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Int. Yarn Bombing Day – Recap 2

Monday, June 13th, 2011


All photos courtesy of the Knotty Knitters.

The Knotty Knitters in Eugene, Oregon participated in International Yarn Bombing Day. Maiya says:

We Knotty Knitters chose to decorate the Peter DeFazio pedestrian bridge in Alton Baker Park in Eugene. It crosses the beautiful Willamette river and has a lot of foot traffic and bicyclists coming through. Since we decided not to go with a theme this time and allow everyone to knit whatever inspired them, the bridge seemed like a good place to allow different types of yarn bombing.

We decorated the bridge with pom pom garlands, a banner of flags, mushrooms, a snake, a knitted salmon, gnomes, lots of cozies and a bridge railing cozy that was over 50 feet long! Several of our group had to climb up onto the bridge to tag just the right spot. One of our newest members said to me that she was impressed that every single person who walked or rode by gave us positive affirmation. Everyone loved it! The best part was when I was stitching up a cozy, a woman was watching me and suddenly said, “Knit happens, right?” On our identification tags for our yarn bombs we use the slogan Knit Happens. This woman recognized our art! That meant so much more to us than any national or media attention we’ve gotten. To be supported by your community, by your neighbor is an amazing feeling.

We’ve been asked before why we participate in yarn bombing and why we think it’s important. For us, there isn’t a deep meaning. We do it because it’s fun and it makes people happy. We are very lucky that our city has been supportive of us and our installations. Also as a knitter, there is something challenging and interesting about knitting for something public. There are patterns for hats, sweaters and socks but none for bike racks, fences, statues and bridges. Yarn bombing opens up a lot of new opportunities and knitting designs. It allows us to experiment. Colors and textures that you use for a park bench would likely be vastly different from Grandma’s sweater.

We’re serious artists and crafters but we find our yarn bombing impossible to take seriously. Pom poms? Rainbows? Knitted snails? You knit for yourself, but also for many people. By putting art in public you’re forcing people to acknowledge it. This is your opportunity to say something and to do it with yarn. We just want to make people smile.

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Int. Yarn Bombing Day – Recap 1

Sunday, June 12th, 2011


Yarn Bombing by Grandmother’s Legacy, Victoria Canada. Read Michelle’s International Yarn Bombing Day story here and here.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, a host of computer issues prevented me from blogging through International Yarn Bombing Day as I had planned. Today I plan to remedy this problem by posting everything that comes to me until the inbox is empty. Viva world domination! (even if like The Rapture, it comes a day or two later than we expected).


June 11th tree bomb out of knitted scraps by Grandmother’s Legacy.

First of all, if you haven’t yet, be sure to take a look at the official International Yarn Bombing Flickr pool. There is a lot to see!

I’m loving these striped trees, this sweet blue rose, this amazing jumble fence , and of course, these perky monster feet which were inspired by a pattern in our book by Chelsea Gunn.

Rachel from Durham, UK sent me an image of her yarn bomb yesterday and and said:

I am new to yarn bombing but wanted to get involved today. I knew I would be going out for lunch with my girlfriends today, so decided (at the last minute) to bomb the restaurant. So, attached are my pictures of my ‘very hungry caterpillar’ pompom and his apple, left in the restaurant garden. Not sure they’ve noticed it yet!

I was working solo, but my bemused and confused friends stood by me to keep lookout; to take the pictures and to explain to people what was going on. “I think it’s called yarnbobbing” said one to another customer. I’m already planning for next year!

More posts to come later today!

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The Founder of Int. Yarn Bombing Day Speaks!

Friday, June 10th, 2011

I was so pleased to find out that Alberta-based knitter Joann Matvichuk has started International Yarn Bombing Day. Now that knitters and crocheters across the globe are burning through yarn in time for the big day, I thought it was important to ask Joann what inspired her to start the event. She was kind enough to answer my pesky questions.

Tell me about yourself.

