You can be part of a yarnbomb!

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Pattern, Yarnbombing

Tags

crochet, crochet applique, Surbiton Food Festival, Yarnbomb, yarnstorm

You know you want to!

All you have to do is crochet a piece of fruit and post it to me. No measurements to take, no getting onto ladders, no braving the elements to put up the yarnbomb. You dont even have to find a pattern, I’ll supply you with one. Just raid your stash, hook and go to the post office. Are you in? Want to know more?

The yarnbomb is for Surbiton’s first annual Food Festival from 4 to 19 May 2013. The organisers contacted Bobi of The Craft Inn to do the marketing for the festival and being a crafter extrodinaire she immediately thought of a craftbomb. My Thames Ditton yarnbombs (here, here and here) caught her attention so she asked me if I wanted to be part of this great crafty endeavour. Of course I said yes!

I don’t want to tell you exactly what I’m planning or how I’m going to use your fruit, but I can tell you that I need to cover a lot of space. I need a lot, or big pieces, of crochet. All before 29 March.

This is where you come in. It would be great if my blog buddies from all over the world could be part of the yarnbomb. A multi-national fruit salad for Surbiton!

As I receive your pieces I’ll give you credit on this blog ~~and if you include a business card, I will attach it to one of your fruit as well~~ . Due to a change of venue I will no longer be able to attach business cards to the crochet.

As for the pattern, you can find it here: Fruit crochet for Surbiton Food Festival (the link will open a PDF document). The pattern is in fact four crochet fruit coaster patterns, all courtesy of Louise Howe of the Lally Lou Lou blog, that I just put together in one document. Louise’s original patterns can be found here and here. Thank you so, so, so much Louise for agreeing to me using your fruit coasters for the yarnbomb. Dear readers, Louise has also promised to send me a couple of apples, pears and strawberries to use in the yarnbomb. It’s only right that the designer should have her handiwork included in the yarnbomb, don’t you think?

These are the fruit that I’ve made so far. I used Double Knit, Aran and Chunky yarn. I think towards the deadline of 29 March I’ll probably be sticking to only Chunky yarn as it works up so quickly.

The orange was made using Double Knit cotton and a 4 mm crochet hook:

Sliced in half apple in Chunky with a 7 mm crochet hook (and a dodgy uneven backstitch):

Apple in Chunky with a 7 mm crochet hook:

Strawberry in Aran cotton and a 5 mm crochet hook. There is a combination of white french knots and two straight stitches to indicate the strawberry hairs. After three french knots I gave up and stuck to the straight stitches:

Pear in Aran cotton and a 5 mm crochet hook. Later I realised that the pear looks more like a pear if the leaf is at the top of the stem (the way Louise does it), not the bottom :

I just want to stress that (if you haven’t already gathered this from my backstitch, strawberry hairs and pear leaf mistakes) the fruit doesn’t have to be perfect. Honestly, it’s just a bit of fun (I can hear Uncle Bryn‘s voice in my head as I’m typing here). The yarnbomb will be outside during the British Month Of April and when all the pieces of crochet are put together no-one will notice mistakes, so just enjoy it.

And of course you can send me any crocheted fruit, you don’t have to use Louise’s pattern. In fact, I hope someone will send me something different. The multi-national fruit salad could do with lemon, lime, cherry and banana.

When you’re ready to post me your crocheted fruit, send me a message and I will email you my address. The yarnbomb will be going up over the Easter weekend, and I need time to do my thing to turn the pieces into a workable yarnbomb, so I need your fruit before 22 March 2013 please.

I’m really looking forward to receiving your yarnbomb contributions. Remember, every time you finish a piece of crocheted fruit, it counts as one of your five a day. Fact.

02 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings, Other people's crochet, Yarnbombing

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Market Rasen, Plank 2013

My contribution to Plank 2013 is the striped piece on the pole to the left of the Town Map. I’m so happy to be part of this huge Yarnbomb!

CAROL PARKER - social artist, supported with funding from Arts Council England, The Heritage Lottery, Cultural Olympiad 2012 and a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company

I made an early start and got to Market Rasen for 10am. Amazingly no rain, wind, ice or snow, so spent a pleasant day sewing on all the knitted contributions (with only one coffee and cake break).

Took some pics so you can all enjoy the installation even if you can’t get to Market Rasen. Very many thanks to all those who contributed and special thanks to Alison who did the beautiful ‘plank’ pieces and stayed to help me put the rest up, a real star.

I’m not going to thank everyone by name as I know I’ll forget someone….but you are all very lovely and anytime you need some knitting done let me know! x

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18 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by Natasja in My ramblings, Yarnbombing

≈ 4 Comments

You too can be part of this great Arts & Crafts Festival in Lincolnshire. I’ll be hooking up some stripes this weekend. Why not join us?!

