What happens when a knitter takes up cycling? Knitted cycling accessories, of course!
It was bound to happen. I’ve been a knitting for some years now, and cycling is my new obsession, so it was inevitable that I’d find a way to combine the two.
A cyclist’s wardrobe consists mainly of lots and lots of lycra; knitted sweaters and the like aren’t really suitable. So it was to accessories I looked. Hats, headbands, neckwarmers, wristwarmers and so on. My first foray into knitted accessories was a neckwarmer or buff (I’m not entirely sure what to call it).
Now I just need something to keep my head and ears toasty …The buff is a simple tube, knitted in the round, in a 2x2 rib for stretchiness in Rico Essentials DK merino in a chocolate brown colour. I crocheted a shell border onto each end for a bit of interest. Same yarn, this time in cream.
This is a very quick and easy knit, great for beginners, and the border isn’t necessary for those who don’t crochet. It’s long enough to sit on my collar bones and reach up to just under my nose. My helmet clips on over it, underneath my chin. So it creates a nice cover-up around my neck over the collar of my jacket.
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| The cycling buff/neckwarmer in action. Photo by Idoru Knits. |
Due to the quite amazing mildness that has characterised this winter I’ve only worn the buff a couple of times, but it really does work, keeping my neck and the lower part of my face nice and warm. Now I just need something to keep my head and ears toasty …
So I’ve started making a headband. I’ve got some 4-ply alpaca left over from my first-ever design project. I could make a hat, but I think a headband will be more useful on the bike, fitting nicely underneath my helmet. Again, it’s a 2x2 rib and I’m going to make it quite wide so that it covers my ears completely.
The problem is that the headband is dark blue and the buff is brown, and clearly brown and blue don’t go together. Luckily I’ve got some Rico Essentials DK merino in a light blue.
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| Knitting a cycling headband. Photo by Idoru Knits. |
1 comment:
Tee hee...I love this.
Am TRYING to get back into cycling but not doing too well. Need to sort out my gloves, want a bit more than the fingerless mitts that I got from you but less than full gloves. Better pull out the needles, except that I've so many projects on the go.
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