What is guerrilla knitting?
Otherwise known as yarn bombing, guerrilla knitting is the act of making an ordinary everyday object look more aesthetically pleasing by covering it in colourful knitting. The aim is to improve the local community by adding this form of art and in the process to create a talking point.
Where did guerrilla knitting originate?
This craze originated in Texas, with a lady called Magda Sayeg. In 2005, she decided to knit a colourful cover for the door handle of her boutique and saw how quickly people noticed it and wanted to create similar items themselves. Before long, word spread and there were groups of guerrilla knitters all over the world.
Can beginners get involved?
There are many ways for beginners to learn how to knit and a knitting kit is one of the simplest ways. Specialists such as www.woolcouturecompany.com/collections/knitting-kits offer an entire range of knitting kits, aimed at all knitters from beginners right through to those with more experience. With so many knitting kits available, including traditional scarves, quirky hot water bottle covers and homewares, there is something for every new guerrilla knitter.
The benefit of guerrilla knitting in the community.
According to the BBC a group of guerrilla knitters or yarn bombers in Leicester decided to decorate trees and lampposts with knitted items to make people feel safer and reduce the fear of crime. Leicester Police even backed the initiative, hoping that it would encourage people to enjoy their local parks. It was suggested that seeing the brightly coloured pom-poms and other knitted items would make residents feel more comfortable and relaxed.
What makes guerrilla knitting groups unique?
Aside from the fact that they focus on making unusual coverings for a whole range of objects like letterboxes, lamp posts and even signs, they are also rather mysterious. A lot of these groups meet up in secret and display their designs under the cover of darkness. It is no wonder that guerrilla knitting has become such a talking point when these works of art appear out of nowhere.
