I Sell Fluffy Things



So, dear readers! I have been threatening to do this for - what - over a year now? And at last I am here to annoy you with an announcement of my little side project.

As you might have noticed, there is a new sponsor on the sidebar. And that sponsor is ...me! Well, the knitting version of me, now known as LB Handknits. I will leave you to guess what the LB stands for.

It was nearly 7 years ago now, as longtime readers might recall, that I first began bartering hand-knitted hats for bicycle parts through this blog. That went rather well. So well, that it evolved into a knitting-for-hire side project which, through word of mouth, has grown slowly but steadily over the past few years.

Why knitting?

I love making stuff, not just writing about others making stuff. And while I'm fascinated by things bicycle-related, I am not good at physically working on bikes and never will be. Which is fine, and which is why I admire those who are. I am, however, rather good at knitting. I have been knitting since childhood. I am quick. I can envision a design, pick up two sticks and some wool, and - woosh! - a garment materialises. In our day and age that is a nice skill to have. And it gives me great pleasure to use that skill to create clothing, start to finish, that someone out there will wear the heck out of and enjoy.

If you'd like that someone to be you, you know where to click.

I have tried to keep my prices low, at least to start with. And by low I mean: covering the costs of materials, plus paying myself a not-quite-minimum hourly wage. And while I realise that some will find the resultant price tags unaffordable, I hope in any case you find them fair.

At the moment I have a small selection of ready-made socks and hats up in the shop. All are unisex, all made by me with locally spun Donegal Tweed or Alpaca wool. The temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking properties of the stuff are well known to us cyclists, and my designs aim to maximise these features. Once the things up on the site are sold, they are gone, but others will appear from time to time. I also take custom orders.

For the knitters, there will be patterns added to the site very soon, as well as bits and bobs such as sock blockers and stitch markers down the line (I am working on some exciting collaborations!). Also watch for free tutorials on the LB Handknits blog (ever wanted to hand-knit a tweed jacket? I tried it!), and new photos added to the Look Book every week.

And with that, I end this announcement, which I thank you for enduring, as I also thank those who encouraged me to 'launch' the shop. In launches as such I do not believe, but it's up anyway! If you are looking for some fine handmade woolens for yourself or a loved one, do consider LB Handknits and pay me a visit there.