CAROL PARKER - social artist, supported with funding from Arts Council England, The Heritage Lottery, Cultural Olympiad 2012 and a bursary from a-n The Artist Information Company

CALL OUT FOR ALL KNIT & CROCHET LOVERS….

‘Plank 2013’ Yarnbomb installation – Market Rasen MR BIG Arts & Crafts Festival 2 Feb-2 March.

Below is an introduction to the Festival. I’m hoping to create a colourful knitted display in the town centre. MR BIG has done amazing work to bring the community of Market Rasen together.

The kinds of things that will be available to be decorated are: lamposts, bench seats, bollards, images and measurements available if you email me. Anything with stripes would be fantastic. Oh and in case you’re wondering, the ‘Rasen’ of Market Rasen comes from an Anglo Saxon word meaning ‘planks’ hence the title of the festival!

If you would rather go ‘off piste’, there’s a tree to hang things from and countless shop door handles that would love to be adorned with knitted treasures!

Finally….thanks so much for taking part and please…

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The biggest yarnbombed tree in South Africa

05 Wednesday Dec 2012

Posted by Natasja in Other people's crochet, Yarnbombing

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I was sent these photos by Leigh Ann, who lives in South Africa, of a huge yarnbombed Jacaranda tree. Leigh Ann says the tree was featured on South African TV and this photo is the article in the Tribune newspaper.

Hillcrest aids centre tree yarnbomb

Isn’t it fantastic? And best of all it’s made up of granny squares!

The tree was revealed on 1 December 2012, as part of Hillcrest Aids Centre World Aids Day event.

The yarnbombing was the idea of Woza Moya’s art co-ordinator. Woza Moya is an income-generation project of the Hillcrest AIDS Centre Trust (HACT). The project’s main aim is to teach craft skills to individuals affected/infected by HIV/AIDS through the production and sale of beaded items, ceramics, wirework, crochet work and fabric painting. Ten to 15 families are supported with this project.

This is a quote from the letter written on their Facebook page:

We have so far “Yarn Bombed” a restaurant , a campus and by the end of the month we will have yarn bombed a corporate foyer. We will have a yarn bomb unit on standby for your next event that needs a splash of colour. Jess the Yarn bomb co-ordinator met with old age homes in the community, wool shops and quilting guilds, many of whom gave their support. … Our tree will be a symbol of hope for those living with HIV and a reminder for those who haven’t bought an AIDs ribbon for a long time.

I love, love, love that they have a yarn bomb unit on standby. How great is that!

In preparation for the big reveal on 1 December, they had to start sewing the grannies onto the tree on the 26th November… with the help of a crane!

Yarnbomb

This is the end result. Isn’t it amazing?!

yarnbomb tree hillcrest aids centre

Hillcrest aids centre yarnbomb tree

Public displays of craft (oooh, that’s a great way of saying Yarnbombing) can really bring communities together, raise awareness for a cause and of course bring colour and pattern to any space. Got to love it.

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by Natasja in My ramblings, Yarnbombing

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Yarnbomb, yarnstorm

Yarnbomb an entire city! This makes my three yarnbombs in our village, seem really insignificant. Spread the wooly love!!!!

Streetcolor

This is the 18th Century staircase of the Palazza Ducale , – yarnbombed by the Argentinian artist Licia Santuz as the prelude for the yarnbombing of the entire city of Genova Italy . Nov 15 2012

So this is the plan – in March 2013 the entire port city of Genova will be yarnbombed or as they say in Italy ” bombarded with yarn ” . The city has set up more than a hundred different locations for people to meet and knit – including libraries , senior homes , civil service buildings , youth organizations and even a prison . A prison ! Oh I’d love to see the prisoners yarnbombing.

It’s expected that hundreds , probably thousands of people will participate . The stated goal is to overcome discord between many different generations and use yarnbombing as a method to weave them all together . And the prisoners…

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Yarnbombing a tree in Thames Ditton

18 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Yarnbombing

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Thames Ditton, Yarnbomb, yarnstorm

Another yarnbomb for Thames Ditton!

This time I covered a tree at the roundabout of Speer and Summer Roads. I love how it turned out!!!

The colours turned out to be a very wise choice. It really pops. What looks like a white horizontal border from afar, is actually a light mint green.

I wanted to make a big impact. The initial idea was to do three trees, each in a different colour, later evolving to a an idea for one tree covered from leaf to root in different pieces of crochet, but in the end I settled for this. Once I started work on the first “tree scarf” as Hubby likes to call it, I realised it was going to take a very long time (those trees are more than a meter in diameter!) so I changed my mind I did one tree in three colours.

