The Summer of Yarn Bombing

Over the summer I participated actively in Stash Dash and managed to knit down 10,000 meters of high quality yarn.  At the same time, I was active in two yarn bomb projects which resulted in the accumulation of approximately 5,000 meters of cheap acrylic yarn.  At least I am still net negative on stash acquisition.

The first yarn bomb was a project for the free clinic down the road in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  My Wednesday afternoon knitting group created a tree wrap which raised funds through sponsorship.  I worked up a crazy piece of granny square crochet with dangling pompoms, since, why not?  I enjoy crochet, and when I am in the midst of heavy-duty knitting, it is a nice break for my hands.  Linda and Cherie from our group sewed all the pieces together, and off it went in early August.

The second yarn bomb was closer to my heart and home.  Mary, the owner of Knitch, the LYS where our Wednesday group meets, watched the busyness of the free clinic bomb and mused that she would really like to cover the bench outside the shop.  I replied that I was awfully busy at the moment, but maybe in a month or so . . . . and then my wheels began spinning.  A full yarn bomb would be a wonderful way for us to thank Mary for her generous gift of meeting time and space.  And when her staffer, Sally, suggested that we incorporate the yarn bomb into Knitch's tenth anniversary celebration, it was a done deal.

Everyone in both the Wednesday afternoon and Thursday evening groups contributed a bit of knitting or crochet.  Some, like Sue, Katie and Linda, contributed a lot.  And the Thursday night group lent some muscle to both assembling  and installing out bomb.  We covered not only the seat, back and arms of the bench, but the stair railings and building front.  My favorite contribution is the crocheted banner running below the windows.

Surprisingly, we managed to keep this a surprise, and Mary was thrilled.  Now we need to remember to take it down before the first freezing rain of winter . . .