Yarn Bombing of Olympic Proportions

This photo is from the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.  If you look closely, you’ll see that the front columns have been yarn bombed.

The project entitled K2TOG (Knit 2 Together),  is meant to welcome the US and Jamaican track and field teams who were training in Birmingham for the Olympics.  It features columns in Red/White/Blue and Black/Yellow/Green to represent each of the countries’ flags.  Sponsored by the group Stitches and Hos, the installation features the work of more than 400 volunteer artists, and will remain in tact until the end of September.

To see more photos and the history of the installation, visit the K2TOG site HERE

Spinning Dog Fur?

I came across a really interesting article this morning.

The story talks about spinning Samoyed fur into yarn, and apparently it’s been done for years. Seriously? As a dog- and yarn-lover, I had to learn more.

As it turns out, the practice of spinning dog fur dates back to the World War II era. People use the soft under coat from their dogs, and it creates a fiber known as chiengora. They say the structure of the dog fur makes the final item very warm, so enthusiests recommend using the resulting yarn on hats, scarves, or gloves.

For those of you interested, you can see how it’s done HERE.

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Knitting at 100

This headline immediately caught my attention: KNITTER, 100, HAS PLENTY OF YARNS. I thought they were talking about an enormous stash, so of course I wanted to oogle at photos. As it turns out the article is a human interest piece…

A 100-year-old Windsor, Ontario resident was recognized by the local rotary club for her continued service in donating knit hats for newborns. Ms Byrnes has made more than 1,000 hats for infants at Windsor Regional Hospital.

What’s even better? The story relates “Byrnes has a need to knit… these days just seeing yarn makes her fingers itch for her knitting needles.” Sounds about right to me! Hats off to an amazing YARN-A-HOLIC.

You can read the full story HERE.

Yarn Bombing an Airplane

YARN-A-HOLICS from all over North America have contributed pieces to create a “form-fitting tea cosy” for a DC-3 airplane. Right now the team is in the process of assembling the installation, and the project should be complete on August 11.

The best part? After the two week display, the team will dis-assemble into 4×6 blankets (74 of them), and donate to homeless shelters.

Read more about the project here: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1231387–how-knitters-are-yarn-bombing-a-yukon-dc-3-aircraft

Knit Wedding Dress

 

There’s definitely something special about DIY weddings, but this was a new one for me.  A woman in England knit her own dress:  she says it cost about 200 pounds, and used 300 grams of wool.  AMAZING!

Full story and more photos available HERE.

Young Yarn Bombers

I stumbled on this story, and thought it was wonderful! 

Children (ages 8 to 13) in Ireland completed a spectacular yarn bombing project on Eyre Square.  Inspired by their teacher, supported by their principal, and tutored by their family members, the kids were able to create 2086 patches to give the iconic sail sculpture a makeover. 

The “bombing” took place on June 4, 2012.  You can read more about it in the original newspaper article:  http://galwayindependent.com/stories/item/2805/2012-25/No-more-plain-sailing