Who Is Yarn-Bombing Oxford? (and a giveaway)

It’s been going on for a few months: little yarn bombs around the city of Oxford. [If you’re unfamiliar with yarn bombing, you can read a post I wrote about it for the fibre space blog a while back.]

It started small, back in April:

Subtle yarn bomb outside the venerable Albion Beatnik Bookstore.

The Albion Beatnik is one of my favorite places in Jericho – an independent bookstore that sponsors lots of poetry readings and other events. It even has a small cafe. The Guardian newspaper recognized its greatness a few months ago.

I didn’t think much of the fibre sighting at the time – undergraduate celebrating the Easter break? Subtle advertisement for one of our two new LYSs, Oxford Yarn Store and Fibreworks Oxford? [TWO, people! An embarrassment of riches!]

Soon, though, the installations were more ornate:

A decorated pole across the street from the Phoenix Picturehouse in Jericho.

And they included bling:

This little button on the Phoenix Picturehouse yarn bomb was publicizing a play in Spanish. Put there by the knitter, or a later addition?

The Phoenix Picturehouse is another Jericho institution. It’s celebrating its 100th anniversary this year (seriously!). It screens art films and offers several special screenings, including a seniors afternoon, an Autism-friendly screening, and my beloved Big Scream.

The bombings started to be decorated:

This one was across the street from Oxford University Press on Walton Street.

Oxford University Press is – well, it’s Oxford University Press. They publish a dictionary you might have heard about. They publish incredible academic work. And they were Mr. Trask’s publisher for his first two books.

Happy faces at Little Clarendon and Walton.

Little Clarendon Street is right on the edge of Jericho, a beautiful little street with fairy lights on at night, good restaurants, and two (TWO!) ice cream shops. It’s beautiful year round.

A recent yarn bomb even had a little tag:

This yarn bomb was knit with love.

It’s August, and they’re still popping up. So, who’s doing this? I can’t tell if they’re only yarn-bombing my favorite places in Jericho, or if I’m only noticing the yarn bombings in those places. Anyone in Oxford want to jump in and contribute their own sightings?

Giveaway

The winner of the last giveaway was Catherine – which I think highly appropriate as she organized the Basingstoke Big Knit as well as the charity knitting I blogged about a while ago. She’s just generally a Good Knitting Community Member. The next giveaway is inspired both by the yarn bombing and by my upcoming move (just a couple of miles up the road, this time).

I have these nifty mini-skeins from Dye Spin Knit UK, acquired way back when I thought I would be knitting one of those crazy hexipuff blankets. [Nary a puff did I knit. Sigh.] I think they’re 25g each, but they have no tags. I will send three mini skeins to anyone volunteering to 1. yarn bomb their neighborhood with them and 2. willing to send me a photo of said skeins once they’ve become yarn bombs. I’ll select coordinating skeins (or clashing ones, if you prefer) and mail them out to you, free of charge.

Mini Skeins (with tape dispenser as size reference). They want to come live with you, and then conquer the world!

More Mini Skeins. Seriously, people. What was I thinking? Hexipuff Quilt? Seriously?!?

The mini-skein giveaway is first-come, first-served (use the comments field below) and will continue until I run out of skeins.

The other giveaway is of two skeins of Gricnasco Loden Soft. Super-soft and beautifully tweedy, this yarn would make a great striped hat or scarf to cheer you up all winter long. The usual Stash Giveaway rules apply to this one: Random Number Generator, comment below, etc. Comment by August 15 to be entered to win.

Make yourself a nice hat that will remind you of spring this winter.

So tell me: What would you make with the green yarn? Have you seen any yarn bombing in your area? And how the heck have you been in the last six months?