Tonight: A2MQG Show & Sale

For anyone in SE Michigan, NW Ohio, or the Windsor, ON area: the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild Show & Sale is tonight at the Corner Brewery. Join us! In addition to quilts, there will be additional handmade items -- great for holiday, birthday, wedding, graduation, just-because gifts...

More on the quilt above soon!

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The Accidental Living Room Quilt

Making things for myself is paralyzing. How do I decide on a design or choose fabric when I'm not going to design something I dislike or buy fabric that is unappealing? And how do I pick the perfect palette for the living room I already live in? Admittedly, the (super comfortable) gold couch is perhaps not the item I would select from a store, but free, old-in-the-best-sort-of-way, and did I mention amazingly comfortable rocks (thanks grandparents for making some great furniture purchases back in the day).

Two springs ago I was temporarily living in DC. I toted a small portion of my stash with me (sanity protection) and resolved to make stuff within the parameters of what I brought. That small stash included 2 charm packs of Kate Spain's Central Park line, and a lot of solids. I challenged myself to make a big quilt with those charm packs, and by adding a lot of solids, I succeeded.

I followed no particular format in laying out the fabric. I probably tried to avoid setting the same fabrics next to one another, making it not totally random, and I may have adjusted squares as I sewed them together. To be honest, I don't really remember how I did it all that clearly. I do recall wishing I had used green instead of yellow as the most significant solid at one point, but having already cut out  lots of yellow squares, well, no change was in the works. Unlike most of the quilts I make, this one had no intended recipient. As a result, when I finished the quilt top I had no need or incentive to finish it quickly, and it sat on a shelf for months.

Last winter I decided I needed to move this project from the unfinished pile to the finished one. I dug into my stash to find fabric to back it, and decided to use the Alexander Henry Birdsong as the primary backing. Then I added coordinating fabric to make it big enough to fit the front, quilted it 1/4" lines offset from the seams, and bound it. I washed it and wondered to whom I should give it. It sat on a chair in my living room, waiting to move on to its new home.

Summer faded into fall, and one night I wanted to burrow under a quilt while reading on the couch. Rather than dig up a blanket from the closet, I grabbed the one sitting on the chair. I wouldn't have expected the pale yellow to work with the gold couch but, in a way, it does. It's not exactly the design or colors I would have picked for my living room, but it works. The binding isn't my favorite shade of green, but it doesn't really matter. It's a lot easier to let a quilt find a home in my living room than design one specifically for it. So much less pressure, so much more pleasurable.

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Meanwhile, at Chez Two Hippos...

There has been a little redecorating afoot at Chez Two Hippos. Namely, the hanging of pictures and the making of new pillow covers in the living room (which also functions as my sewing space -- see back left corner). This has been a long time coming, or at least 9 months coming. There used to be cranberry trim (including all the windows) in this room. Cranberry trim is a terrible idea. Perhaps you want some deep red in your room? I highly recommend a wall.

After three years of muttering obscenities about said cranberry trim, it was time to do something about the horribleness. So, much like a Soviet dissident in the days of yore, it got disappeared last fall (I've been reading crime fiction set in mid-20th century Eastern Europe...). White trim is quite lovely. At the same time, the walls received some paint love (Olympic Park Loop, if I recall correctly) and I took the plunge and acquired (rather inexpensively, thanks to a super sale and $1 shipping) a fun area rug. A few months later, I bought a map. It looked good in the room, even if it sat on the floor waiting to be hung for another 5 or so months. The cranberry pillows, however, remained.

Until I returned from research this summer and couldn't stand them any more. At which point, I had to change them. Immediately.  And there commenced about 16 hours of furious design and sewing, after which three new pillow covers made everything better. As I don't do matchy-matchy very well (or at all), I opted for different designs in three shades of the same palette -- bright (above), muted (below), and dark (below) -- all of which coordinate with my gold couch. Sidenote: the couch belonged to my grandparents' and it is the world's most comfortable couch. Back to making things...the design above was inspired by Rebecca's pillow. I think if I were making it again, I'd use a solid white instead of the Echo print, since it's a little busy for my taste, but it works. And since I used scraps of some of my favorite prints, I get to see some of my favorite prints all the time. Win.

