Random Roundup: Yarn + Biology = Win.

This version of Random Roundup is brought to you by my ecology textbook. I get the feeling it's going to be quite the carbuncle. Lots and lots of studying for that class. For your mini-science lesson today, ecology is a part of biology. Biology studies life and how organisms are formed. Ecology studies how organisms interact with their environment. In case you weren't aware, I'm kind of a biology geek. I adore learning about all the different types of life we can encounter on our pretty planet. I shoot right past adoration and into delighted tremors and squeaks when yarn and biology are combined. Talk about some "lively" crochet fun!! (Nudge, nudge...get it? Biology is the study of life, so "lively" crochet? Eh? Eh?)

Find the original picture here.

1) This first project isn't crochet (gasp!!!!) which I'm willing to overlook because it. is. so. cool. Fungi is my favorite Kingdom, after all. Leigh at BromeLeighad is knitting a different species of mushroom for each week of the year. Her series, 52 forms of fungi, is full of beautiful pictures and nerdy fun. I will be impatiently awaiting each week's installment. It almost makes me want to learn to knit. Almost.

Find the original picture here!

2) Who loves a virus? I do! I do! What's my favorite? This little guy. He's a bacteriophage. Crocheted by Oh Look, It's a Rabbit!, this idea opens up millions of microscopic crochet plushy possibilities.

You can find this picture here!

3) ELINart's etsy shop is full of fuzzy, moldy goodness. She crochets bacteria, lichen, and mold onto all sorts of fun things. I really love this "Moldy Madness" brooch. She's also done petri dish colonies in crochet. So fun!

Original picture here.

 4) Are you in need of a study buddy for your anatomy lessons? Shanell Papp at Bawdy has created that special someone for you! Her crocheted anatomically correct skeleton is sure to help you learn all of the human body's systems. I love the fuzzy green yarn used for the large intestine. Kind of gross in an awesome way. She's got some great pictures of her skeleton on display as well as the organs in jars. Check it out!

Original photo here

5) Last, but surely not least, is the Crochet Coral Reef by Christine Wertheim and Margaret Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring. In honor of the Great Barrier Reef, this project has grown from a coffee table sized reef into several sub-reefs! When I first saw the picture, I didn't realize I was looking at crochet. I would really recommend reading this article if you are a crochet nut, it has some awesome info on hyperbolic crochet, a technique I want to learn more about! You also need to see the rest of the pictures. Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.There's information on how to start your own satellite reef...anyone wanna crochet some coral with me????

That's it for this week! I hope this has got your creative brain mojo brewing! How fun would it be to crochet some of these projects? Any biology related items you'd like to see yarn form? I have attempted a human heart before, but for some reason never finished. I may just have to try it again someday! Even though history is my one true love, teaching science would be too much fun because I could fill up my classroom with crocheted fetal pigs and other icky fun. 

(Insert evil genius laughter here.)