Yarnbombing

Photo courtesy of Barb Pearson and The Reach

As I mentioned last week, Mandy and I will be in Abbotsford tomorrow taking about our book and yarn graffiti. Here is the official press release:

The Art of Knit Graffiti
With Leanne Prain & Mandy Moore
Sunday, May 31 1–3 pm $16/1 session

The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford
32388 Veterans Way

Just what is yarn-bombing? Tea cosies on buses, park bench warmers, toques for fire hydrants? Writers Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore are not only engaged in this worldwide phenomenon, they are writing a book on the subject entitled Yarn Bombing: The Art of Knit Graffiti scheduled for released this fall by Arsenal Press. They will be presenting some excerpts from the book, Sunday May 31 at 1 pm at the Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford.

Mention knitting and a lot of people think grandma’s knitting basket and cozy afghans but the practice of “yarn bombing,” takes it to a whole other level. The process involves bedecking public space in fibred splendour, photographing your tag and posting on the internet. It’s hard not to get all warm and fuzzy when confronted by a piece of yarn art – and you don’t have to paint over it.

Prain says “There are quite a few people who do this who consider themselves craftivists. They show themselves as activists through something that is handmade” The craftivists’ manifesto, according to Moore and Prain, is “world yarn domination.” They blog about knit graffiti at her site www.yarnbombing.com. The two have interviewed yarn bombers from the Netherlands to Texas. In addition to interviews the book will contain patterns for yarn bombing.

Local artist Barb Pearson will also be on hand to show some basic knit and crochet stitches to get you started. Find out how to get involved in an upcoming community project planned by The Reach. For more information please call The Reach at 604-864-8087 or email kwahamaa@thereach.ca

Tags: Abbotsford, Barb Pearson, The Reach

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at 11:28 am and is filed under Artist talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.