Partridge & a Pear-Tree (Christmas Eve Grand finale)

Me preparing the partridge

Close-up of an ornament

L: random lady who stopped by & R: 2 Friends who helped me

completed yarn bomb

The Partridge & the Pear's Santa hat

Soft and Fuzzy Graffiti

Kid's Yarnvent Calendar Day Photos

Kristen is quite excited

Heather & Eli hanging his ornament

No help from me

Nick decorating the hydrant

Cassie decorating the statue to look like a stack of gifts

Best looking hydrant

Team Photo

Photo courtesy of Mark Mulligan

Jake, Alyssa, Cassie, Me holding Kristen, Nick, & Heather holding Eli

(not shown is Diana who showed up to support)

Soft and Fuzzy Graffiti | The Everett Herald

By Julie Muhlstein, Herald Columnist

A pompom here, a knitted ornament there, Everett has been hit by a yarn bomber.

"I just wanted to spread some Christmas cheer," Renee Walstad said.

Walstad is part of a warm-and-fuzzy movement being embraced by creative types all over the world.

Her efforts are modest compared with the ways some yarn artists decorate public places. For some yarn bombers, what began as a covert operation has blossomed into commissioned public art projects.

Since early this month, Walstad, 28, has been putting knitted and crocheted decorations on Everett's downtown sculptures. She calls it a "Yarnvent calendar."

"You know, like Advent," the Lake Stevens woman said. "Every day before Christmas, I put up an ornament."

If you stopped for coffee on Everett's Colby Avenue on Wednesday, you may have noticed Walstad's cheery calling cards. Near the Starbucks shop, the statue of three little girls holding hands -- Georgia Gerber's "Along Colby" -- finds the girls dressed for the season in knitted red and green anklets. One of the bronze figures held a knitted Christmas ornament.

Walstad plans to put up her last yarn piece Saturday, on the steel "Braeburn Pear" sculpture outside shops on Colby. She promises to take the pieces down after Christmas.

"Some people take them and put them on their own trees. Whatever happens happens," she said.

On Tuesday, in the late afternoon chill, Walstad was joined by several children from Everett's Refuge Foursquare Church, where she is a member. Some of the kids had helped make the yarn doodads they put on several Wall Street sculptures.

They decked out "Balancing Big," Joseph Kinnebrew's sculpture of stacked red boxes outside the Monte Cristo building. When they finished, the metal sculpture looked like giant gifts tied up with string.

Cassie Smith, 12, of Lake Stevens, described making a finger-crocheted rope. "You tie a knot around your thumb, and twirl it around, and twirl it around," Cassie said.

"It's a little Christmas adventure," said Heather Mitchell, whose 16-month-old son Elijah and 3-year-old daughter Kirsten were part of the decorating crew.

In some places, yarn bombing is a big adventure.

The phenomenon was explained in a 2009 book, "Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti." Authors Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain, of Vancouver, B.C., call yarn bombing "a quiet revolution," a movement "that started underground and is now embraced by crochet and knitting artists of all ages."

Last May, The New York Times published an article on yarn bombing with the headline "Graffiti's Cozy, Feminine Side." It was accompanied by a photograph of New York City's "Charging Bull" statue, a symbol of Wall Street, encased in a crocheted purple and pink coat.

Prain, the Vancouver author, was quoted in The Times as saying she once tried to yarn bomb a signpost near FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. The article said Prain was approached by a guard and told to "step away with the knitting."

Walstad, who works in a clinic as an assistant, took her first foray into yarn bombing on June 11 -- proclaimed on a Facebook page as "International Yarn Bombing Day." She decorated the Colby Avenue pear statue that day. In October, during the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fundraising walk in Everett, she scattered yarn flowers and yarn bosoms around town.

Suzanne Tidwell, of Sammamish, is a yarn bomber turned sanctioned artist. The 43-year-old's interest began when she took a University of Washington certificate course in fiber arts.

"Getting your work out there, it's hard to approach a gallery," Tidwell said Wednesday. "The easiest thing to do is just put it up. For me, that's how it started."

Without permission, she wrapped a pole in yarn on a Redmond street, making it look like a candy cane. "I didn't get in trouble. It stayed up for a year," she said. "I ended up taking it down myself."

Earlier this year, she saw a call for artists posted by Seattle Parks & Recreation for its summer Art Sparks program. Her proposal to wrap tree trunks and light posts in Pioneer Square'sOccidental Park was accepted. It took her a month to install the eye-catching display, which stayed up most of the summer.

"I'm rather a Girl Scout, I like to ask for permission," said Tidwell, who has also wrapped tree trunks for the city of Sammamish. She believes yarn bombers spread a happy message: "Quit taking life so seriously."

