Weaving communities together with street art

Published Tuesday 5 May 2020 at 14:28

Bring out the community spirit by weaving together some of your greatest work to decorate your street just in time for VE Day.

Yarn bombs are a form of street art which uses knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint or chalk. They are a collaboration of knitting, crocheting, or sewing to create a work of art which can be placed over existing outdoor objects. They can be as big or small as you want.

To create a ‘blanket’ design, each person can contribute a 10cm square of their own creation in the VE Day colours – red, white and blue. All of the pieces can then be put together to make a collective work of art.

The yarn bombs can then be used to decorate your gardens, lampposts, sign poles (as long as signs aren’t covered) or local hedges. You could place them in areas which might bring a smile to the faces of those on their daily exercise.

So why not plan a yarn bomb in your area just in time to celebrate?

It’s a chance to feel connected to those around you whilst also maintaining social distancing measures. It gives many the opportunity to learn something new and to do something constructive while at home.

Jackie Wicks, who works in Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Adult Services, posts crafting tutorials on the BwD Learning website. She has created one especially for yarn bombs which you can watch below.

Jackie said:

The yarn bomb we did for Positive Minds in 2016 was a great project getting people from different groups to contribute, many of whom took the opportunity to learn to knit or crochet. We covered the end of a bridge at Witton Park with our own yarn collaborations.

I thought it would be a great idea to encourage communities to create one during this time. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the yarn bombs to reflect each individual community.

See the images below of the yarn bombs from the 2016 Positive Minds project.