Purls Gone Wild: Yarn Bombers On The Loose!

Knitting is certainly not your sedate grandma’s craft anymore – at least when it comes to the actions of yarn bombers.  Those artistic vandals who take to the streets, wrapping concrete and metal structures in brightly colored knitted sweaters and wraps.  Called a more feminine version of street art or graffiti, the work of yarn bombers has shown up on lampposts, bicycle racks, hydrants, mail boxes and statues in many urban landscapes across the globe.

I am of two minds on this.  I kind of like the cheerfulness of it all, and the burgeoning attention paid to an otherwise staid-seeming craft.  It would be kind of cool to come across one of these creations.  On the other hand, I hate to see all that hard work (let’s face it, knitting is a lot of work) dissolve and fray in a matter of weeks.  I would be sobbing!  And yes, it is considered vandalism or littering.

It’s kind of funny how, in the past decade or so, knitters have been wanting to push the edge of the craft.  I remember several years back when I was visiting my local yarn shop, the owner asked me if I would like to join the shop’s Stitch ‘n Bitch group.  I politely declined.  Nothing sounded more horrifying to me than to sit and knit with a bunch of bitching ladies!  Maybe they didn’t really bitch; it was probably lively conversation, but the group name did give me pause.

You see, I guess I am one of those more meditative knitters.  I like to knit alone, lost in thought.  Anything I knit is made to last, and I appreciate those vintage knitted creations that others have made and have survived the years.

So, you’ll never see me yarn bombing anything!  I value the staid, stuffiness of knitting.  I think Grandma had it just right. 🙂

~Marilyn Huttunen