"Yarn Bombing" Dresses Up Downtown Mesa at Merry Main Street

A trip to downtown Mesa to check out the Merry Main Street activities brought joy to children over the weekend. The official Holiday Tree, which stands 40-feet tall just north of Main on McDonald, was a vision to behold. The skating rink is not far away at the new Plaza at Mesa City Center was filled with skaters. The rink is made of 6,000 square feet of real ice, and a skating session is just $10 per person. Tickets for the ice rink must be purchased online. Those who are interested can check out the Merry Main Street website for information on session times and ticket purchases.

One family, who had had come to Mesa to attend the annual Mesa Book Festival at Benedictine University, were exploring downtown and looking for a bite to eat. They were visiting from a smaller Arizona town. While one of the parents is an Arizona native, they had moved out of state for a number of years and have recently returned permanently and wanted to see how much had changed in the area.

While there is a bit of construction going on downtown as new housing is being built, the protective walkways accomodated pedestrians well. For the children of the visiting family, these walkways became tunnels to explore while passing through. One of the children was heard to say that they loved the decorations along the street. There was a bubble of joyous laughter when the children discovered the statues along Main. Much to their surprise, they found that every statue they came across was wearing a lovely -- and warm -- knitted scarf.

The practice of adorning the streets with knitted items is called "yarn bombing," "yarnstorming," or "graffiti knitting,' among others. The practice may have begun in Houston with the work of Bill Davenport, who was creating and displaying crochet-covered objects throught the city in the 1990s. In 2005, Texas knitters looking for a creative way to use up leftover yarn began to dress up the city with their knitted items. The practice has spread, first across the United States and then throughout the world. Most yarn-bomb installations are displayed in more populated areas, but Stephen Duneier, who calls himself "Yarnbomber," has created permitted displays in more wilderness areas. Often, knitted or crocheted scarves, sweaters, and blankets may be spread througout the city with the intent that those who sleep under the stars use them to keep warm.

There is quite a history of using yarn as a mode of protest and political expression. You can read a little about it in a Google piece by Professor Alyce McGovern. If you're really interested, you can find quite a few articles explaining the history and practice in greater detail.

If you'd like to see some yarn art in person, take a stroll down Main Street in Mesa soon!