Originally I planned to make the HST pillow (on right) with solids, but when I laid out the solids, they weren't speaking to me. Or they were, and they were saying "don't use me." Which was great because I got to dig into some stashed favorites, including the orange Heirloom Tile and the yellow and gray prints from Dena Designs' Taza collection.  The improv pillow (left) is definitely my favorite: solids + negative space + circle quilting = awesome. I admire those who circle-quilt much larger pieces because, damn it takes a lot of time and focus.

There's something about this picture line-up of pillow backs that makes me chuckle. They're all envelope closures, though a touch different at the overlap point (broad band of contrasting fabric, no contrast, and thin band of binding). Here too, I dipped into some stash favorites (for the fabric followers -- Nicey Jane + Park Slope (L), Central Park (M), and Max & Whiskers (R)). So there you have it: a much-aesthetically-improved living room.

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Organic Imperfection

Taking pictures of big quilts is really hard. I co-opted my roommate into aiding and abetting, but we still ran into some trouble. It would probably help if we were 6 feet tall or so, but that describes neither of us. And I haven't noticed too many college basketball players wandering down my street. Because if they were, I would totally borrow their heights and wingspans. I'm sure they wouldn't find a random woman asking them to hold up a quilt weird or anything like that.

The trick, it seems, is hangers. And a sunny day. Which we've had our unfair share of this winter. I assume we'll pay for it soon, or next year. But in the meantime, I am not complaining about sunny and 40 degree days in January. The tree shadow even sort of makes sense for this quilt (see: name). So about this quilt...I started it in the late summer and finished it in the late fall. I chopped up several large scraps of Marimekko fabric (from the clearance bin at the Crate & Barrel outlet), added eggplant purple borders, and decimated the five yards of Bella White in my stash.

Speaking of stash decimation, I ran out of gray as I was piecing the back. To be honest, I think I knew I wouldn't have enough, but I think I thought that adding the the rectangle of the Starling print (on the top) would be sufficient. I was wrong. At which point I pieced together the stripes on the bottom, yielding a sufficiently large, if somewhat devilish to baste, quilt back. It was easier to photograph, though -- the snow smudges really make the image, me thinks.

The name of the quilt came to me after I pulled it out of the dryer. When I first contemplated how to quilt it, I considered straight lines. Then I pondered boxes. At which point I began to trace circles (makes perfect sense, no?). The circle idea had merit, but proved impossible to execute in the way I envisioned. Which led me straight back to lines, just of the less straight and less perfect variety. They're straight-ish, at irregular intervals, and they're fabulous. There's something wonderfully organic and imperfect about it, and I think Organic Imperfection may well be my quilting mantra (not that I chant it or anything. That would produce weird looks, especially from the basketball player I find to hold up my quilts in the future).

As imperfect and organic as the quilt might be, I did plan two very important elements: the size (full) and the spacing. I knew I wanted to use a lot of negative space, but I also wanted a quilt that would drape over my bed. Hence, I wanted the design to make sense when it sprawled across my bed (and dominates my small bedroom). The framed leaves and flowers start at 16" from the bottom of the quilt, so they rest at the bottom of the bed. And because planning sometimes yields splendid results, when I fold the quilt, it can lie at the base of the bed and show off its prettiness. Or the stripes, which are similarly positioned, though more robust than pretty.

I employed a very rigorous selection process when choosing the binding. Tough decisions require examining every possible option, which I did, mostly by opening my storage boxes of fabric,  positioning them alongside the quilt, and plucking options. I even considered pink (magenta, really, but it is technically a pink) which made my roommate gasp. But I naturally I rejected it. Finding a color that works with white and gray is the easy part; finding one that elevates purple and green is much harder. But I prevailed, and this deep goldenrod accomplishes the task quite well. Nothing imperfect about it.

