You're Invited

You're invited to our annual holiday party!  We ask that you bring a homemade/handmade gift and something to eat or drink to share.  It's a lot of fun- we swap presents, play games, knit and laugh.  Join us on Friday, December 16th at 6:30pm.  Please email us at knittingknotty@yahoo.com to RSVP and get directions.

Photos from our past holiday parties:

Holiday Party 2010

Holiday Party 2009

Woolly Walk Along

photo by Knitty Graffity

In July we told you about monsters we had knitted as part of a global yarn bombing project The Woolly Walk Along in Auckland, New Zealand.  This past weekend Knitty Graffity installed all the pieces.  It looks amazing.  It is very exciting to be a part of something so huge.  So global.  Please visit Knitty Graffitys blog to see other creative knit pieces that were included.

Eugene Celebration 2011

This time of year is The Knotty Knitters anniversary.  Last year we celebrated being one by yarn bombing parking meters just outside the Eugene Celebration.  This year we decided to march in the parade!  

 We gathered a bunch of donated sweaters to create what we call The Scarf of Doom or Octoscarf.  

And we used the leftovers sweater scraps to make our banner!

We also yarn bombed the parade goers while marching.

We had so much fun.

We also won an award!  Runner up for Judge's Choice!  We're so honored and thrilled to be supported by Eugene.  View more photos on our flickr.  See more on our facebook page.  Are you a knitter on Ravelry?  Follow our projects there.  Got photos to share?  Send them to knittingknotty@yahoo.com

Monster Mania

A few months back, Knitty Graffity asked The Knotty Knitters if we would participate in something she calls The Wooly Walk Along. The Rugby World Cup is coming to Auckland, New Zealand in September and she had the idea to create an outdoor yarn bombing exhibition for the visitors. Please visit her blog to see all the beautiful pieces created and sent from all over the world!

The Knotty Knitters chose to knit monsters for our piece! We are honored and excited to be a part of something so global. Can't wait to see photos of the installation!

Calling All Sweaters!

The Knotty Knitters need your help! We're embarking on a project and we need lots of second-hand sweaters. Were you just thinking of giving your old winter sweaters away to a thrift store? Give them to us instead! Wool, cotton, acrylic, hand knit, store bought, any color, any size!! Or please donate some money so we can head to the thrifty and buy some.

You can email us at knittingknotty@yahoo.com with any questions or details. Thank you!

International Yarn Bombing Day

It was a success! So many great pieces were created for the bridge! Pom poms, flags, a salmon, a snake, spirals and lots of cozies! The biggest cozy is over 50 feet long.

Every single person who walked by had a positive thing to say. They loved it and thanked us for decorating the bridge.

There were a few questions that I'd like to answer. Who removes it? We do! We continuously check on our yarn bombs and do any repairs or remove any pieces that start to look dingy or are too destroyed to keep. We try very hard to prevent any litter or trash. The city of Eugene has not spent any money or time cleaning up our installations.

How is your graffiti different than traditional graffiti? Why don't you get in trouble? I suppose the difference is that you can remove knitted graffiti in a matter of seconds with a pair of scissors. And also I think people respond better to public art that's knitted because it's surprising to them. They don't expect it and that usually makes them laugh. For us, the removal of our graffiti is no different that using a hose to erase sidewalk chalk art.

Why don't you spend all that time, effort and yarn knitting for charities instead of wasting it on yarn bombs? Most of us do donate to charities. But we're also artists. Art for art sake. To ask someone to spend any and all free creative time for a specific purpose is silly. When you want to bake a cake, do you bake it for yourself or is your first thought to spend your time and ingredients baking for a food bank? Besides, we've been told what we're doing is a public service by people and the city of Eugene.

Video by Brian Walker.

You can read more about this event on yarnbombing.com and on our facebook page. Check out more photos on our flickr.

