Under the cover of darkness, slipping quietly through city streets, targeting lamp posts, fire hydrants, and tree trunks, yarn bombers are out in full force this week showing off their latest tags, as an underground movement finally gets its day in the sun. June 11th has been declared International Yarn Bombing Day, by Alberta-based knitter, Joann Matvichuk who came up with the idea last year.
“I started yarn bombing about a year ago now,” said Joann, “it was right up my alley, adventurous, quirky, and artsy all at the same time.” During a bout of insomnia she surfed the blogosphere for yarn bombing ideas, and found this decorative form of knit graffiti was growing rapidly. Her idea took shape from there, as she thought of a way to bring knitters and crocheters together for one day of the year, to create random beauty in their own urban landscape. 
99 Trees
A Yarn Bombing Road Trip
Street Colour in California
A Knitted Heart
A whimsical art form, part of the thrill for bombers is not knowing how long a knitted piece will stay where it is placed.
Cherry Blossoms in Vancouver
Cherry blossoms were created to decorate a tree during a community knit-in to raise awareness for the Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver this past Spring. Canadian authors, Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore organized the event on the heels of their book release- Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti.
A Helping Hand
Knitters received a little extra help from a ladder truck to attach the last of the cherry blossoms to the tallest branches.
Vancouver Parking Meter
The Canadian division of yarn bombing has its roots firmly planted in the West Coast. Here a curbside parking meter is decorated in rainbow brights.
Look for an article on the current yarn bombing revolution coming in the next issue of TIME magazine!
