Bike-Driven Scarf Knitter Is An Accessory To Warmth

Despite all our technological achievements, humans still spend a lot of time waiting around for trains. Add a stiff winter breeze to the injury of commuting, and you’ve got a classic recipe for misery. [George Barratt-Jones] decided to inject some warmth into this scene by inviting people to knit a free scarf for themselves by riding a bike.

All a person has to do is ride the Cyclo-Knitter for five minutes and marvel at their handiwork. By the time the scarf is finished, they’ve cycled past being cold, and they have something to hold in the warmth. Cyclo-Knitter is essentially an Addi Express knitting machine being belt-driven by a stationary bike. Power is transferred from the bike through large, handmade wooden gears using old bike tire inner tubes as belts. [George] built a wooden tower to hold the machine and give the growing scarf a protected space to dangle.

We love the utility of this project as much as the joy it inspires in everyone who tries it. Check out their scarves and their reactions after the break. We haven’t seen people this happy to see something they weren’t expecting since that billboard that kills Zika mosquitoes.

Via [r/woodworking]

25 thoughts on “Bike-Driven Scarf Knitter Is An Accessory To Warmth

    1. Human decency? So, nothing I guess… Except maybe the guy standing next to it, nothing will ever prevent anyone of destroying/damaging anything. But yeah, those thin pieces of wood would be so easy to kick through tough.

    1. If you watched the video you’d see everyone was wearing clothes for cold weather, if you went to the vimeo page you’d see it’s four months old.
      Perfect weather for scarves.

  1. I’m a knitting and a “maker” (redundant) and I love to see projects like this. I continue to hand knit but I love to see it mixed creatively to allow people to connect to making their products again. A related talk that is another example of knitting and technology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xoowbbzxTA

    What could happen if you managed to program that machine to print two coloured and patterned scarves! Great post.

  2. Time to update the health clubs. Awesome business model. I charge my customers to use the equipment to exercise and run a knitting company out of the backroom. My customers do all the work for me!!! BRILLIANT.

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