If it keeps chickens warm, it can work for cyclists!

On one of the more colder mornings in the last fortnight, I was heading to work listening to ABC Radio National. There was a lovely short feature segment about a group of Gold Coast locals who meet regularly in a café to knit jackets for a flock of ex-battery hens who are residents at Storybook Farm – a refuge for rescued animals and animals with disabilities.

The jackets were knitted for the chickens to keep warm during the cold wintery season. For these rescue chickens with little feathers left, these kitted jackets can save their lives. It is a fantastic little story about a community coming together to help those less fortunate and is, and well worth the listen at the link here.

It got me thinking about the link between knitting and bikes – and I especially wanted to take inspiration from the chicken’s knitting approach for keeping warm in the winter months….so….

Knitting, croqueting and needlepointing bike accessories

Many people have seen bikes that have been yarn/stitch bombing and can appreciate how colourful happy and creative the final bike can be.

But what about knitted bike seat covers?

I’ve noticed the range of practical knitted bike accessories online has expanded with places like Crochet Concupiscence providing crafty folks with new ideas and patterns on how to apply croquet (as well as knitting and needlepointing) to bikes.

Knitted bike seat covers

If you are up for adding a little bit of ‘personality’ to your bike, then a knitted bike seat cover is a this is a great way to do it.

There are many good reasons to have a personalised knitted bike seat cover….. here are just a few….

It is a great way to keep warm
People will start a conversation with you about your unique bike style
Shows you are a creative, cool and colourful person
Support local artisans and handcraft skills
It a small-scale knitting project for beginners to start practising on
Supporting DIY, recycling and refashioning of materials for innovative purposes
Great way to share your (or friends) knitting skill
Indicates interest areas (pets, hobbies, depends on what you design you have, etc.)
Helps you find your bike quickly and easily at a filled bike rack
Added cushioning support for your tush
Imbue your community with a little more style and fun when riding around
Be a role model for others to be have a more creative approach to bikes
Great for your mental health and happiness – will keep you smiling
They are personalisable – so can be made more playful, cheeky, unusual or unique to suit your taste, aim and styles
If bought, helps support income-generating opportunities (pattern-makers and artists)
Help deter bike theft

Pinterest is full of amazing knitted bike seat designs, colour and ideas (just use keywords as per below)– and you can find all manner and types of bikes seat covers to suit all kinds of styles. Just check out these keywords…

As a sample representative of that vast array of styles available, here is a quick handful of some of the more distinctive bike seat covers to show here… all manner of shapes, patterns and motifs to suit any cycling persuasion or interest.