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Leaving the Hermitage

It's been a productive 6 weeks at Chez Two Hippos, or rather at Two Hippos' subletted hermitage. I moved out of my very-convenient-to-the-archives lodging last night, and I'm now getting ready for sublet #3 of the year. Unfortunately this next temporary move precludes bringing my sewing machine and assorted materials and tools with me. Knowing this, I spent a lot of my non-archives time sewing over the past month and even have a few things to show for it. I've blogged what I could, and have a few more items in store as they make their way to their new owners. Per usual, my to-do list was longer than my got-done list -- alas there are some birthday presents that remain unfinished (and even unstarted) and a few other gifts that will await more work over the summer.

As long as I have my sewing machine, I make a good hermit. {I'm also quite good at having epiphanies about obvious-to-others elements of my life.} I'm really quite content to move from the work portion of my day to the sewing portion of my day with little in between. Living in the suburbs helped too, as I'm much more likely to go out and explore when I can walk or bike or bus somewhere, none of which is particularly easy in the suburbs. Urban living will return for the next 7ish weeks which will be nice for getting out and wandering more. Clearly, I'm striving for balance over the course of the year, rather than balance in the day or week, on the inside/outside, stay-at-home/explore-the-world, be-a-hermit/see-friends-and-talk-to-people ratio.

Oh, and those blocks above? An unfinished and modified (slightly larger) version of Esch House Quilts' Triangle Maze blocks. It's hard to finish blocks when you run out of fabric. Someone neglected to add some numbers, thus requiring a hasty order of more navy fabric...

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Holy Marimekko! (+ Giveaway)

I spent several hours yesterday sewing with members of the DC Modern Quilt Guild. One of the local public libraries has a fantastic space with tables and lots of outlets. I knew some people and met some new people and made progress on a quilt. All of which was great. I also got to eat some Thai food (my favorite cuisine) and learned that the Crate and Barrel outlet stores sell Marimekko remnants for 95 cents a pound. You read that right: the same stuff that retails for 45 dollars/yard is sold for 95 cents a pound.

At least sometimes. Since there was an outlet not too far away, I headed over there and had a great conversation with a very knowledgeable sales person. Not only did she bring out another basket of fabric from the back, but she told me that they hadn't been selling remnants for a year. But C&B reduces fabric on the bolt to $4.95/yard during their spring sale in an effort to move inventory, and they had enough remnants to put out a barrel (literally, they're in a barrel). Most of the remnants come from store decor so they may have some staples in them but are otherwise in good shape.

I walked out with 7 pounds of fabric for less than 7 dollars (as a reference point, I think a yard of quilting weight fabric is about 6 ounces based on shipping costs). While perusing the store, I noticed that they are also selling napkins made out of Kaffe Fassett fabric for about $4/napkin (outlet price!) so I'm not too concerned about their profits.

But in honor of this splendid find and recently surpassing 400 posts, I'd like to share some with you. To win some Marimekko fabric remnants -- if you don't sew, these can easily be made into cool wall hangings with canvas/wood and a staple gun or glue -- leave a comment on this post telling me what you might do with the fabric.

The fine print: 1 entry per person, giveaway open until Wednesday around 6 pm, make sure to leave a means of contact, open to US and international commenters.

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Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild

I'm so excited to see this happening....of course, it started while I'm away from Michigan, but I look forward to meeting up with everyone in the guild when I'm back in town. In the meantime, R0ssie made some fabulous logos -- the one above is my favorite of the batch.

While there is a guild not too far away from Ann Arbor in Brighton, the meetings never really worked with my schedule. It's sort of like the gym -- the closer it is to me, the more likely am I to make it. Except of course, when I'm in DC and traversing the metro region by car for 45-60 minutes seems totally normal. On Saturday, I'll be meeting up with my local DC quilt guilders in Arlington, and I'm hoping that weekend = no (who am I kidding) little traffic.

I've got several projects in the works. Two friends had babies within 3 days of one another in late March, and while I was ready with one baby quilt, I'm scurrying to finish the second. I know they read my blog (hi Claire! hi Sarah!) so even though I'm not sure that they're reading it right now, I'm going to hold off on pictures until the gifts arrive at their destinations.