I was also conscious of the fact that people will probably try to pull/tear/damage my crochet, as proven by the then nine, now four squares at Thames Ditton station. For this reason I attached my yarnbomb as high as possible to the tree. Stand-on-a-ladder high!

The scalloped edge won’t be visible if you drive past, but if you walk, you can appreciate the frilly, feminine, touch.

I really, really, like how this yarnbomb turned out. Can you tell?

I would have loved to cover the whole tree trunk in a beautiful piece of crochet but it’s just sooooo heart breaking for me when I see my crochet damaged. I had to think practical (as practical as any person who crochets coverings for a tree would think) and “held back” on the creativity in order that the one piece I did do, would stay put.

I actually said to my husband “I don’t want my crochet to get hurt”. Only when I had said those words did I realise how I truly felt about my yarnbombing. Every stitch is a little part of me. All I want to do is spread joy and cheer, so when someone removes or damages my crochet it really does hurt.

I’m a yarnbomber and proud of it.

Yarnbombing in Thames Ditton. Again.

14 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, Yarnbombing

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Instagram, Yarnbomb, yarnstorm

I did it again! Another yarnbomb for Thames Ditton. I had such a great response from the squares at the station, I just had to do another.

This time I chose to beautify the bench in front of the Summer Road Recreation Ground. I did my measuring on Friday, crocheted the “leg warmers” on Saturday and sewed them onto the slats on Sunday afternoon.

The slats are 4.5cm in circumference. To make the crochet strips 4.5cm wide I chained 21, starting the DC in the 3rd chain from the hook, and did 28 rows of DC. I only used warm shades of Stylecraft Special DK, starting with yellow and ending in a maroon & bright red stripe.

Hubby was the willing accomplice (or as he thought of himself – my bodyguard) and photographer.

The autumn sun shining down on the bright yarn, really makes it sing don’t you think?

I truly hope the park users will enjoy the new and improved bench.

I’m not planning another yarnbomb in Thames Ditton until later in Autumn when the trees (actually, one specific tree) has lost all its leaves 😉 Fear not, I will strike again!

Update on the Station Road / Speer Road fence: two of the squares have been removed and one torn. It’s sad, and mind-boggling to me, that someone would take the time to cut through cable ties to remove something that’s only purpose in life is to be pretty. Let’s hope the remaining seven squares, and the park bench yarnbombing, will stay put.

Yarnbombing in Thames Ditton

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Natasja in My crochet, My ramblings, Yarnbombing

≈ 36 Comments

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Thames Ditton, yarnstorm

I did it! I did my first yarnbomb!!!!

I staked out my corner on Wednesday morning and planned the yarn attack all day Wednesday.

Wednesday evening I returned to measure the ~~location of the attack~~ fence. Measure is probably too technical a term: I put my hand horizontally next to the fence and took a photo, and stood next to the fence, making a note of where the top of the fence reached in relation to my body. When I got home I measured those distances et voila: I needed nine 10cm x 10cm squares. (Might I just add that I did the measuring when everyone from the 18:06 from Waterloo had left the station area so as to not draw too much attention. Yes, that’s right. I didn’t want to draw attention to the 2 minutes of measuring …… for a yarnbomb… using nine crochet squares… to be attached in daylight… on a Saturday… on a busy street corner. Sometimes even I have to shake my head.)

The look I was going for with this yarnbomb, was a zig zag design of floating brightly coloured squares, giving a stained glass window effect to the metal fence. I think I achieved this. Sort of.

As I wanted the squares to appear to be floating, I didn’t use yarn to sew them to the railings, but in stead used cable ties. It worked brilliantly! As a bonus the squares won’t slide down the metal when they get wet, so my squares will stay put.

The pattern is “Circle in a Square” from Jan Eaton’s 200 Crochet Blocks, but only did rounds 1 to 5. All the squares are done in Stylecraft Special DK with a 4mm crochet hook.

My ~~willing accomplice~~ lovely friend, Liezel, joined me on Saturday to attach the nine squares and to ~~get evidence~~ take photos of the guerilla crochet. It was so much fun! And such an adrenaline rush! Carrying cable ties and side cutters in your handbag tend to do that.

We weren’t doing anything illegal and we did it in the light of day, but it still felt sneaky and rebellious (says she who’s biggest act of rebellion to date was wearing a rub-on tattoo on holiday last year.)

I really hope people will enjoy the nine little pops of colour on their way to and from Thames Ditton station. If it makes just one person smile, that will make me smile.