Yarn Corner Member Profile - Dipity

Name: Dipity   
Location: Burwood, VIC Australia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/157893757611209/
Blog: will commence on late 2012

1. How did you get started with yarn bombing?
It's all Bali's fault!! Was interested in her adventures and was invited to this new group called Yarn Corner. After the first meeting the three of us (can't believe there was only three of us at that first meet!!) went to Fed Square to check out the Lights In Winter structure and was just blown away.
My first piece was done late on 15th July 2011.

2. Is it true that you loom all your yarn bombs? Why did you make this choice?

Yes indeedy. :)
Quite a few months ago Bali was discussing how she had started looming and getting a few people trying it. Since I still couldn't seem to get the hang of crocheting I thought I'd give it a go. So just before the second meet of Yarn Corner my darling one purchased a loom kit, some yarn and other bits & pieces for me to get started. :)
I really love looming now and some of the yarns I use are so gorgeous, so thick and soft.
I look forward to what's next with my looming adventures ~ including learning to cable stitch and granny squares & rounds
My darling one has made me some wooden handled loom picks and eventually will be making me a loom ~ am very excited!!!!

3. How long have you been an admin for Yarn Corner? Do you like it?

A few months now and yes I enjoy it. The ladies are incredible, all bringing different views and experience to the admin team and we work well together. It's been challenging at times, very much a learning experience but I'm very grateful for Bali giving me the opportunity to being involved this way. I enjoy the 'behind the scenes' work, it's fun and I've learnt as much about myself as I have about yarn / yarn projects  I also know that I never ever want to become an events planner. :)

4. Have crafts always been a part of your life?

Yes, I have always been encouraged to try different crafts. My favourite craft now is card making.
Mum is a knitter and she did try to teach me when I was young, as did her left handed friend. The casting on/off just never seemed to click (yes, even though it's apparently very easy lol!). Also, though she didn't teach it, Dad's mother was an amazing crocheter.so yarn has always been part of my life.

5. Do politics have a place in your yarn bombing?

No, for me it's a form of art/craft. I understand that some believe that art is political but I don't share that view.

6. What can be frustrating about yarn bombing?

Personally, when things don't turn out the way I envision them or when someone sets out to destroy a piece. There is no general guidelines throughout the different councils so whereas some embrace it wholeheartedly others are very much against it.. It would be nice to see some general guidelines established.

7. Is there much yarn bombing in your area?

Not a lot at all. I know of only one other yarn bomber close to where I live. I've been very fortunate that all but 2 of my yarn bombs put up close to home are still up. There is one area, further away, where the pieces are gone very quickly so I don't put them there anymore.

8. What opportunities has yarn bombing given you?

I have met some wonderful people and made new friends. It's opened up a completely different world to me. It's a great stress relief. :)  In recent months I haven't been able to do other crafts but I've been able to continue looming, creating. I have always been interesting in art, including graffiti (not tagging!) and yarn bombing has brought me into a different aspect of this.

9. Do you think yarn bombing differs from country to country?

Basicly it's the same though the yarns used, the colours and themes do vary. Am inspired and amazed by the incredible talent that is out there.

10. What do you say to people that don't get what yarn bombing is about?

Usually I suggest they view at it as a form of art and have a look at some of the amazing pieces. Like any form of art, it doesn't appeal to everyone and that's ok.

11. Do you think you have a specific style with your yarn bombing?

Up until now my pieces have been all the same stitch but it's the various textures of yarn used that creates different looks. I like to add a personal touch with a butterfly but not on every piece, same goes with buttons and other embellishments.

12. Who is your fave yarn bombing artist?

Yarn Revolt ~ very much admire the way they work with various textures, gorgeous!!

Yarn Corner Member Profile - Jaguar

I decided I wanted to showcase the wonderful members of Yarn Corner. I formed the yarn bombing collective at the end of May 2011 and it's quickly grown to well over 200 brilliant members. It can sometimes take a lot to manage them all and that's why I brought on side a wonderful team of admins to help me. So we'll start with profiling them and then get onto the other lovely people of YC.

Name: Jaguar
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jazzy-Jaguar/158354980927834

1. How long have you been yarn bombing? How did you start?

I started yarn bombing in Aug 2011 after seeing Pebble upload a picture on Facebook of her first Yarn bomb. I had never heard of it before but I was immediately hooked (no pun intended) and within a week I had built up the courage to go out and do my first piece

2. Why do you think yarn bombing has become so big?

I think Yarn bombing has become bigger now due to the fact that it is altering people's perception on hand crafted items. In my experience knitting/crochet are seen to be old-fashioned and uncool but Yarn bombing is helping to put and younger and fresh vibe on it.