"I love the idea of people walking along and being taken aback by a fabulous array of color," Tidwell said.

In Everett, holiday yarn bombers worked on a smaller scale, but with a similar message.

"It's fun to spread joy, to bring a smile," Cassie Smith said.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460, muhlstein@heraldnet.com

Yarnvent Calendar 9-2 Days

9-7 Days until Christmas

While putting scarfs on the girls I was inspired by their dancing feet. I used my ankle to measure theirs and was amazed they were the same size. I was in luck. I knew anything that fit myself would wrap around them. So I made 3 different pairs, complete with mini poms like I wore as a tiny girl. The weather was gross for 2 days but on 7 days until Christmas it was perfect. Chilly but not rainy. I sat on the pavement and took my time attaching the anklets. A few people walked by staring at me. And they remained for the following weekend when the article came out.

9 Days (center)

8 Days (left)

7 days (right)

6 Days

I was in Seattle for a free student massage. I had always dreamed of bombing in Seattle like Yarn Core, but was worried Everett would be offended. My first choice in the Fremont Troll was he was closed due to bridge construction. My next choice was near Dick's. In honor of the milkshake I made it snow. 

6 Days (Seattle)

5 days

On 5 days until Christmas I took 5 kids to meet a friend and her two little kids yarn bombing. Here is their work from my perspective. Another post will host the front page article in the Everett Herald. But their photographer didn't get as many complete works photos. 

Kristen wanted to give her pigtails bows

Best looking hydrant in town

Green in a leash to the dog and I think that's his lasso from Nick

Alyssa and Cassie placed the leash and collar
Kristen wanted a bow on his tail

Cassie & Alyssa's creation

5 Days. The boxes all wrapped up

I came back to the Police Department since I was only 3 blocks away and added another bomb. Someone cut the bell off the light. The strings were still around the pole. But I didn't let that stop me.

5 Days (rebomb what was taken down)

 4 Days
The majority of the ornaments were taken down from 2 weeks ago so I replaced one nearest to the intersection.

4 Days

3 Days

Let it snow. Let it snow. Let it snow. But being Northwest Washington, it almost never snows near Christmas. So I placed icicles on a rock/statue due to frost and frozen windows in the mornings.

3 Days

 2 Days until Christmas
After working at my church's Christmas Eve services on the 23rd (my favorite time to volunteer) I had my boyfriend drive me to bomb a statue. He had no idea what I was doing. I'm quite partial to Refuge Church across the street and saved him for the 23rd.We pulled up to see the star and tinsel still on his body. I was excited. I added the little tree for him to hold. I didn't have sufficient yarn so I hooked his fingers into the tree's corners. Finally, I adorned his hat and made it festive. While bombing a friend from Refuge Church stopped and told me this was her favorite. It definitely completed his outfit.

2 Days

Yarnvent Calendar 19-10 Days

19 Days

After our first good frost I decided a few statues were cold. As you will see George has frost on his previous ornament.

19 Days A

After my scarfs went up a friend of mine's mom works on the campus. She came home telling her daughter someone yarn bombed the statues and was excited to know the personal connection. 

19 Days B

18 Days

I came back to the Ant and gave her a bow. I was a bit nervous for this one since I was there the prior day and the entrance to the superior courthouse was to my right. I could see into court offices...

18 Days

(blog exclusive) This next post was during Yarnvent Calendar but I wanted to preface that the wreath was made specifically for all service men and women who have served. 09/11 started my senior year with a bang. Many of my classmates joined the armed services following graduation. This was for them on Pearl Harbor Remembrance day (12/07/12). What Pearl Harbor was for my grandparents generation 9//11 is for mine. I'm one to memorialize 9/11, I never have been. I choose not to remember tragedy. I choose to remember those who stepped up and served. I hold a place for them. This is for them. (Josh, Tyler, Nick, & Dustin (RIP) etc)

(non-yarnvent) Pearl Harbor Memorial Day

17 Days
The wreath had been removed which was sad. I made a decision to add a few elements in close succession until the final piece. I had a friend help wrap the fountain. My candy cane rope was too short.

17 Days A

 My new helper had made her own bomb. I was quite proud. She made the warm green scarf to the left and I made the orange and green as well as the blue ornament. I was pleased to see my red ornament still hanging from their hands. A few days later a knitted hat appeared on one of their heads as well as a pink glove shared by two girls.

17 Days B

16 Days
Was 15 feet un-stretched enough rope? Yes, it was sufficient. but I could have used more. This stage reminded me of winter green and peppermint candies and not a wreath. It still needed more!

