Graffiti Artistry

When is a crime not a crime? Whilst travelling around Cyber space I encountered an underground movement that challenges society to change their perceptions, through some very unconventional methods.

Crime in our city is certainly prevalent in pockets and takes form in many different ways, but Cape Town is not besieged by Graffiti like some places. London is constantly battling guerrilla artists who brave the danger of "tagging" underground train stations or bridges and you always find brightly covered walls in areas of questionable safety!

But when does Graffiti become art? When does it stop becoming defacing someone else's property and start becoming a non-criminal statement?

Let me introduce you to GUERILLA KNITTING. Yep, you read it right.

Knitting! But with a purpose.....

Otherwise called, Yarn Bombing, Knit-Mafia, Graffiti Knitting, Yarn Tagging but all basically referring to the medium of applying knitted items to public places in statement or for effect. You may have seen the photo that was in the papers some months ago of a bus that had been "Guerrilla - knitted" by a group of people who were raising awareness. Of course, I can't remember what the cause was! But I remember the bus-cozy; then while on my travels through some blogs that caught my interest I was introduced to this crazy, possibly pointless, hobby. I had to check it out.

I have to admit that I was a little curious to see what the knitters looked like. I mean, in South Africa, knitting is still very much reserved for the older generations or those teenagers on a craft kick. It hasn't quite reached the level of popularity that it seems to have in the rest of the world, and I can't imagine why not? On closer inspection, people who risk their reputation to graffiti knit look completely normal. Not old, not necessarily female, tattooed, funky, stylish, and not at all like they have escaped from a dubious care home! I was enthralled! So here is a selection of the items that have been yarn-bombed...

This culture has taken off in a big way overseas, so much so that you can even buy books about it! Yarn Bombing by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain is one such book and is dedicated to 'The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti'. You would expect more of the fabulous pictures that you can find on Flikr, maybe some insight as to WHY anyone would do this and a fewpatterns; but this particular book also explains what to do if you get caught, what tools are essential for effective and stealthy knitting, and clever tips to get your graffiti up in record time! I love it! It's like a little woolly statement of objection but in a warm and friendly way. I find this unacceptable BUT I am a really nice person so instead of shouting I am knitting - kind of statement. Awesome, think we should all have a go at spreading our opinions in this way.

Want to become a knit-activist? Try following a couple of blogs, like this one from Knit Happens or this one from Micro Fibre Militia.