I am 44 years old and I live in Lethbridge Alberta Canada

What inspired International Yarn Bombing Day?
I was having some insomnia and was wide awake at three am back in February of this year and I browsing Facebook looking for Yarnbombing pages. With each click I found more and more and they were from all over the place then I wandered over to ravelry.com and did the same in the yarnbomb groups there. That was when I realized that if I could reach out to this vastly growing community that we could all come together and do its thing some of us call graffiti and some call it art all at the same time on one day and that’s when the idea was born. I do my best thinking at 3 am you know. So the next morning I started building the page and would just share my link on Facebook pages and then a while later I started the group on Ravelry.

How did you learn to knit?
My mother taught me the basics when I was a young girl but I was never really interested was more interested in being outside and then when I was pregnant with my first son I got the itch and joined a small group through a friend of mine and the Guru of the group taught me what I needed to know which was how to read a pattern she was also the one who started teaching me how to crochet but I gave up on that soon and then my friend Amy who is one of the Purl Gurls really helped me learn but I still consider myself a beginner.

When did you start yarn bombing?
I started yarnbombing about a year ago now and I started doing it because I liked the things I saw like the Yarn Bombing book it was right up my alley adventurous and quirky and artsy all at the same time.

What will you do being on June 11th?
I will be doing some small installations on June 11th as my posse the Purl Gurls are unable to help but no matter how small I just hope they make someone smile.

Do you have any advice for your fellow yarn bombers?
My advice to those Yarn Bombing on June 11th is enjoy what you’re doing enjoy the thrill have fun spread the yarn love as I would say and above all else be safe if you’re doing it at night or on your own. And be proud of the community that we belong to.

Wise words Joann! Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed. You have inspired a lot of people to participate in the knitted arts this weekend.
—-

For June 11th, I will be working with a small group of Vancouver-based knitters to bomb a local statue and will be blogging all day – posting whatever comes to me in the form of photos and stories. If you want to send me something, please ensure that the files are under 1MB, and you tell me where the yarn bombing was and who to credit and link back to for the photograph. Items can be sent to me at leanne (AT) yarn bombing (DOT) come.

Rumor has it that this week’s TIME magazine has a yarn bombing story in it, so you may want to pick up a copy.

And, there is a documentary team who is also seeking images of whatever you do on June 11th. Here is their official call:
WE WANT YOUR IYBD FOOTAGE! My crew and I can only be in one place at a time, but we want to gather as much footage as possible for an elaborate montage of bombers around the world. If you plan on taking part of any project and plan to have video, pictures, or any other documentation, please send it to us. This is an imparitive part of the film.

Here’s how it works:

- You can upload any materials you have to www.wetransfer.com (up to 2 GB) or www.yourfilelink.com (up to 5GB).
-When upload is complete it will give a link to the file.
-Email this link to freelancelot002@gmail.com.

PLEASE NOTE that even though you retain ownership of all media uploaded, by submitting materials you give the filmmakers full permission to use the media in the film, without compensation. Though we can not pay you for your footage, credit will be given for the work done in the end credits of the film.

Again, this is a call to ANYONE doing some sort of fiber art project on this day. This is your chance to feature your work to the world! Please help us get the word out to all the groups, big and small. http://yarngraffitidocumentary.blogspot.com/2011/06/give-us-your-international-yarn-bombing.html

I’m really excited to see what comes from all this.

Thanks and keep crafting!

Best Regards,
-Sarah

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Sitting and Knitting

Saturday, June 4th, 2011


Photo courtesy of A. Kelly. She says,”I have a yarn bomb to share with you. I bombed one of the mermaids at the local library. Norfolk, VA’s “mascots” are mermaids. There are two mermaids at the local library. I had been saving my odds and ends of yarn for awhile. This is the tackiest cowgirl get-up ever. She has crocheted gauntlets with fringe and stars; a gun belt with a big ole buckle, empty holster and a lasso; a single spur around the base of her tail; and a neckerchief!

Great guns, Amy! This is a fun yarn bomb! Cowgirl mermaids, who would have thought?

