Since I've caught the knitting bug, I thought it might be a great idea to mention Guerilla Knitting. Also known as "knit graffiti", "yarn bombing", or "yarnstorming". The idea is credited to a group called Knitta Please, which began in Austin, Texas in 2005. However, if you search, you will find there are tons of knit graffiti artists out there, all knitting in the most unusual places.
The founder of Knitta Please and the movement itself, Magda Sayeg, is probably the most famous of them. She continues to inspire me with her touches of "cozy".
The founder of Knitta Please and the movement itself, Magda Sayeg, is probably the most famous of them. She continues to inspire me with her touches of "cozy".
She has knitted sign posts, parking meters, concrete barriers, highway signs, and chess pieces:
One of my favorite projects of hers was this knitted/crocheted bus in Mexico City:
She was also asked to cover the AC ductwork at Etsy's headquarters and knit 318 fence posts under the Williamsburg Bridge, as commissioned by the North Brooklyn Public Art Coalition (NBart):
I was also blown away by this UK-based group, Knit the City:
These hilarious, masked knitters explain "our mission remains the same: to yarnstorm until we can yarnstorm no more or until the needles and hooks are pried from our cold dead hands. Or until it's time for a tea break." Unlike Magda, they wish to remain anonymous. Most likely because not everyone agrees with giant knitted squids placed on the founding fathers of Biology. (But he looks so cute, don't you think?)
The "why" of this artform, like all art, varies from project to project, person to person. But anytime we can add a little "warm and fuzzy" delight to this harsh world, I absolutely welcome it. It is a fun and interesting challenge: what would you knit if you could? Now why not try to?
Magda Sayeg
