Art

Yarn Bombing Caps Spirit!

(Photos by Caps Outsider)

The Caps continue to lead the NHL, so it’s no surprise that support for the home team is popping up everywhere. You never know where you’ll see fans Rocking the Red, even at a yarn bombing. A yarn bombing? In case you are unfamiliar with this growing art, it is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fiber, and unlike paint or chalk, it is removable. Yarn bombing is also known as yarn storming, guerrilla knitting, kniffiti, urban knitting or graffiti knitting. 

A group of twenty women and men knitters and crocheters participated in the event. They ranged in age from middle school students to seniors. Their skill level varied from the quite accomplished to novice knitters, but the dedicated crafters worked feverishly to create beautiful, original designs to yarn bomb trees surrounding the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre in Rockville Civic Center Park located in Rockville, Md. They braved the cold and mud Saturday to assemble the display. And, of course, what yarn bombing would be complete without a tribute to the Caps?

Julie Farrell, Arts Program Specialist for Visual and Performing Arts at the Civic Center, spearheaded the project and organized the talented crew.

“Yarn bombing began in the UK and has gone worldwide. It’s a way of doing graffiti that is removable,” Farrell explained. “I thought it would be a good way of bringing people into the park in the winter when they wouldn’t ordinarily be here. We strive to make the arts available, accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Martha Zanger, a Montgomery County physical education teacher and Rockville City resident, participated in the project. Zanger encouraged members of the Forest Knolls Knitting Club to join her.

“It was a way to meet other people who have a common interest,” said Zanger. “It was relaxing to sit by the fireplace at Glenview Mansion, sipping hot cocoa, while knitting on Tuesday evenings. It was a perfect way to get my school knitting club involved and be part of the community fun.”

Also located at Rockville Civic Center Park, the historic Glenview Mansion is used for a wide variety of public and private events throughout the year. The mansion was built in 1838 by Catherine and Richard Johns Bowie. The original home is incorporated in the massive mansion that exists there today. The home and its grounds are a local treasure for Montgomery County, MD residents and it is visited by thousands each year. Could yarn bombing the mansion be next?

So, take a trip to Rockville Civic Center Park to see the unique art of yarn bombing.  It will be on display for the next three weeks.

For more info on Rockville Civic Center Park visit http://www.rockvillemd.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Rockville-Civic-Center-Park-94

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Barbara Banks

Barbara Ann Banks is a freelance writer out of Rockville, MD.

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