Why I did it

I told a few people that I planned to do some guerilla graffiti with yarn creations. They looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I wanted to do it. Here are my reasons:

When you cover the ordinary, you make it extraordinary.
It is magical when we wake up to see a layer of snow blanketing the grass and trees that we usually don't notice. By doing crochet graffiti I hope to create a little bit of that magic.

We get so used to seeing the same things day in and day out. Telephone poles, car antennas, street signs, door handles, these items blend into the scenery and avoid notice. But when you cover these mundane items in a bit of yarn, it brings them into focus. Art is the act of transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. A bowl of fruit is just a bowl of fruit until someone does a painting, drawing, or photograph of it.

I hope that those who found my crocheted pole cozies reclaimed a little bit of the excitement we had as kids when we found a pretty rock or a toy in the cereal box. Feel free to cut the zip ties and keep the cozie if you wish!

I encourage others in the Parkersburg area to create public cozies. I just ask that you make up your own name and tags rather than use Los Crochet Locos. Maybe we will have the yarn flying with rival grafitti gangs set out to cozie the streets!

Reevaluate what you think of handicrafts such as knitting and crocheting

Most people I know still think that handicrafts such as crocheting, knitting, and quilting are things that old ladies do. When I say "crochet" people think of afghans and baby blankets and booties. But there is a renaissance in these arts of our heritage.

Artists are making knitted bowls and quilts that look like abstract paintings. There are art museums dedicated to crafts. One museum displayed a piece that had a knitted American flag hanging by giant knitting needles held by cranes. See http://carolbristoldesigns.com/?page_id=91

In other cities, young punk rockers sit next to grannies to crochet antenna cozies and leave their guerilla art on city streets. I am inspired by the first group to do this. They are called " "Knitta Please.” Though they are based in Houston, they have left their guerilla knitting all over the world including Paris and the Great Wall of China. Check them out at
http://www.knittaplease.com/KNITTA_PLEASE.html

Following in their footsteps.

In addition to "Knitta Please" I am inspired by the artist Christos. I have loved his work every since I saw it.

http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude

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