——–

On a more serious note, during the past two weeks, I’ve been getting together with other knitters to chat, drink, coffee and to stitch squares in anticipation of International Yarn Bombing Day. While I’ve been doing this, my personal life has become somewhat stormy and big media have been knocking on my (digital) door seeking news stories at a time when I need to take a break. While I’m not one to generally discuss my personal issues in a public forum such as yarnbombing.com, sitting and stitching during these ups and downs have reminded me of what drew me to yarn bombing and knitting in the first place – concentration, companionship, and conversation.

Much of the focus on yarn bombing has been the end product. What was covered? How did it look? How long did it last? I often ask these questions of yarn bombers themselves and I think that June 11th will be a whimsical, magical day where the street textile arts are celebrated worldwide – which makes me so happy. However, I also want to focus on what comes before the yarn bombing. What leads up to June 11th? Lots of sitting. Lots of crochet. Lots of friendship. Lots of new friends.

In the past weeks, I’ve met a fourteen year old boy who loves to crochet and an artistic woman twenty years my senior who has a renegade yarn bombing streak. I had a friend who showed up to knit with me just because she knew that I needed someone there and an old acquaintance who has re-entered my life dazzled me with her creativity. I’ve gotten to know a former co-worker as a whole person away from her day job and I’ve even seen a new side of a family member. All of this in just fourteen days. Yarn bombing really can change your life.

So, this leads me to thanking all of you. Thank you to those who come to visit this blog. Thank you to those who have bought our book. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send a letter or an email with your photos and well wishes. It means more to me than you can imagine.

And so in preparation for June 11th, I am planning to sit and knit some more. If you are in the Vancouver area – there will be two more S&B’s at the Grind Coffee shop – feel free to come knit or just to drop off knitted/crochet squares:

The Grind & Gallery Coffee Bar (in the back room)
4124 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
Third: June 7th, 7-9
Fourth: June 9th, 7-9

If you are interested in knitting squares at home and just want to join in on the yarn bombing on June 11th – we will be bombing around 11 am. Email me at leanne (AT) yarnbombing (DOT) com to find out the location. If you have a ladder that you can lend us – you are especially welcome!

We will also be posting some guest blog posts by other yarn bombers from around the world on June 11th!

(And as always, for those of you who have sent me your wonderful project links, thank you. I seem to always be behind in my email, but eventually I will get back to each and every one of you).

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International Yarn Bombing Day

Sunday, May 15th, 2011


Yarn Bombing in Courtenay, BC by Tricksy Knitting. Photo by Chris Goble.

Did you know that June 11th is the first International Yarn Bombing Day?

This initiative was started by Joann Matvichuk who lives in Lethbridge, Alberta (Canada). The hope is that by having yarn bombers around the world put up pieces of graffiti knitting and crochet on the same day, as a collective group. If you are are a knitter or a crocheter, I hope that you will join others in a day of world yarn domination (one of the main goals behind writing my book Yarn Bombing)!

If you’d like to get involved, there is an informative Facebook group and a website: http://iybd.blogspot.com/. The Ravelry knit graffiti, yarn bombing, and guerilla knitter groups should have local listings as well.

Celebrating International Yarn Bombing Day in YVR
If you are a yarn bomber living in Vancouver, BC, please consider me joining me on Tuesday night to contribute to the cause. I will be knitting tags at:

The Grind & Gallery Coffee Bar (in the back room)
4124 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
First: May 17th, 7-9
Updated: Second knit-in: May 31st, 7-9

Bring your needles or hooks and waste yarn! If you’d like to RSVP via Facebook, please do.

Blogging for International Yarn Bombing Day
And, to celebrate International Yarn Bombing Day – we will be publishing a succession of guest posts on June 11th and 12th by yarn bombers who participated in celebrating the day. Interested in contributing? Drop me a line in the comments below with a link to your blog/twitter feed/internet empire.

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Global Yarn Bombing Round-up

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Canada

Calgary
Congrats to the Calgary Art Bomber and the Happy Hookers for the successful installation of the traffic barrier project this week:

Image courtesy of The Calgary Art Bomber

Downtown Calgary should be looking a lot brighter!