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DC Modern Quilt Guild

On Saturday, I ventured over to Ebenezers Coffeehouse* to join the DC Modern Quilt Guilders (guildfolk?). And I mean join quite literally as I exchanged 4 quarters for that lovely membership card above. Despite my mental note to stop by the bank, I managed not to accomplish that task before arriving which meant I only had loose change. But Natalie seemed ok with my monetary complications.

I met some wonderful quilters. While this was my first guild meeting, I've been to other craft meet-ups, and I'm always impressed with the distance some folks travel to get there. It indicates how much meeting people in real life and forming communities really matters. Natalie demonstrated how to hand-piece hexagons. I'm months, if not years, late to the hexagon trend, but I was very grateful to learn how to make them.

I'm living a bit nomadically for the rest of the month and then I'll be in New York for 2 months later in the spring. During my nomadic sojourns and time in the big apple, I'll be without a sewing machine. When I was in NY two summers ago, I learned the hard way that I need to be able to sew. Admittedly, I don't need to sew like I need to drink water and eat, but it's pretty close. For me, sewing is part-relaxation, part-creative time, part-therapy. Going without is tough. But this time, I'll bring paper hexagons, scraps, scissors, thread, a needle, and a pin and have something to do with my hands. What exactly I'll make is still unclear, but I'm trawling the web for inspiration. I'm certainly open to other hand-sewing ideas (or the old sewing machine that belongs to your great-grandmother's friend's grand-niece in Brooklyn who wants to loan it to a random stranger for a couple months, that would work too).

*DC has very few good, local coffee shops; Ebenezers is one of the few good ones. I recommend it if you're looking for a nice place to work, read, or meet up with friends. It's right by Union Station, so convenient for meeting up with your traveling friends as well.

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Pojagi Complete!

I finished up "Bom," my pojagi panel for DQS10. I finally decided to approach the binding as a rolled hem. I realized that I couldn't iron a quarter-inch seam, but I could iron a half-inch seam. As a result, I ironed the half-inch and then folded the edge into the fold and ironed again -- the same way I make handles for bags. This worked well and will be my new go-to method.

The picture makes the two shot cottons look more starkly different than they do in person. What's neat in person is that, depending on the light, the panel can look like it contains 4 different fabrics. Because the warp and weft of the fabric use different colors, the orientation of the piece of fabric alters which thread color looks stronger. The lighter green therefore sometimes looks more blue or more yellow, while the darker green looks more bright green or more gray-green.

As the picture shows, it's cherry blossom season in DC. Since my partner loves Japanese fabrics, this seems like perfect timing. It also means that spring is truly about to arrive, and I look forward to the realization of the weatherman's prediction of mid-60s and sun today and mid-70s tomorrow on Friday. Now I will be inside most of the day at the archives, but I'm hoping to duck outside for lunch at the very least. While spring is not my favorite season, it is DC's finest season, and I will enjoy the advent of what I like to call "chaco weather" earlier than it arrives in the Midwest.

The cherry trees were, of course, a gift from Japan to the United States. For those looking for a way to help Japan as it recovers from the recent earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis, google is helping coordinate donations to reputable groups as well as help people locate loved ones.

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My Morning Walk

I'm now ensconced in my brother's apartment in DC. It's the perfect location for me: I can walk to the Library of Congress and to the National Archives downtown. There's a metro stop 5 minutes away that places me on the line I need to use to get to other libraries and archives. I knew this would be a great place to live, but I didn't realize how great until I got here. I love cities, and I love walking in cities. I get to walk around DC every day and look at some pretty amazing buildings, like Senate office buildings.

Or the Supreme Court. The line of people is waiting to attend oral arguments. I want to try and observe one myself this winter. Although I grew up in this area, I've never been inside the Supreme Court, and I'm a little bit of a junkie. Handily, it's immediately adjacent to the Library of Congress where I'm spending many of my waking hours these days.

