Take your fiber art to the streets – bus stops, benches, light posts, car bumpers, gardens, playgrounds – you get the idea! (Local ordinances vary, so if you want to yarn bomb in a public space, check your community’s guidelines before you begin! In some areas, yarn bombing is considered vandalism and carries hefty fines. That part would NOT be fun!)
What is yarn bombing?
It’s temporarily covering an object with knitted, crocheted, woven, stitched or wrapped yarn. Who removes it? Sometimes the artist, sometimes an anonymous person, sometimes a local authority. It started as a fun way to bring fiber-y smiles to a community. Some say it started with a local shop stitching a cover for its door handle, then the practice took on a life of its own. Everything from sign posts to trains can (and have) been yarn bombed.
We interviewed Susie Nicholson who enjoys embellishing our world with her yarn bombs. Read through her amazing story of bring joy to people with her crocheting.
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How to make a yarn bomb?
Yarn bombs can be created uniquely for a situation or location, or upcycle a creation from a thrift shop to decorate a tree, fence, building – even a mailbox! Do ask permission before yarn bombing public or private property.
Here are some great ideas to embellish your world with a bit of yarn and color.
Yarn Bombing Inspiration
Whether your knit or crochet, take your needles and hooks to the streets with some yarn bombing street art! Create colorful creations to be enjoyed by all with your talents with yarn.
Yarn bombing can be a personal creation, or create a community activity to dress up part of your town with art made with yarn.
Are you a more private yarn bomber? Blog a la Cart has you covered! She created a Yarn Bombed Stair Rail to brighten her home. She doesn’t have to worry about what will happen to her art when it rains, and it adds fun on the homefront.
This Yarn Bombed Pole from Twilight Taggers is an easy beginning to your yarn bombing career. Not only are there fun tuts for projects, Twilight Taggers guides you through the etiquette of yarn bombing, then how-to tips for installation and take-down.
Vintage crochet potholders piece together to make a funky Tree Sweater! Maggie Overby Studios makes creative use of a thrift store collection that reminds us of a time when handmade potholders such as these could be found in every kitchen. Oh, the chocolate chip cookies that these beauties brought out hot from the oven!
Knits for Life is a collaboration of two yarn bombing street art sisters who take their fabulous fiber creations to public places. Much of their art is full of humor, such as their series of Monster Feet on mailboxes and bus stops. So, are they creating whimsy? You bet!
Love these little Grow Flower Bombs from Julie Measures! Mounted on sticks, you can “plant” the fluff-ball blossoms just about anywhere to brighten a landscape!
Attic 24 has bunches of yarn bombing ideas, including this Flowery Fence. This would be a great group project – everyone make some flowers, then gather to string them together!
Start ’em out young! So easy a 6-year-old can do it! Finger Knit Yarn Bombs are easy for kids to learn, and there are no pokey needles to get in the way. Zing Zing Tree’s instructions are very clear with step-by-step photographs (of small hands at work!) to get the kids started with a quiet indoor or under-a-shady-tree activity.
Have you heard the expression, “Go big or go home”? Five Points Gallery in Torrington, CT, staged a community-wide Torrington Yarn Bomb Yarn Bomb with over 200 locations! But for folks not quite up to yarn bombing a bridge, there were plenty of smaller projects available.
Do you need permission to yarn bomb?
It’s a good idea to check with whoever owns the property that you plan on yarn bombing. If not, they might take all of your hard work and art down soon after you install your colorful yarn decorations.
What’s the point of yarn bombing?
Yarn bombing started to bring attention to fiber arts and how knitting and crocheting is more than making clothes, hats and gloves. Fiber art can decorate our towns and communities, as well as our bodies.
Does yarn bombing damage trees?
Generally, the yarn stretches with tree growth or rots away over time and doesn’t damage trees. Just like all outdoor art installations, yarn bombing should be maintained to keep its fresh and colorful look.
How do you wrap the yarn pieces around the trees?
This is a project best suited for two or more people, unless the tree is fairly small in diameter. Prepare your knitted or crocheted piece. You can sew together several pieces or make one large piece that fits around the diameter of the tree or pole. Then, holding the ends together, stitch or crochet the piece around the tree.
Are you now hooked (Ha! See what I did there?) on yarn bombing? In addition to the awesome projects in this post, creative yarn bombers have shared their ideas and experiences in a bunch of yarn bombing books on Amazon. So have fun browsing!
Check out all of our knitting projects and inspiration on Create Whimsy!
