comes out.  Oh, it is a hilariously and campy classic.

When I finished stitching them up this morning, I thought the Misses Crawford eserved a visit to Coney Island, so we hopped on my bike and away we went.

They look so happy, with nary a hint of the turmoil at home!  We enjoyed the boardwalk and while we didn't venture into the water today, we did have fun people watching.  Our time at Coney Island was brief, however because, again, it was super warm outside.  They just said 100 on the radio, which seems excessive, but it's hard to gauge when you're on a bike because of the self-created breeze. 

In any event, we are happy to be home and are thinking of indulging in some of the sour cherry compote that I made yesterday, perhaps with some Greek yoghurt and a sweet drop biscuit. Care to join?

Oh, and on the off chance that you haven't seen Mommie Dearest, here's one of the original trailers.  It's off the proverbial hook.

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.