British Columbia
Further west, yarn bombing has appeared in the Ski Resort of SunPeaks, BC:

yarn bombing tree


Image courtesy of JPhotography

California
Down south (from my perspective in Vancouver), the ever intrepid Streetcolor has come up with some beautiful wrapped poles:


Photos courtesy of Streetcolor.

Each of these knit pieces are 30 feet long!

Streetcolor has been decorating museum sites lately – and has been writing some very interesting blog posts. If you haven’t had a chance to visit her blog lately, I would recommend it. And, if you are new to yarn bombing, do not miss her advice for novice yarn bombers.

Germany
Further afield, there has been more yarn bombing in Berlin! This video, sent to me by Miraché, makes me extremely happy: Yarn Bombing in Berlin

She says: ‘A group of Guerilla Knitters which I am part of have recently (31 January to be precise) stormed the U1 in Berlin disguised with knitted beards and armed with knitted cozies, to beautify and soften the harsh interior of the everyday world of commuters. After 3 months of preparation with my Stitch N Bitch group, it took us just an hour to install, and the carriage stayed in circulation until around 15:00, when the BVG security unfortunately cut it all to pieces. Despite making those few employees miserable by giving them extra work, I think we cheered up a fair amount of weary travellers on a gloomy January day!’

I agree – I love the smile on the bewildered passenger’s face in the first minute of the video. See more photos of the installation here.

Morocco
Carole has written to tell me that she has completed her first yarn bombing – in Morocco! This little tag was placed on a telephone in the tiny town of Tiznit. It’s the first time that Carole has knitted in 20 years – I think that the tag is a good return to the knit. Congrats Carole!

Chile
While the earthquake in Japan has been on the forefront of my mind lately as the country has a special kinship with the area of Canada that I live in – Marina has reminded me that Chile is also recovering from the effects of their own natural disaster. In late February, she decorated a building in Santiago which had been torn apart by an 8.8 earthquake to be a sign of hope for renewal and to bring attention to an apartment that was once a home to many people: http://www.revesderecho.com/2011/02/28/yarnbombing-27f/

Moscow
From warm to cold, there has also been some winter yarn bombing in Moscow. This photo was sent in by Наталья Кириллова:

I can’t read Russian, but from what I can tell from their blog – they got up to some woolly madness: http://lunteg.livejournal.com/132994.html Anyone know this statue? It’s time to break out the Google Translate.

Whew – that’s not all, but it is all I’m going to put in this post. Next time – an interview with two artist working with fibre in Seattle!

PS… a Yarn Bombing Festival!

Looking to do some yarn bombing next weekend? If you are close to Daytona Beach, Florida, there will be a community event for fiber enthusiasts:

Saturday, April 9 10 to 3 pm
Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA.

Yarn Bombing by local guerrilla girls – bring your needles and yarn, bring your friends, and join in the fun. Also Sister City poets are participating with a tug ‘o war poetry contest and groups of knitters are coming in from around the area. It’s a free art installation gig! Laughter provided free of charge.

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Hello Spring!

Sunday, March 27th, 2011

For those who have been patiently waiting, more cherry blossom photos:

If you live in the Vancouver area, the tree will be decorated until the first of March. It is located in the back alley of Historic Joy Kogawa House at 1450 West 64th Avenue.


Photos by Jeff Christenson.

A comprehensive set of photos of the day can be seen through photographer Lydia Nagai’s flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lydianagai/sets/72157626101621321

I have also written a guest post for Arsenal Pulp Press about the day which should be posted on their blog soon, and April (April’s Tender Nest) and Monica (
Monica Miller) who attended the event, have both written blog posts about their experience helping us decorate the tree.

Thanks again to everyone who participated – whether it be by decorating or sending in their blossoms. It was a beautiful, awe-inspiring day.

And of course, while our heads have been involved in all things cherry blossom, the world of knit graffiti never sleeps. My in-box is so chock full of good stuff that I’m having a hard time keeping up. If you’ve sent me an email, and I haven’t gotten back to you, I promise another project round-up very soon.