Yarn Bomb Update

We're very excited for International Yarn Bombing Day! Only 9 more days! We've been busy knitting and crocheting and there are some amazing pieces.

This is just a little note about the plan to install it. We'll be meeting on Saturday, June 11th at 5pm at the Peter DeFazio bridge in Alton Baker Park. Feel free to come, bring art to install or take pictures. Afterward we plan to head over to McMenamins North Bank for beer and food. Come celebrate in this international event with us!

yarnBOMB!!

I was knitting this for our next yarn bombing- International Yarn Bombing Day. My intent for this bomb was to attach it to the bridge as our "signature." However, I fell in love with it and can't possibly leave it out for whatever or whoever to take it. So I think The Knotty Knitters will keep it as our mascot and we'll just take photos with it.

Pattern by Goodbye Blue Monday.

Urban Knits

We're very happy to announce that the book Urban Knits by Simone Werle has now been published. We were contacted last year about including some of our yarn bombs for the book. We are very honored to be among such amazing artists.

Today our copy of the book arrived. We will keep it at our regular knitting spot The Divine Cupcake so anyone can enjoy the photos and be inspired to make art.

Our Next Yarn Bomb!

The Eugene Knotty Knitters are encouraging and welcoming anyone to participate in our next yarn bomb. Scheduled for Saturday, June 11 2011. We would also like to do a potluck picnic afterwards if enough people are interested. We haven't nailed down a specific time on Saturday that the installment and picnic will occur. Keep checking back!

We are planning on knitting some decorations for the Peter DeFazio pedestrian bridge in Alton Baker Park. Some Knotty Knitters have also shown an interest in knitting some flags in honor of Flag Day and securing them to the bridge.

Are there any guidelines? Not really! We don't have a theme so as to encourage whatever type of knitted or crocheted art you want to make. Keep in mind that the bridge gets hundreds of visitors a day including lots of families and children. Also note that while most of the knitted art is left for others to enjoy, someone may love your piece a little too much and remove it. So don't get too attached to it. And lastly, please make your yarn bomb easy to remove. Whether it needs to be removed by the city or by yourself. It is up to the the individual to remove their yarn bomb as deemed fit (is it falling apart, are pieces missing, are you wanting to take it home?)

I have taken photos and measurements of the bridge for you all to use as a guide (in our experience knitting cozies with a negative ease works best! That way it stretches and is snug on whatever you're covering.) Feel free to head down there yourself and look around. There are lots of places that need cozies. Poles, rails, benches, light posts... There are also some trees and garden area that would look great with some knitted plants and wildlife. We're trying to keep all yarn bombing up around the bridge so as not to interfere with the ducks and geese down by the pond and river.

Here's some links to get you going:

The Eugene Knotty Knitters facebook page.

The facebook event for International Yarn Bombing Day.

The Knotty Knitters flickr page with photos and measurements.

If you have any questions or would like to do the potluck, please let us know at knittyknotty@yahoo.com

All You Knit is Love

The Eugene Knotty Knitters completed their fourth yarn bombing today. We've been working on this project since December. It's our biggest, flashiest, most public bombing and we've been so excited.

We knew we wanted to do something for Valentine's Day. We all need more love and more art in our lives. ALL YOU KNIT IS LOVE. Perfect. We chose to tag a fence, inspired by The Ladies Fancywork Society. There were only a few fences in Eugene that seemed to work, but the one in front of the public library was desperately needing some love. This fence protects a giant hole in the ground. A building that was tore down and then abandoned.

We all knit, crocheted or sewed letters for the fence plus made tokens of love- flowers, hearts, knitted knitting needles. We had a great time installing our art piece. During the process, a reporter for our newspaper happened upon us. So while we do try to be discreet we did end up being photographed and Maiya was interviewed.

Please enjoy our gift to you Eugene! Be cool. Please do not remove art. Check out more photos on our flickr page.

If you want us to decorate your area or to sponsor our next bombing, please contact us at knittyknotty@yahoo.com