Wind-powered machine knits scarves sustainably

We’ve seen wind power harnessed for many purposes, but until recently, knitting hadn’t been one of them. Enter the Wind Knitting Factory, a creation from London-based Dutch designer Merel Karhof that harnesses the wind to knit a continuous series of winter scarves. Powered by a 1.2-meter windmill, the Wind Knitting Factory made its debut as part of a Royal College of Art exhibition. There it was installed on the college’s façade, where passing winds caused the resulting knitted product to move through a window and into the building’s interior. From time to time the knitted yarn was harvested and rounded off into individual, 2-meter scarves, each labeled with a date and a description of how long it took to create. Since its debut, the device has appeared at numerous other design shows, including last month’s Object Rotterdam 2011. A video on YouTube demonstrates the Wind Knitting Factory in action. Karhof’s innovation reminds us in some ways of the Firewinder, an outdoor device that converts wind into decorative light. Whether it’s powering consumers’ cellphones, homes, or aesthetic needs, there appears to be no end to the wind-based possibilities. Be inspired! (Related: Wind-energy mapping tool now covers the world.) Spotted by: Sheila Wigman