Monday, April 30, 2012

Y is for Yarn Bomb!




I am a defender of all things crochet.

So, when the subject of toilet paper covers came up at the knitting group (actually, today) I cringed.

Okay, I understand that some crocheters of yore have made some unfortunate choices, thereby tainting the reputation of the entire art of crocheting established by my Irish ancestors (along with some other people).    I might add that these hard working Irish women also contributed to the support of their families during some pretty trying times in Ireland...

Still, it's hard to get the craft's dignity back after some of those poodle themed items surface in movies and such, depicting individuals sorely lacking taste and style.

But, thanks to some amazing crocheting graffiti artists, also known as "Yarn Bombers", the cool is back in crochet!  Of course, yarn bombers are knitters too, but knitters on the whole have a more pristine image, and generally don't need the publicity.

Yarn bombers create fantastic urban art - like the crocheted tree cozy pictured above.  They have been known to cover city buses and even an army tank in well fitting outfits that can't help but bring a smile to your face.

Have you ever been surprised by art in the city?



12 comments:

Dana said...

I love the tree cozy! I've never seen anything like it before.

LOL @ toilet paper covers! Fun post. :)

Ella said...

How amazing is this? I want to see a whole park with rainbow tree cozies!
:D

Cheryl Klarich said...

Dana! I love it too! If you google "yarn bomb" you can see more of what they do...

Hi Ella!! I'm glad it caught your imagination!! ;)
Have a wonderful, colorful day!

Rachna Chhabria said...

Yarn Bomb, sounds cool. I have never got the hang of crochet even though my mom tried like mad to teach me :(

Anonymous said...

I'm not very good at crocheting. My grandmother tried to teach me many years ago. I'm okay at knitting.

That tree cozy is so cool! I think it would be fun to see a tree like that everyday. So festive. : )

Cheryl Klarich said...

Hi Rachna!
Crocheting can be frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, it makes sense???

Susanne, I'm not very good at it either... the good thing is, if you make a mistake it's easy to rip out! :)

Robyn Campbell said...

What an awesome tree cozy! Yarn bombers sound bodacious, Cheryl. What beautiful art. (I'm Irish too, so I'm gettin' your crocheting frenzy!) We were surprised by a painting on the wall in the town square. It looked exactly like the ton square! Beautiful. And in the Keys there are tons of beautiful paintings on seashells. *waving*

Unknown said...

Yarn Bombs! Haha!

How creative!

Cheryl Klarich said...

Hey Robyn! You're a crocheter?? The town square painting sounds terrific... do they paint actual seashells and just leave them around?

Elsa!! Hi! Reminds me of the Chihuly exhibit at the Botanical Gardens!!

Gina Gao said...

This is so amazing! Thanks for posting.

www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

Michelle Wallace said...

Wow, that is gorgeous!
I also love crochet work, but haven't done any in ages... surprised to discover the craft has Irish origins... I never knew that! Thanks for the education!

RobinSparkles said...

Hiya,

I love your post on yarn bombing, I to have written a blog on yarn bombing and would love if you could check it out :0)

http://robinsparkles1.blogspot.co.uk/