green biking

Who do you imagine drives this bicycle?


I've been hoping to catch a glimpse of its rider for many months now. Early last spring the portable greenhouse was planted with a variety of little seedlings. I could hardly wait to see what sprouted. But I was even more interested to see who built and maintained such a fascinating three-wheeled contraption. Obviously this person is very creative, innovative, and not afraid to be just a little bit different. He or she must also be in excellent shape, since this doesn't look like a lightweight bicycle frame. Not to mention the additional weight of carting several milk jugs full of soil.


Sadly, I have yet to catch a glimpse of the owner. I keep watching on my way to and from the studio every day, but I've never seen anyone tending the garden or the bike.


(In my imagination, a young man with a funny straw hat wakes early on Saturday mornings and pedals his pink tricycle to the green market to sell basil (since that appears to be the current crop). He leaves at 4:00 am because he needs to get over the Williamsburg Bridge in time to greet his early-morning customers. They like their basil to be as fresh as possible, so he harvests as needed. After business has been conducted, he trades a few basil stems with another vendor in exchange for some ripe tomatoes and begins the long trek back home.)

P.S. Those little plants must be hardy ones. Not only do they appear to travel; they've also endured some extremely warm temperatures during the past few weeks. I can't imagine what the temperature must have been inside that little greenhouse during those sunny afternoons.

behind the scenes

This was the scene at the studio yesterday morning as the fall patterns were delivered. Here is the truck pulled up to our loading dock/freight elevator:


And that's Giulia behind the delivery once it was maneuvered into the hallway for staging before moving into the studio:



Four giant pallets containing 80 boxes full of patterns and weighing 1.5 tons. Fun, yes? An excellent example of why we don't run this business out of our home, that's for sure.

it's 90 degrees outside

The summer heat is finally here, which means it's a great day for one of these.



Free pattern from Oliver + S. Enjoy!

7 days

Things that happen when your four-year-old visits her grandparents for a week:

• you work really hard and it still feels like a vacation (how can that be, really?)
• you see Julie and Julia and are inspired to make Boeuf Bourguignon but instead go out for pork buns at Momofuku with friends after the movie.
  
• going to a movie and dinner makes you feel like a real grown-up again, until you stay out way past bedtime and realize that you've gotten too old to do these things
  
• your daughter doesn't want to speak to you on the phone because she's too busy having fun (and this is a good thing, you tell yourself)
• you go shopping for real, grown-up skincare products. You spend a lot of money on them and are surprised at how well they work right away
  
• your husband buys reading glasses
• you realize that you and your husband are getting older
  
• you hang out with your husband and share some good laughs and conversations without interruption
• your daughter gets an inexplicable fever that seems to have no cause and doesn't slow her down at all
• you worry about the fever
  
• your daughter tells you that she misses the cat most of all
• you discover that the television program your mom talked about 15 years ago really was as great as she said (My So-Called Life on Hulu)
• you feel a little guilty that you're not quite ready for your daughter to come home yet
• your daughter returns and carries the cat around the apartment for three days
• you're thrilled that your daughter had such a wonderful time with her grandparents. And without you.
  
• you can't believe how much you missed your daughter. And how much she's grown. In just one week.
  

new oliver + s patterns unveiled

We previewed our two new Oliver + S fall patterns this morning.


You can see them over at the Oliver + S blog.

back soon

We've taken a long weekend for a giant family reunion and belated celebration of Grandma's 90th birthday. Lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles to see. Back again soon!