3. How long have you been an admin for Yarn Corner? Do you like it?

I have only been an Admin member at Yarn Corner since January this year but I love it.It is very rewarding when you are involved with the co-ordination of projects and then you see it all come together like City Square.

4. Have you always been a crafty person?

I have always been rather crafty, my mother taught me to knit when I was about 8 and all my Auntie's are crafty also so I had a lot of support when I was learning.  As  a child I enjoyed doing Latch hook and Cross stitch projects and I despised crochet because I just couldn't get it needless to say Crochet is now all I do having re-taught myself this past year :)

5. What do you think yarn bombing in Australia has been like so far?

Until recently I didn't think it was very big within Australia but I have noticed it growing and it is wonderful when you travel around the country and see other yarn bombers pieces

6. What can be frustrating about yarn bombing?

The most frustrating thing for me is when your piece is removed by councils or enforcement officers. The first thing you learn is that once your piece is up, it is there for the taking and some last moments and others last a lot longer but it does frustrate me when they are removed before the community can even enjoy them.

7. How do you think yarn bombing differs from normal art?

I believe 'normal' art is all about interpretation and you will always have people who just don't 'get it' or understand what the artist is trying to convey but with yarn bombing it is about beauty, you don't have to 'understand' it or discuss what the artist is trying to say. If it made you smile or at least drew your attention for a moment to an object you would have otherwise walked straight past, Then the yarnbomb achieved it's purpose.

8. Do you think yarn bombers get a bad rap?

I think again to those people who don't understand why we yarn bomb ( and I guess each artist does it for different reasons) then yes we are given a 'bad rap' and put into the 'graffitti' group or told we are littering,  but ask anyone to compare the two and we are worlds apart. We aren't there to de-face or lay claim to an object we are simply trying to make it prettier and for the public to notice these objects rather than continue on your way oblivious to the world around them.

9. What does your husband think about your yarn bombing?

He thought I was mad in the beginning (again because he couldn't understand why) but he soon changed his mind when he saw just how happy it made me to create something and then put it out there for the world to see and appreciate. He is now my advisor always informing me of new locations to bomb and giving me inspiration from a males perspective 

10. How much of your life is taken up by yarn bombing?

Yarn bombing is always on my mind whether it be a piece I am currently working on, when I'm out and about seeing potential sites/ideas, admiring pics of other artists works or just talking about it with family and friends.

11. What do you see the future of yarn bombing being like?

My vision for Yarn bombing in the future would be for it to be more widely accepted by councils and even promoted as it is already by some. I would love for it to be endorsed within our schools so that future generations have access to and are able to be taught how to knit/crochet just like I was taught as a child.

 

12. Who is your fave yarn bombing artist?

I don't have a favourite artist but Bali and the members of Yarn Corner continually inspire me to aim bigger and better. Let's reach for the stars!! (OH the first yarn bomb in outer space)....see what Yarn bombing does to you! Lol 

Yarn Corner Stitches Up City Square

Part of my contribution to the project

Not long after Yarn Corner had formed last year, and we'd been bitten by the bug of yarn bombing in groups and how fun it can be and how much you can get done, we were sitting around at a cafe and someone had the idea of doing a tree, but I wanted to go further and do lots of trees! I wanted IMPACT! So why couldn't we yarn bomb all the trees in City Square? Surely it couldn't be that hard? Oh my, I had no idea!

That's me sewing up the first tree. You wouldn't think from this angle, but I'm seriously high up!

I think ducks might be becoming my signature yarn bomb as everyone loved them last year and they were a hit again this year.

6 months in the making became Yarn Corner Stitches Up City Square. It was about 4 months of asking the City of Melbourne Council if this type of idea was even possible and waiting for them to go to different departments to get permission for a whole range of things. Then submitting examples of other trees that had been yarn bombed and how they weren't damaged. And a meeting with the Tree Planning department about their Urban Forest Strategy. Then a mountain of paperwork to get through, and all this was even before they accepted our proposal! Then of course we had to find yarn bombers that were interested in our project.

When we realised just how much yarn we were going to need and how much money it would take to put on such a massive event, I knew we would need sponsorship. So I sent emails around to yarn stores/suppliers and to my surprise the donations came flooding in! Lots of yarn donations, but the one that took the cake was $15,000 worth of yarn from a very small family run business in Coburg called Yarn Barn. We were over the moon!

 We had to hire a scissor lift so that we could get to the tops of the trees as they were so high! 

Nice job Grace!

Pebble hugging her awesome hexagon tree.

While it was nice to get yarn donations we knew we needed money aswell. Australian Country Spinners came on board with $1200 and combined with some fundraising between YC members, we managed to get what we needed for the installation day and workshop day.