In the meantime, there have been a ton of wonderful large-scale projects that you need to check out immediately, including:

Magda Sayeg’s Stunning 99 Trees in Austin.

Juliana’s charming yarn bombed pot holes in Paris.

And, the yarn bombing of the Blue Line in Philly.

Delighted.

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Calls for Craftiness

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

The mermaid in Stanley ParkThe mermaid in Vancouver’s Stanley Park keeps warm. Photo courtesy of Mary Alice Elcock.

While we’ve been having so much fun working with Historic Joy Kogawa House and putting together their knitted cherry tree, my in-box has been filling up with worthwhile yarn bombing causes. While I promise to post more cherry blossom photos soon, today’s post is dedicated to other projects that you may want to consider getting involved with.

Calling knitters in East Vancouver
I received an email from Craig who is calling guerilla knitters to help save some historic East Vancouver elm trees. He’s hoping to find some interested crafters who would be willing to yarn bomb the trees. He says:

When signs went up along East Sixth Avenue notifying residents of imminent tree removal, the overwhelming sentiment in the area suddenly became akin to a “Nightmare on Elm Street”. Thirty magnificent Siberian Elms, which for over 70 years have defined the character of this East Vancouver neighbourhood, are slated to be fallen. In fact, historic street trees such as these are recognized by the Vancouver Heritage Foundation as one of the city’s top 10 endangered sites. With little consultation by the City to date, residents are calling on the public for support.

Guerilla knitters, you can get involved! Although a second arborist consultation to determine the level of safety and disease of the trees is still impending, meaning the tree trunks and branches cannot be covered entirely, knitters can create locks and chains to adorn the trees, symbolizing that they are not going anywhere anytime soon.

The trees in question are between the 1500 and 2200 block of East Sixth Avenue, between Grandview Highway and Nanaimo. Of the roughly 150 trees present, the 30 speculated for removal are mostly found between Commercial and Victoria drives.

For more information about the cause, visit: http://saveourelms.wordpress.com or http://www.facebook.com/saveourelms

Calgary Art Bombs
The Calgary Art Bomber, who we mentioned a few weeks back, has extended her submission call to March 25th. She needs caps which are knit to be 44″ in circumference and 14″ from top to base. Find out more via her blog at catmap.wordpress.com

Canadians: Vote for an National Guerrilla Knitting Festival
Kelta is political science student at the U of A. She is heavily involved in NGO work and is up for a grant to have a national Guerilla Knitting (or Yarn Bombing ) Festival. The grant is worth $5000 to provide materials, and to pay experts to run public workshops across Canada. Her success relies on voting through Pepsi Refresh. You have to log in to vote for this idea. If you’d like to support her, you can vote here.

An Open Call for Yarn Bombing in Santa Monica, California for locals and international artists.

Official press release details:
A yarn bombing event is in the works for in and around the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, California for June 18th, 2011… This is a two-fold exhibition, and will also include a more traditional wall display inside the gallery. We are looking for all types of yarn art, and encourage both novice and expert crafters with open arms. We’d love to see work that may be humorous, functional, expressive and use unusual materials and/or push the knit/crochet envelope.  Recycled knit and fiber materials are encouraged.

Space is available on a first come first serve basis. We will keep accepting new applications as long as space remains available. A map of reserved sites can be found on http://yarnbombing18th.weebly.com/gallery.html.   We’ll hold monthly stitch ‘n bitch gatherings every 3rd Saturday of the month at the 18th Street Arts Center. Interested parties may claim available spots and propose a site specific project during these meetings. We encourage the participants to share work in progress and exchange ideas, techniques, materials during these meetings.

Out of town/ international applicants – Due to the site specific nature of the work, local participants should visit the space at least once before submitting a proposal.  But exceptions can be made for highly enthusiastic parties who live outside of Southern California but would like to work out a way to participate. We would like the proposal to include a digital image of the location/item you want to tag and a brief paragraph describing your idea. You may visit http://yarnbombing18th.weebly.com/gallery.htmlto view some images of the space for inspiration.

