Yarnbombing movement fast becoming popular art

Yarnbombing has been described as warm and fuzzy defiant art. Those who engage in the street graffiti delight in creating random acts of art on urban architecture.

Writing for the Daily Californian, Nastia Voynovskaya said it was hard to think of reprimanding the author of a knitted graffiti, saying

"... castigating the perpetrator responsible seems like an affront to creativity."

In essence, yarnbombing involves creating a "cozy" for an object, although some yarn artists are branching out by including other art work such as statues. Cars, buses, street signs, trees - nothing is sacred to those who practice random acts of yarn art. The quiet storm of acts of craftsmanship has spread across the western hemisphere. Ultimately, there is no end to what could be nestled into a colourful cozy. As reported earlier, the idea is not new. Yarnbombing usually incites delight in people who encounter the graffiti, but others are enraged by the practice. Kristine Howard wrote

"... I think it's a massive waste of time and human energy..."

Creative folks with busy fingers have not stopped at hood ornaments, trees, cars and motorcycles - bicycles are also good candidates for cozies. People in Russia are creating cozies for hood ornaments, and gear shift cozies are also becoming common. The idea of crafting creating covers for objects sprang up at some point in the past, when crafty housekeepers, no longer content to simply create sweaters and blankets, began to make cozies for toilet paper rolls and kleenex boxes. Toilet paper rolls, for those old enough to remember, were ornate dolls, but these days, anything goes. With a little stitching, toilet paper rolls can be turned into fake sushi, a pumpkin, or even a facsimile of a toilet paper roll! Even though knitted graffiti is more environmentally friendly than the usual spray-painted variety, the art form has hit a nerve and simultaneously struck a chord with members of the public. The "soft and fuzzy" installations, it should be pointed out, can quite readily be dismantled at little expense - unlike spray painted graffiti. But still, why risk angering people by "wasting time" creating knit squares and rectangles that are then secretly snugged onto everyday objects common to modern life? Is yarnbombing a way to express individuality in a world where monoculture is increasingly the norm? Toronto psychologist Dr. Douglas Frayn wrote

"... When a relatively powerless individual or group's ideas come into conflict with the main elements of society, graffiti remains one of the few ways available to express unacceptable commentary."

However, Texas-based knitter Magda Sayeg wrote sentiments that appear to be shared amongst yarnbomb practitioners. Sayeg said she began taking her knitted cozies outside in

"... response to the dehumanizing qualities of an urban environment. By inserting handmade art in a landscape of concrete and steel, she adds a human quality that otherwise rarely exists."

Knitted graffiti, like spray-painted graffiti, is considered vandalism by many authorities, although the art form is crossing the boundaries and becoming a part of main-stream art.