International Yarn Bomb Day on Saturday

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Knitters, get your needles out. Saturday, June 11, is the first International Yarn Bombing Day, when crafters around the world will create playful public art by tagging parking meters with knitted cozies or adorning public statues with crocheted scarves. A yarn bomb can be as simple as wrapping a 3-inch-long knitted band around a street light pole or as elaborate as covering an entire bus in a sweater. The practice also goes by the names of yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting and yarn graffiti.

International Yarn Bombing Day was created by the self-described ‘knitting ninja’ Joann Matvichuk, a wacky 44-year-old Canadian in Lethbridge, Alberta. The movement quickly gained steam thanks to the power of Facebook, and yarn bombing events are planned in Melbourne, Australia; Berlin; Vancouver, Canada; and beyond. Here in L.A., the KnitRiot Collective is planning to adorn a tree near a Highland Park elementary school with knitted and felted dollars to symbolize the additional funding they wish the school district had to spend on education. Political knitting? We’re all for it.

Even if you don’t plan to participate, keep your eyes open on Saturday for colorful displays around the city and if you see anything great, send us a picture at home@latimes.com.

To get a sense of what you might see, here’s a photo gallery of recent yarn bombs from around the world: www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-international-yarn-bomb-pictures,0,928410.photogallery.

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