Although the snow melted by the evening, the little dusting we got was sparkly yesterday morning. For those of you from non-snowy climates, not all winters are the same. Compared to the Midwest, the East Coast is much sunnier in the winter. All of these pictures connect to quilting as well. Project Modern's Challenge 2 is a monochromatic quilt. DC architecture, with all its white/grey stone and marble, not to mention exquisite detailing, has given me a lot of ideas. I don't know if any of them will make it beyond my head, but it's fun to make the world around me into quilts as I walk to work.

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Detroit Urban Craft Fair

I'm determined to make it to the Detroit Urban Craft Fair this year. The past 2 years, I've heard about it, wanted to go, and then gotten caught up in work or been out of town, and failed to make it. But not in 2010. I'm going.

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My Sewing Machine Needs a Muffler

Last night was wonderful. Rae organized the SE Michigan Craft Meetup, and it was fantastic. I don't know exactly how many people showed up, but around two dozen of us sewed, knitted, and snacked our way through the evening. It was so nice to meet new people, including Emily who lives close to me and gave a bunch of us some tips on where to find some clearance Mendocino fabric. A trip to the fabric store might be necessary this weekend!

Aside from the wonderful company, last night was lovely because I actually spent several hours sewing, a luxury I haven't had as I scramble to get work done and try to stay on top of all the things I need to do each week. I've had a quilt top and back draped over my futon for months now, and I finally quilted it last night. I am grateful to the other crafty ladies who put up with my loud loud machine -- as Rae said, "it needs a muffler," and she's totally right. Actually, I was a bit jealous of all the newer, quieter, fancier sewing machines the other folks had. However, as Rebekah, the sweet librarian working across from me, reminded me, mine works and that's what matters. Still, a new machines that can do more without violating city noise ordinances would be nice. One day...maybe...

Updated to add this link to Rae's blog post and pictures.

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A Little Rake Debacle

Rake image from charm4you's etsy shop.

Before I went to bed last night, I made myself a list of all the things I need to do to day. I love making lists, but more than making the lists, I love crossing things off the list. To scratch items off the list alas requires actually doing them. And here it is, at about half past noon, and I have very little to show for my morning. Not for lack of trying, however.

First, there was the burnt oatmeal. Don't start making oatmeal and forget about it. The scorched pot, the acrid smell, and the lack of breakfast are not good things. That's what I get for becoming distracted and trying to take care of some other things while making breakfast. In other words, it's what I get for attempting to multitask in the morning.

And then there was the rake. Tomorrow is the final leaf pick-up day for my town and, in an attempt to be a good citizen, I waited to move the leaves from the curb to the street until today. Also I'm lazy and procrastinate, so all that good citizen stuff is cover for just not dealing with the final step of leaf removal until the last possible moment.

Because I waited for the last minute and did not check on the supplies necessary (or the one tool necessary, a rake), I didn't realize that the better rake had disappeared from the shared garage. I pulled out the less-good rake, which is less good for a reason. Or was less good until it died. Yep, midway through transferring the leaves from the grass to the street, the rake handle split in half. leaving me with about 1.5 feet of handle attached to the rake. I did the best I could with what I had -- and used the snow shovel as a plow of sorts -- and am content to have a not totally leaf-free yard. Ehh, so it goes. At least trash pick-up is today and the trash truck came by after the rake debacle, so the rake is no more.

Despite all this, the day will move on. The sun has come out, which makes any day a better day, I've cleaned the scorched pot, and I just had a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream. As for the errands and work that need to be done, there are still some hours left in the day. I can cross off leaf duty from that list and maybe I'll be able to cross off another item or two by nightfall. Or not, who knows.

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Out the Window

I am surrounded by vibrant yellow leaves, even when it is rainy and a bit gloomy.

Today brought sunshine in the afternoon, though you wouldn't know it from this picture.

My dying plants, on the kitchen window-sill. The light off the yellow leaves make the orange walls glow, when there is light anyways...

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Summer to Fall

The signs of fall -- namely leaves changing and crisp, chilly mornings -- have arrived. There are still lavender flowers in the front yard (I have no idea what kind they are). And when the sun is out, it can still look summery.