Contact information: Yarnbombing 18th Street, 1653 18th Street, Studio #5
Santa Monica, CA 9040

Email: yarnbombing18@gmail.com Website: http://yarnbombing18th.weebly.com/

Support International Yarn Bombing Day!

Help make International Yarn Bombing Day happen! The Knitting Ninja is promoting June 11th as a day where all things should be knit. Join the facebook group and find out more:

Whew, time to get out the needles and hooks and get to work!

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Blossoms abound

Monday, February 21st, 2011

Photo by Connie Prain

Keep sending in the blossoms! Mandy and I are really excited about the contributions that we have received from makers near and far for our cherry tree project.  (To find out more about the project, visit the Historic Joy Kogawa House website). Every time we open a package of blossoms, we marvel at how unique and special each flower looks. Our contributors have ranged in age from nine to seventy, and it has been such an honour to see so many people contribute to a cause that I think is so worthy. At last count, we had several hundred blossoms, and we think that the tree is going to look beautiful!

We have decided to have one more cherry blossom knit-in/yarn bombing talk here in Vancouver. The event will be held at Vancouver City Hall on Monday, February 28th from 7 pm – 9 pm. Needles and yarn will be provided and we’ll be showing our favourite images of yarn bombing.

Here are the official details:

Knitters to Take Over City Council Chambers

Yarn Bombing Event to Raise Awareness for Historic Joy Kogawa House

When: Monday, February 28, 7 to 9 pm

Where: Council Chambers, Vancouver City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver

You are invited to come and knit or crochet pink blossoms for the Joy Kogawa cherry tree. Meet knit-graffiti  artists Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain, authors of Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, and help them create an art phenomenon at one of Vancouver’s favourite literary landmarks: Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue. Blossoms will be sewn onto the tree on Sunday, March 6, 2 to 3:30pm, and will be in place throughout the month of march. Drop by to help or just to watch the magic happen!

If you are local, we hope to see you on the 28th or on March 6th at the house when we decorate the tree! Rumor has it that some well known Canadian fiction writers will be there to assist us with the decoration.

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Love Not Bombs

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Lovers Lane by the Knitorious M.E.G.

Image provided by The Knitorious M.E.G. with permission.

Every street should be a lover’s lane – a Valentine’s Day knitted wish from the The Knitorious M.E.G in Southeastern Virginia, USA.

Image provided by The Knitorious M.E.G. with permission.

Melissa, a new yarn bomber, also got up around her town with some fuzzy love notes. She says:

‘I’m in a small town and today I went yarn bombing and did quite a few. The first photo was done at an elementary school. This one I was a bit concerned about, it’s on a busy road and halfway through the second heart my old teacher pulled in across the street and started eyeing me up. Everything was okay and I snapped a pic. So then I headed downtown and began hanging up little crocheted hearts anywhere they would go. I hung them around the courthouse, banks, stores, ext.  ‘…So I got some weird looks but all in all my bombing experience wasn’t a bad one…’

In addition to the hearts, Melissa also made some hats. She says that this bombing experience won’t be her last.

Get out your needles and hooks and knit something warm for a loved one – whether they be a friend, lover, relative, kid, pet, or your favorite inanimate object. Wishing you a day full of cinnamon hearts, good cheer, and very few dropped stitches.

Like Melissa’s heart garland? Design Sponge online featured a free pattern for a similar garland last month. This could be a quick and easy way to brighten up somebody’s Valentine Day. Choose someone who might not easily embrace V-Day and spread some handmade goodness.

Valentine’s Day Knit-In in Vancouver

For our February 14th, Mandy and I will be knitting and crocheting more cherry blossoms for Historic Joy Kogawa House with young writing students at Christianne’s Lyceum here in Vancouver.  If you have a young crafter aged nine or up, send them to knit with us – there’s still room in the workshops that run between 9-12 pm and 1-4 pm.


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