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Glasgow Science Center Seeks Knit Germs

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knit microbesThe Glasgow City of Science is attempting to break a world record with a hygiene lesson later this month, but they need some help from knitters in order to do so.

The plan is to involve primary school students across the city and to use knitted microbes such as E. coli, the common cold and swine flu to show how germs are passed from person to person.

With about two weeks left until the planned event, they’re still in need of a lot of wooly germs.

At last check they had just over 700 of the microbes and still needed 980 to meet their goal.

This is probably a shoutout better directed to UK knitters and those in Europe, but if you’ve got a little time and some yarn on your hands in the next few days, why not knit up some microbes to help kids? You’ll be able to say you were part of one of the weirdest knitting-related world records I’ve yet heard of, and that’s saying something.

If you were wondering, the current record for the largest hygiene lesson is held by the Health Protection Agency in England, which included 2,147 students from schools across the UK in a lesson in 2012. The hope is that the Glasgow lesson can include more than 36,000 children at all the primary schools, who will take part in a 40-minute lesson on handwashing and the spread of germs.

Have you ever knit a microbe? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via the Glasgow City of Science.]

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Knit a Spiky Balaclava

Not too long ago my daughter and I had a discussion about what a chestnut really looks like. The nut itself is small and brown, of course, but on the tree they’re covered with this weird kind of spiky, kind of fuzzy shell. It’s a wonder anyone ever figured out they were edible.

If you didn’t know that, you might wonder why this project is call Chestnut balaclava, but now you know.

This fun design from Yevheniia Pyroh is covered with spikes just like a chestnut shell, and is even the same color, though of course you can make yours whatever color you like. It uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together (which it says is fingering weight but you could try a light/DK yarn and see if you get gauge with it if you’d rather).

There are two different design options in the pattern. One is a more fitted balaclava style hat (it doesn’t cover the face but does go around the neck) and a looser fit hood.

It’s worked primarily in garter stitch, with shaping done by knitting and purling in the same stitch and through various decreases (including a knit 3 together).

The pattern is charted but also explained in words. It’s worked flat to the size you want, and then joined into a hood shape with ribbing at the neck. The opening for the face is finished with I-cord.

This hood/balaclava would definitely be a conversation starter and in different colors it might read more dinosaur than chestnut, which could also be fun. The sizing is totally custom so you can make it fit whatever head you’re stitching for.

If you want to try it for yourself (and I’d love to hear about it if you do!) you can download the free pattern from Ravelry.

[Photo: Yevheniia Pyroh]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern [Knitting]