23 June 2018

No Needles Needed

I believe I've just found the perfect gift "Velouria". 

 If you've been reading this blog, chances are you know her as the author of Lovely Bicycle, on which she posted almost daily for a few years.  We haven't seen much of her lately.  I'm guessing it's because she's engaged in more remunerative work or enjoying marital bliss.


Or, perhaps she's doing a lot of knitting.  Which is why I believe this would right for her.  





A Dutch engineer has recently created the Cyclo-knitter.  It's a bicycle--actually, more like an exercise bike--attached to a loom, which is placed on a wooden tower above the bike.  As you pedal, the fabric cascades from the tower, and in five minutes, you hve a brand-new scarf.


The contraption has been placed on a platform of a Dutch railway station.  As George Barratt-Jones notes in his Mental Floss article, a commuter who has some "down" time on a cold morning can get on the bike, warm him or her self up by pedaling and, after five minutes, have a scarf that will help keep him or her warm for the rest of the day.


Now, I'm not a knitter. But I know a few, including "Velouria", who are.  While some make money from their work, they don't support themselves on it because it takes too much time.  They tell me the knit because they enjoy it and find it "relaxing" or "meditative".  That, I can understand.  Which is the reason why, on second thought, they and "Velouria" might not want the Cyclo-knitter after all--unless, of course, they actually want to make a living as knitters.  What kind of fun would that be?



2 comments:

  1. I was a long time follower, and sometime commenter, on/of Lovely Bicycle, and I miss her postings. I am more than missing her. I am actually worried about her. Her penultimate posting had ominous words about "... nobody expecting the Spanish Inquisition". I fear the worst. I hope she is doing alright. She should know that many people feel like they almost know her, and would like to hear from her.

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  2. Leo--I, too, worry about her sometimes. I tend to worry about people whenever they "disappear."

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