Wikipedia describes yarn bombing as "a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth rather than paint or chalk." Knitted, crocheted or woven pieces are sewn around inanimate public objects such as bike racks, light poles, telephone boxes and abandoned buses. The purpose is to bring some beauty and wonder into otherwise drab and everyday surroundings. It is less damaging than painted graffiti and costs next to nothing (a pair of scissors and a few minutes work) to be cleaned up and taken away. Some find it to be pointless and no better than any other form of vandalism, but it can be easily argued that it does cause people to stop and take a fresh look at their surroundings. Larger groups such as Knitta Please and Knit the City often do large scale projects, but smaller tags can be easily created and installed by lone artists. This instructable will take you through the basic steps of yarn bombing.
For more information, check http://www.yarnbombing.com, a blog devoted to yarn bombing. There is also a newly published book on the subject called Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti by Arsenal Pulp Press.
For more information, check http://www.yarnbombing.com, a blog devoted to yarn bombing. There is also a newly published book on the subject called Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti by Arsenal Pulp Press.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1: Prep and Knitting
First, figure out where you want to tag. Popular areas are parks, bus stop benches, art and shopping districts and city/town squares. If you're working alone, you may want to start small. Light pole tags and car antenna cozies are small projects that can be amassed quickly over the course of a week or weekend of knitting/crochet.
If you want your tag to look the best, take measurements of what you're going to tag first. You can then use newspaper to cut out a template. When you finish a piece of yarncraft, you can lay it down on the template and see if it will stretch to fit, or if strips or squares need to be knitted up and sewn on to give the tag the proper shape and size.
Then, knit. I like to use simple light post tags to experiment with stitch patterns I've come across. This week I played with diamond and ripple patterns, as well as a thin strip of basketweave stitching.
If you want your tag to look the best, take measurements of what you're going to tag first. You can then use newspaper to cut out a template. When you finish a piece of yarncraft, you can lay it down on the template and see if it will stretch to fit, or if strips or squares need to be knitted up and sewn on to give the tag the proper shape and size.
Then, knit. I like to use simple light post tags to experiment with stitch patterns I've come across. This week I played with diamond and ripple patterns, as well as a thin strip of basketweave stitching.
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
Go to Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Find the Lighthouse museum, Maritime museum and the Docks.
I was like, "Whaaaaaa??? what the heck happened?"
some of the designs were pulled down, but plenty remain!
I personally think that since so many people are moving on from just scrawling their tag on a wall, graffiti is actually positive. It at least makes people less mad at artists who pull stuff like this, which is good.
I think many paint graffiti artists are great artists, but do it in the wrong places, eg somebodies fence..
Thats downright inconsiderate.
This is a little quirky thing that think is bound to lighten many peoples days, and if you have an objection to it being called graffiti, call it people knitting around many inanimate objects. You get extra words to say for objecting.
It made my day.