One For The Track...

I recently enjoyed the pleasure of experiment in a commissioned work for a friend planning to walk the Bibbulmun track (yes, all of it, and for the second time). She wanted some arm warmers for the chilly mornings - green and foresty, with flecks of blue, invoking both the woodland and the ocean. Well, I thought that was a way to create a major colour clash, but I said nothing and pondered over the task, thinking how I might be able to separate the blues and forest greens with a certain smattering of brown and yellow. Here are the pictures of the finished object, which for the purposes of not getting too warm too quickly and thus avoiding a frustrating state of my-arms-are-cold-but-they're-too-hot-in-those-damn-things, I added a Goth-if-only-it-was-black style openwork lacing.

Now, with a happy customer safely meandering about the countryside, try to imagine them with suitable track-walking clothing and tell me, did I get away with it?

Love,

Granny Funk

Pimp Your Ride!

One of my favourite designs - of my own! - has been my crocheted bike seat covers. They are really fun to make, although they do take a little time, what with colour changes and directional changes for the underside (also counting is always a problem for me - don't tell my students).

They are also an exceptionally fun-come-embarrassing (depending on how socially engaging I'm feeling) project for crocheting on public transport, given their rather strange and suggestive shape and the complete lack of visual clues connecting it to a BICYCLE to the average fellow public-transport rider. This, however, is one social cost which I am happy to bear for the greater good of the dying arts, although not necessarily late at night in the drunken hour (mind you, even a pirate eye patch I was crocheting elicited some inappropriate gestures from a young boy, so either my designs are ravelling their way along a Freudian thread of which I am naively unaware, or the problem is in other people's minds).

Here are some pictures of a commissioned bike seat cover I really enjoyed making recently, entitled "Envy's Vine". I was going with the poison ivy theme, only my inclination toward botany wouldn't let me call something with an un-ivy-shaped leaf ivy:

I'm going to be making a whole lot more of these in the coming month as I gear up for my stall at the Made On The Left Christmas Market on Saturday the 13th November. With the weather warming up and the threat of being rained off your bike diminishing, it's a good time to dress up your bike.

I like to think this simple beautification of the bicycle goes some way toward promoting the bicycle as a dignified transport option*. If your bike is your friend, or if it's been rusting in the tin shed all winter and is crying out for some attention, consider commissioning a special bike seat cover for it - or for someone else's bike.

Crocheters, keep an eye out for the pattern too - soon to be available as a pdf from Granny Funk's Etsy page.

* For those who don't see crochet as inherently dignifying, well...I'll admit you've got some evidence in your favour. HERE for example.