- “Yarn bombs” by Twisted Stitchers, from left, Trish Wright, Michelle Madriz, Traci Acosta, and Michelle Boyd adorn the Sawdust Art Festival, where the installation remains through Monday, July 11.
On telephone poles on city streets, across highway bridges, over abandoned cars and now on a score of trees shading the Sawdust Art Festival unravels outsider art of another dimension.
Since 2005, men and women in the U.S. and in Europe have met to crochet or knit colorful patterns into pre-determined sizes to fit urban and suburban structures, landmarks and trees, a practice known as “yarn bombing,” or “knit graffiti.”
“After I saw some pictures of these artistic endeavors in national magazines and on the internet, I decided to bring that art form to our community,” said Michelle Boyd, a local artist and wife of City Council member Kelly Boyd.
Boyd, who obtained permission from the festival board, put together a group of volunteers, some of whom had never knitted or crocheted. They met several days a week over three months to prepare to wrap trees on the three-acre Sawdust grounds for opening day.
The Twisted Stitchers Club also got help from the Susi Q Center’s knitting experts, who incorporated sea life into their design. “Their creation adorns the biggest tree,” Boyd said.
For more show info visit www.sawdustartfestival.org or call 949-494-3030.
