A type of graffiti or street
art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth, rather than paint or
chalk. While yarn installations--called yarn bombs or knit bombs--
may last for years, they are considered non-permanent, and, unlike graffiti, can be easily removed if necessary. The practice is believed to have originated in the U.S. with
Texas knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide.
While other forms of graffiti
may be expressive, decorative, territorial, socio-political commentary, advertising or vandalism, yarn bombing is almost exclusively about reclaiming and personalizing sterile or
cold public places.
Kaiti: "What do you do with all the leftover
yarn scraps from your knitting
projects?"
Jinx: "I go yarn bombing at
night."