What you may get a small glimpse of in the bottom of the picture is a bee. These flowers attract buzzing bees like no others.

They didn't seem to mind me getting close to take pictures but I don't love having a stash o' bees in the front yard. If they would start stinging the squirrels and getting those pests away from the roof -- where they like to run relay races in the morning -- I would like the bees more.

But there's no question that autumn has arrived, a little after the fall equinox.

Which is great because fall is my favorite season. It's only Wednesday but the week has already been jam-packed, what with Yom Kippur on Sunday night/Monday and then scurrying to get back into the work groove. I'm still struggling to get down a good daily and weekly rhythm, but I'm hoping that being home this weekend will help. And maybe I'll get to sew a little more -- I have a long list of projects I want to move forward with, but classes and teaching is pinching the time available right now.

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Vegetarian Winter Boots

To the best of my knowledge, it is not yet winter anywhere. As I love fall (or autumn, if you prefer), I'm quite happy with this state of affairs. Actually, it's been more summery than fall-y near me of late, though tonight's temperature suggests inching toward fall. A few leaves are starting to change color and I've seen apple cider in the grocery store. Nevertheless, while the calendar claims fall has arrived, I'm not completely convinced.

And while the inevitable snow is, I hope, many months away, I've spent years looking for warm, stylish (somewhat?), and vegetarian winter boots. It's very challenging to find boots without leather or suede. I have a pair of winter hiking boots, all rubbery and thermo-something-lined. They are excellent for walking in snow, preferably on hiking trails covered with snow. But they are heavy and clunky and just not pleasant for day-to-day trekking about. A friend of mine recently pointed me toward Bogs Boots, which, after a little investigation, do appear to be vegetarian.

At least the Classic High version seems to be. They apparently keep one's feet toasty through -40 degree weather, which I hope I don't encounter this winter. They look kind of fun (and certainly not drab). And it's possible to get them for at least $10 cheaper on non-Bogs websites. So here's the real question: are they comfortable? Do any of you have experience with Bogs footwear? Are they worth the investment? Inevitably, given the lack of available options, I'll probably order them and find out, but before I do, I'd love to hear if any of you have tried these boots before. Love them? Hate them? Feel they're fine but nothing more? Tell me!

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My Friend Primer

Every time I manage not to move, I think that I'll be saving money on outfitting a new abode. And, in general, this is true. Yet while I'm staying in one place, there are still things I need. I spent much of the past year thinking it would be really handy to move those manila folders stuffed with articles and papers out of a bankers box and into a filing cabinet. Every so often I'd stop by the local recycling center and check out the filing cabinet options. I'd see decent ones but always find a way to talk myself out of it (the box isn't soooo bad and, besides, that filing cabinet is bulky/ugly/too big/rusted and won't fit in my little car).

Then, a couple weeks ago, a friend was over for dinner. We were eating, talking, and all the sudden, BAM! The chair collapsed, sending my friend to the floor (unhurt, thankfully). I'd known the chair (and its chair friends) were not doing so hot, but I didn't anticipate a crash landing and a totally unusable chair. I needed to replace it and didn't want to spend much. Although I'd been thinking of buying 4 chairs and painting them different colors, I now needed one new chair for sure and the others, well, I'm a little too cheap frugal to buy 4 chairs at once.

My local Buddhist temple was hosting its annual yard sale this weekend, and I went by to peruse the offerings. I found a chair for $5 that needed a little love and a filing cabinet for $20 that I bargained down to $15 (hey, they had a sign saying they welcome bargaining). I decided I would paint both yellow because a yellow chair would work with the warm colors in the dining room and a yellow filing cabinet would match the decor (including my sort-of-new corkboard) of my study. I scanned some websites and figured out that spraypainting both the chair and the cabinet should be pretty simple, and wandered over to my local hardware store to buy some paint.

I jumped right into the chair, following the online directions to turn it upside down to start. That moved along smoothly, with the paint adhering nicely to the somewhat scuffed (no need to sand!) chair. Then I turned to the filing cabinet. I got out the masking tape and covered up the handle, I wiped off the dust, and I roughed up the smooth areas. Then I started to paint. According to one online tutorial, 1.5 cans of spray paint would take care of a 4 drawer filing cabinet. I figured 2 cans should easily take care of my little 2-drawer cabinet and the chair.

