BOMBING

Joel Boyd

‘Yarn bombing is creating fun; colourful street art with yarn, be that knitted or crocheted. Something that will bring joy to those who walk past it. Aka graffiti for the over-forties’, introduces Sarah Suddrey, yarn bomber.

‘I have knitted for years now, creating presents for friends and blankets for babies. During the first lockdown a group of school mums decided to start a weekly craft zoom. We would sit and chat and craft together. It was here we came up with the idea to create a yarn bomb at our local park.’

‘We wanted something to focus our minds on over the winter months [...], to create something for the community that would make them smile. Some of us were proficient knitters, some had knitted at school and others had never knitted before.’

‘We continued to meet on Zoom every week and knit.’ She stresses how beneficial the group was for their mental health. ‘We wanted to bring colour and happiness to the community after a miserable winter.’

‘It

The yarn bomb took place in March 2021. ‘We did not ask for permission [..] and actually decided to put up [our piece] under cover of darkness. For a group of forty-plus women it was something quite wonderfully rebellious.’

She does stress however, that they were ‘careful not to cause any damage to the tree and made sure everything was tied rather than stapled or nailed on.’

The spring-themed piece aspired to spread a message of hope as the community left lockdown.

Following the act Sarah describes the ‘amazing response.’ ‘[People] posted in local facebook groups and we had a huge outpouring of likes and lovely comments. We asked people to add to [the work], and they did!’

Sarah’s group even received post-it-notes on the tree to say thank you. It seems their mission was achieved!