knitted walking stick cozy

If you regularly use a cane or crutches, you know how ugly and boring the appearance of most mobility devices can be. Here's a fabulous solution: knit a cozy for your walking stick! I've often wished my plain black crutches were more exciting, but didn't want to commit to a vibrant colour and pattern for every day. Now I'm going to have to design a cover -- or several.

While browsing recent posts in LiveJournal's knitting community, I ran across an entry showing this colourful cozy made of self-striping sock yarn by felixbadanimal. A commenter provided a link, and so I discovered that there is a contest taking place. The Missability Radio Show is hosting the The Knitted Walking Stick Cosy Competition 2007. I'm pleased to see that crocheted entries are welcome too. The contest entries and related materials will be publicly displayed in Oxford this September. View the site for full details.

The Missability Radio Show is a U.K. podcast described as a "blend of whimsy, social questioning, common sense and craft," with a focus on disability equipment and DIY customization thereof. I'm delighted to find this site, and I welcome the opportunity to connect with other crafty/DIY types with disabilities. And I'm already thinking of ways to dress up my crutches for special occasions.

[NOTE: I posted a version of this article on Crafty Crafty.]