Midway through the 2nd layer of painting the cabinet, I realize 2 cans would not be nearly enough. I couldn't figure out where I went wrong, and went back inside to consult my sources (here and here).

PRIMER!

Occasionally, my close reading skills disappear. Scanning tutorials is a really bad idea because it is easy for one (me) to miss crucial steps. Like buying and spraying primer to start. I had a moment in the hardware store wondering if I should buy primer, but decided I didn't need it. One late night trip to the hardware store later, I was equipped with primer (1 can) and more paint (1 can). It turns out that if you use primer, 1 can of paint is more than sufficient for a small filing cabinet. It also turns out that I should read and reread directions, especially before inhaling lots of noxious chemicals that, I'm sure, will do terrible things to me later in life. In the meantime, I've got a nice yellow chair (no primer necessary) and a nice yellow filing cabinet (primer very necessary).

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Free Bike Fridays

I highly recommend free bike Fridays at Governor's Island. Formerly an army and coast guard base, Governor's Island has become a lovely space for ordinary people to mill around, picnic, bike, read, hang out, or do whatever (legal) things one wants on an island a brief free ferry ride away from another island.

It was an admittedly gray day the afternoon I ventured over (take the 1 to South Ferry or the N/R to Whitehall and the ferry dock is east of the Staten Island ferry). Nevertheless, plenty of people were meandering around the island, biking, reading in hammocks, or viewing the sites.

Like the Statue of Liberty, easily visible from Governor's Island.

Or Lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge, also easy backdrops for one's photos.

I hate to complain about free bikes, but I wish the company operating the bike rentals required everyone to wear helmets, not just those under 14. The island's bike loop is pretty flat but there are enough other cyclists and pedestrians, not to mention the regular risk of rocks, uneven terrain, brake failure, not paying attention, etc, to warrant requiring all to wear helmets. But I'll step down from my bike safety soap box and just recommend getting over to Governor's Island the next time you can.

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Ich voyn een new york

After 6 days of Yiddish classes, I can muster ich voyn een new york -- I live in New York. Truth be told, I can come up with a few variations -- so long as they are in the present tense and use a very limited vocabulary and do not need to indicate anything conditional. But it's progress. And it's been fun using the language-learning part of my brain, which has been dormant since furiously studying for (other) language exams almost 2 years ago.

And the living in New York element has proven quite fun. The side-by-side cosmopolitanism and parochialism provides endless fascination. Just the other day I passed the Cuban-Chinese Benevolent Association as well as a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant. I can walk down the street to about 6 Thai places, and try out their Panang Curries (my favorite Thai dish) through the $6, that's right, $6 lunch specials (includes an appetizer too! what's not to like). I've found the best Panang curry I've tasted since leaving Krung Siam in California at this hole-in-the-wall.

Then there's the New-York-centrism which is a special breed unto itself. Witness, for example, the following conversation:
A: "So you went to school here. Did you like it?"
B: "I loved it, and so many people stay in the city after college. It's great. I bet people stayed in Philly [A's college location] too."
A: "Hmm, not really. People who are from Philly stay there, but most others leave. They go back to New York."
B: "Oh, weird. I mean it's not like Philly is Madison or anything."

At which point I had to interject and note that there are far worse places to live than Madison and there are, in fact, people who gravitate toward it, even if it's not New York.

But there really was a rainbow visible over the Brooklyn/Manhattan bridges last week (Thursday) in between the rain. The reprieve from rain this weekend and today was lovely. Alas I think more droplets are in my future.

Finally, this dress is awesome.

My friends made me buy it, and I resisted. But it is truly a wonder. Comfortable and cute, with pockets no less. I recommend it. It'll probably go on sale soon, being from Target and all.

And craftiness will return...as soon as I take a picture of the buttercup bag. Or maybe I'll post one of the quilts I made before venturing to New York. To be continued...

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