I learned about the phenomena of yarn bombing after someone knitted a sweater onto a tree outside my local library.
More research led me to images of fabulous examples of the renegade knitting including the example below of the artist Olek’s work in Washington, DC.
Several weeks later, the yarn bombing in my home town continued when a scarf appeared on our rooster statue, (Why is there a rooster statue in Takoma Park, MD? Click here.) and knit caps adorned a number of metal posts in the downtown area.
I found out the bombing was orchestrated by Laura Barclay of the Old Town Takoma Business Association. I asked her some questions about it.
Why did you organize yarn bombing in Takoma Park?
I am always looking for ways to attract visitors to Old Takoma. I thought that this idea would be well-received by the community – something playful, artistic and unexpected. I wanted to create something for people to talk about and offer another reason to visit Old Takoma.
How many times have you and your cadre of knitting renegades yarn bombed the city?
This group just yarn bombed Old Takoma for this project, but a couple of our graffiti knitters also left their mark on a tree at the Takoma Park Library last year. They had a few tips and tricks to share with the group like how to keep stretchy yarn creations from falling off inanimate objects and what kind of dark clothing works best when sneaking around town at night.
When did you first hear about yarn bombing?
On Facebook – there was this amazing photo of a bus completely engulfed in “a sweater.” It was so bright and colorful and screamed Takoma Park to me.
What sort of feedback have you heard about the yarn bombing?
Lots of positive feedback. Also, the fact that some of the hats are missing, the group thinks that maybe they were a little too well-received. Maybe as the weather warms up, we will get some of them back.
Do you have plans for more “attacks” in the future?
Hmmm…I think that you may have to wait and see.