 We've had a small film crew running around after us for a few weeks now, filming how we've put together this event. 

That's Louis our camera man, Tracy, Jacqui, Lyndel and Grace working on tree 11.

Everyone had such different pieces. Our only theme/color guide was that it had to be rainbow - but rainbow means something different to everyone. This is Lyndel's tree.

Installation Day came and went with out too much trouble. We had more than enough material [too much in actual fact] and helping hands. We got done an hour before the scissor lift needed to be picked up. And apart from a few burnt noses [it's Summer in Australia] we all did really well. I was so proud of everyone pitching in together to get such a large event installed.

 Me mucking around in front of Jaguar's tree with the cute clouds and pot of gold.

Yarn Corner is made up of 207 members worldwide. This tree piece was done by Stacie from Yarn Revolt in the US who has been a part of every YC project so far even though she lives a world away.

The next day was the workshop day where we held classes for Kids Learn To Knit, [Adults] Learn To Knit, Learn To Crochet and Learn To Yarn Bomb. The lovely Andrea from CCCK yarn store came down to help with the workshops and Spotlight kindly provided the contents needed for the Learn To Yarn Bomb kits. [If you are interested in a kit, then we have some left. You need to join Yarn Corner on facebook - search under facebook groups - and reserve your kit.] 

Again, it's interesting to see what kind of pieces people came up with. That's Grace's on the bottom and Katie's on the top.

Back up on the lift. I think we overestimated exactly how much material we would end up with. I guess we were all eager to yarn bomb!

Sunday morning we also had a photo shoot for Moreland Leader who continue to support Yarn Corner and our yarn bombing efforts.

 Photo from the Moreland Leader newspaper article

Pebble, myself, Jaguar, Emilienne and Jacqui.

http://moreland-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/brunswick-craft-group-shares-a-yarn/ 

 Overall this event has been a resounding success and I'm extremely proud of all the Yarn Corner members and what we've managed to do.

Lots more photos can be seen on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/yarncorner
or flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/twilight_taggers/sets/72157627243779461/

Luv Bali.

2012 for Twilight Taggers and Yarn Corner

So... 24 days into the New Year and I finally have a moment to sit down, rearrange the blog and post something worthy of reading. This year I will try to update this thing more often than I did last year.

YARN CORNER...

Things got very busy very quickly after International Yarn Bombing Day and the formation of Yarn Corner. To date, in less than 8 months, we went from starting the group with 3 whole people, to 207 members from all over the world! I just wanted a stitch and bitch group for yarn bombers in Melbourne. I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know that I would end up working 4 days with 10 hour shifts at my "professional job", so it meant I have three days off a week to manage YC. I didn't think that we'd be needing four admins to make sure YC ran smoothly. And I certainly didn't think we'd be pulling off such amazing projects like we have so far. Every day I'm pleasantly surprised by how well the group is doing, the recognition it's getting but mostly how much fun everyone is having with their yarn bombing.

If you want to join Yarn Corner, then please go here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/157893757611209/ and request to join. We'll accept your request generally within a few hours. Or to see what we've been up to then go here: http://www.facebook.com/yarncorner .

TWILIGHT TAGGERS...

My own yarn bombing works [Twilight Taggers] got put on the back foot while we were establishing Yarn Corner but in February I'll be taking holidays from work and traveling to Sydney and Brisbane to do some personal yarn bombing for an event I'm calling the East Coast Yarn Storm. You'll be able to follow my progress here on my blog or on my Twilight Taggers facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/twilighttaggers and you can see the event details here: http://www.facebook.com/events/208579362554405/ .

So bring on 2012! It's going to be a stellar year!

Luv Bali.

Yarn Corner Stitches Up City Square

Not long to go people! And Yarn Corner will have all the trees in City Square covered in yarn bombing.

Make sure you get in quick for a place at one of the free workshops by emailing me at twilighttaggers@gmail.com. All materials supplied. We will also have Learn To Yarn Bomb kits for give aways.

The installation will be up for one month.

Make sure you get on down for a look.

How To Guide on Yarn Bombing [revised edition]

Today I finally got around to revising my HOW TO GUIDE ON YARN BOMBING. The original one I wrote quite a long time ago. So now I've tidied it up and it's all good to go. I even made it into a PDF. Feel free to distribute it as you wish, or post links back to here.

Click on this link and it will take you to the PDF.
http://freepdfhosting.com/b3a876cdf8.pdf

[Please note the website that I have the PDF uploaded at only keeps uploads for 30 days. So if the link doesn't work please email me [twilighttaggers@gmail.com] and I'll upload it again.]

Happy yarn bombing!

Bali.