BURLINGTON, Vt. -
Emily Stoneking takes her patients seriously. And although none of them are hurt in the making, none of them survive either.
It's operation aKNITomy. "I've always been interested in the place that art and science intersect," Stoneking said.
She started the knitted dissection business six years ago and has sold close to 1,000 lab patients since. "It's visually arresting -- it stops you in your tracks and you have to figure out what it is and why it is," she said.
It's a business that spun out of her love for science and knitting, but Stoneking didn't always crank out guts and blood. She first started knitting hats and scarves. Once that got old her hobby took a twisted turn, with help from her science-loving husband. From frogs, to mutant frogs, to everything laid out on a silver platter. "It's this weird juxtaposition of something gross and something comforting and familiar," she said.
Stoneking knits everything from bats and rats to earthworms and frogs -- all cut open -- revealing their innards.
Although most of her creations are pretty accurate representations, there is some creative license involved every now and again. Exhibit A: The Easter Bunny. Exhibit B: An alien.
"It's a good way for people to get involved with the anatomy idea without harming any animals," Stoneking said.
For $115 you too can have your very own dissected creature packaged, without any formaldehyde or traumatizing biology class memories. "It turns out there's a lot of people in the world who love it -- much to my mothers surprise. She still doesn't believe I get real orders," she said.
Opening minds to the anatomy of art -- and it's Made in Vermont.
