Video: The bike that knits a scarf ... in 5 minutes

A designer in the Netherlands has invented a knitting machine that works through being hooked up to a static bicycle – and can make a complete knitted scarf in just five minutes, thanks to pedal power.

George Barratt-Jones, a student at Design Academy Eindhoven, took the machine – called the Cyclo-Knitter – to teh Duutch city's railway station where passengers waiting for trains could pedal away to make their own scarves, much to their delight.

Cyclo Knitter by George Barratt-Jones from George Barratt-Jones on Vimeo.

He wrote on Imgur: “Imagine it’s the midst of winter. You are cold and bored waiting for your train at the station.

“This pedal powered machine gets you warm by moving, you are making something while you wait and in the end you are left with a free scarf that you can decide to keep yourself or give to someone who needs it more.”

The project started as a college assignment, he explained, “So I decided on making waiting for your train in the winter more enjoyable.”