St. Petersburg,  Florida -- Crochet sea creatures swim, crawl and creep in a nautical environment created completely out of yarn.

The exhibit, named appropriately enough, Crochet Coral Reef is featured at the Florida Craftsmen Gallery in Downtown St. Petersburg.

Photo Gallery: Crochet Coral Reef exhibit

The installation began in January and 296 people from around the world have stitched together their own piece of art to add to the colorful and imaginary ecosystem.

The exhibit is part of a worldwide project called the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project started by two twin sisters who wanted to focus both on art and awareness.

That's why on Monday, Aug. 20, the Florida Craftsmen Gallery will host a Science Cafe event featured by The Pier Aquarium.

 Dr. Pam Muller, a professor of Biogeological Oceanography at the University of South Florida, will discuss the plight of the reef and ways to preserve the fragile environment.

The Florida Craftsmen Gallery is a non-profit organization that features artist from around the state.

Crochet Coral Reef will run for a couple more weeks but if you'd like to build a little reef of your own, pieces go on sale starting September 1st and range in price from $3.00 to $8.00.

If you'd like to attend the Science Cafe, be sure to RSVP by visiting thepieraquarium.com.