Yarn on and dust off those ninja slippers; yarnbombing has taken over

Yarnbombing, guerrilla knitting, whatever you choose to call it, is hitting a city near you. To put it simply, it is the act of covering outdoor objects with knitted or crocheted happiness while employing a stealth-like manner. From signposts to statues, nothing is safe from yarnbombers, as Guardian.co.uk journalist, Maddy Costa found out after spending an afternoon with Knit in the City, a London-based outfit with the aim of covering the city in yarn.

Yarnbombing is quite a new concept, born out of Texas by a crafty lady named Magda Sayeg. She started wrapping small objects in her life with her knitting and eventually, Knitta Please was born. She has travelled abroad, encasing the world in yarn, including our own National Gallery in Canberra during the Soft Sculpture exhibition in April 2009. The movement has taken off and items the world over are being covered in wool over night by crafty ninjas.

Craft — including crochet — has experienced a rebirth in the last few years. It has acquired a reputation with an indie appeal, with many web sites dedicated to creative ideas ranging from the quirky to the extremely bizarre. Craft has taken much from popular culture, adopting styles and inspiration from music, movies and cartoons. Arts & crafts class has been given more than just a face-lift. It has been stripped down, reshaped, and repackaged into a global phenomenon. Maddy Costa quotes Sayeg on yarnbombing and the effect it has on crafty types, ‘It has inspired them to do something beyond the functional.’

Yarnbombers are one group among many who are revolutionising craft, bringing it into the global spotlight for all to enjoy (and take part in). Crochet is as much a part of the yarnbombing movement as is knitting. As long as you have a ball of yarn and some inspiration, you are good to go.

Read Maddy Costa’s full article at Guardian.co.uk.