Friday Feature: Yarnbombing

Last spring, one of the television shows I enjoyed watching was The Village, which revolved around the lives of the residents in a Brooklyn apartment building. The Village was loaded with my favorite ingredient in a television show or movie.

Characters I cared about. 

Early in the first episode, teenaged Katie uses yarn to create a heart on a fence around a construction site. Until today, I didn't know there was a name -- several, in fact -- for the street art that Katie was creating.

Yarnbombing. Or graffiti knitting. Or urban crocheting. Or one of several other names. 

Unbeknownst to me, yarnbombing, the subject of a 2015 TED Talk, has been around for a while, gracing everything from trees and parking meters to buses and even a tank. It's not just a U.S. phenomenon either; London's Knit the City is a yarnbombing collective founded by Lauren O'Farell. 

While many appreciate the color and beauty of this textile-based street art, others have concerns. What happens to the knitting/crocheting over time, for example? Is the addition of yarn to tree branches good for the trees? Is this art, a subversive movement or both?

As with many other things, it depends on whom you ask, and the intention behind the person creating the art. Still, it's a fascinating concept -- parking meters with custom-made sweaters and cracks in the pavement with colorful yarn filler certain add color and spark conversation.

Want to know more (and see some photos?) Check out this article from Widewalls.