Yarn bombing by kid guerrilla knitters

Knitting is not just for grandmas. Some children (with the help of a couple of adults) in our street recently did some yarn bombing – using knitting and crocheting as a form of graffiti. They’ve started decorating a small bridge over a drain near our place and have plans to do more.

When one of our neighbours suggested the idea, the kids didn’t really have a clear idea of what was involved but were happy to give it a go. They didn’t really do all that much knitting before their first attempt, but since they did the bridge over the weekend, my daughters have been madly knitting so they can try another project! Other people in the street are also likely to join in.

Decorating everyday objects brings a smile to people’s faces and encourages us to re-look at our environment. There are some great examples of much more ambitious projects at http://www.boredpanda.org/yarn-bombing/

In the hope of encouraging other people to contribute, the kids left a sign inviting other people to finish “dressing” the bridge. We’re looking forward to seeing if anybody takes up the offer – I suspect they will.

The yarn bombing grew out of the connections in the street that have been strengthened by the Kids’ Vegies on the Verge and our local Transition Streets group. It demonstrates that horizontal community engagement (community engagement with neighbours) can be infectious. As people build connections with each other, more possibilities emerge. One of the great things is that, this time, it wasn’t initiated by Cathy. I’m sure it won’t be the last unsuspected thing to sprout from the garden!

If you liked this post you might want to follow my blog (top right-hand corner of the blog), and you might like to look at:

1. What is Kids’ Vegies on the Verge?
2. What is the Transition Streets Challenge?
3. Take a street and build a community
4. Parenting for a better world
5. What is asset-based community-driven development (ABCD)?