Urban knitting, guerilla knitting, textile street art,
yarn bombing. Whatever you choose to call it, this artform takes everyday objects of the city — such as trees, lampposts, street signs, bike racks — and wraps them up in colorful knit cozies. You'll find these wonderful oddities all over the world, from
Manhattan to
Sydney to Edinburgh to
Philadelphia to Oakland to
Chicago to
Bisbane and back to
Manhattan again. People have
written books about it. It has inspired an
Irish cellphone commercial. Metafilter's own
ErikaB made a
tree sweater that was featured on
Metafilter and on the front cover of Seattle's
The Stranger. Magda Sayeg's blog
Knitta Please is a showcase for some of her delightful projects, including a
Smart car,
coffee shop sign, and
crutches. (
Also, previously.)
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posted by Blazecock Pileon
on Jun 25, 2010 -
37 comments
Perhaps in your non-Metafilter time or during the occasional power outtage you indulge in that charmingly antiquated past-time of reading a newspaper made out of actual paper. But, once you've read it, you're left with blackened hands and the necessity for putting that fragment of a dead tree somewhere or other. Aside from putting it in the recycling bin, which is responsible but kind of obvious
(and therefore would not necessitate a MeFi FPP) what can you do? One option is to make
handmade paper. If you're an outdoors type, you could make
organic flower pots,
some kites, or a
dory. If you're more of a fashionista or home decorator, you could make a
purse or a
bead necklace, weave a
basket or
placemats, or make a
bird. If you're a spinster, you could make some newspaper yarn as
student Greetje van Tiem did for her Design Academy Eindhoven graduation show. The yarn can be woven into carpets, curtains and upholstery.
Here's a tutorial on how to make the yarn. Then there's always papier maché.
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posted by orange swan
on Oct 13, 2008 -
27 comments
Dyeing with Kool-Aid basic how-to. The best thing is the
color chart. A good idea for
a party, maybe? As usual, the folks at Flickr have got the goods: Kool-Aid dyed yarns in the Hand-dyed pool [
1], [
2], and the Yarn Porn pool, [
1], [
2]. And if you're one of those people who just hates to do things the easy way? Multi-colored custom yarn with Kool-Aid tutorial
part 1 and
part 2.
posted by taz
on May 2, 2008 -
29 comments
Up here in the Northern Hemisphere, it's time to break out the sweaters. Wool too itchy for you? (
It is for poor Simon Cowell.) Cashmere and alpaca are easier to wear;
a surface comparison shows why. But you can also steer clear of animal fibers altogether and opt for fabric made from
wheat. For that matter, while you're at the greengrocer, also pick up some bamboo
(
1,
2), soy (
1,
2),
bananas, corn (
1,
2),
pineapple,
milk (
1,
2,
3) and
rice.
(
Vegan yarns previously in AskMe.)
posted by GrammarMoses
on Nov 6, 2007 -
13 comments
Chiengora is the fancy term for dog hair used to make mittens, hats, sweaters, and more. This site will teach you all about chiengora and how to hand spin it into yarn. If you'd rather just brush your dog and send the fur to someone else to knit, check out
Rover's Comb.
posted by acridrabbit
on Dec 7, 2002 -
12 comments