16 Days

15 & 14 Days
Due to the weather and the fact the fountain still has a full mote of water I waited to combine my day to one cold afternoon. The white was to be placed on day 15 and star as the mid-yarnvent masterpiece. It was fracking cold this afternoon. The previous ropes will had ice crystals formed. I brought an entire ball of sparkles yarn and kept winding around and around. Before placing the star I quickly warmed my fingers in my pockets. Brrr. Attaching the star in the center while freezing was not easy task. I put a knot mid way on each point's ties and then adjusted after it was loosely secure. I am happy to say this lasted until 5 Days when "grinches" (as the kids called them) took it down. Part of me knew it would happen but hoped it would last.

15 & 14 Days

15 Days B (Bombed on day 13)

I totally forgot I had this one premade. The points are double thickness for heft. As you see I returned to an slightly bare statue. He is a star thus he was given a star. There is a cancer ribbon on his chest which hangs the star. On this day I decided his hat needed decoration.

15 Days B

13 Days
I  love the Braeburn Pear. I have bombed this twice before today: International Yarn Bomb Day, Making Strides for Breast Cancer. I had already made my final bomb and was waiting in a box. I didn't want to neglect it since all the other statues were getting love...So it got a little pink ribbon.

Lucky 13 Days

12 Days

No partridge and no pear, but a tree. This hangs in front of the Everett Public Library. I wondered around for 10 minutes looking for a good place. This was my plan B if no other was to be found. There was a chain fence that over hangs the stairs going to the parking garage but wasn't feasible to get the tree on it. Alas here it is at sunset.

12 Days

11 Days

George got an candy cane earring. I had wanted to make earmuffs but did not have sufficient time with my other obligations. The I-cord didnt turn out as well as I hoped. My twitter friend nightknitpixie had some nice ones. My intarsia in knitting needs more work.

11 Days

10 Days

I got brave and walked over the the City Hall offices and Police Department. The main police station is not housed here, I believe its administrative, but there were a few sheriff cars across the street by the courthouse. I had a rule of no bombing buildings for this calendar. I saw my opportunity on the light and took it. I did post on facebook "I bombed the police department." I know how it sounds and was deliberate in my choice in words.

10 Days A

(Blog exclusive photo) Around the corner is the flag another serviceman memorial. Each slab has each name of those who died serving for each battle. I left a stocking for the men who gave their lives. It didn't go in my Facebook album like how the other wreath didn't either.

10 Days B

Yarnvent Calendar 24-20 Days

I had been thinking of yarn bombing a bit for Christmas. When I first heard of Yarnvent Calendar from @Nightknitpixie it was the answer to my idea. At first I thought it was quite the undertaking but as the month unfolded I got bigger ideas. It evolved with some undertones of the "12 Days of Christmas". Watch it unfold with me.

24 Days Until Christmas

24: I chose to start as a count down until Christmas. The challenge was counting backwards without skipping days luckily there is an app for my pixie phone. You can slightly read "Days" and @pixie_bomber. I purposely chose the "Along Colby" statues due to high foot traffic from Starbucks. With 3 little girls it gave me a great canvas to add to.

23 Days

23: I bombed this last summer while it was still operating and got a bit drippy. I was pleased to see it off for my bombing. A friend helped me hang the wreath inside the fountain at a busy intersection (Colby/Hewitt). I had a dream of a wreath within a wreath, but this little fellla was removed a few days later. 

22 Days

22:  The story is he was a dance instructor to decades to the families in Everett. Below he is holding a chair. I was told his name is Mike Johnson.This statue has been bombed once by me already and will be bombed more this month. It reminded me of  "Holiday Inn" so I made him a bell for a white Christmas.


21: Below is a series of photos from 21 days until Christmas. I decided to make 21 bombs for 21 days in theme of my calendar. i posted on Facebook that I needed help one evening and was blessed to have my friend from earlier return and a mother with 3 children. Kids make yarn bombing so much fun. I made the mistake of mentioning a cop was near and the youngest seemed stated that we might get arrested. So we split the adults and kids, divided the street and conquered it.

21 Days (Cassie)

21 Days (Jake) Sheri made the scarf

21 Days (team photo)

Jake, Sheri, Nick, Cassie, & Joel under the steam statue (yarn bomb tree)

21 Days

 I didn't know there was a squirrel statue. Joel found him and gave him a wreath.

He became my favorite for the day.

20 Days

20: I got brave and decided to put a few bombs in Snohomish County campus which houses the government offices (background) and Court House (off photo on right). I was prepared to step away from the knitting. This here is an interpretation on Curious George. He got a bra once for Making Strides for Breast Cancer. I must say his bra was his best look. His ornament is one of the few that denote the purpose of the yarn bomb. It was my attempt at education/awareness.

Boobie Bombs for The Big Breast

All yarn bombs were placed during

"Making Strides Against Breast Cancer"

Tree in front of Cancer Center
Honor of my Aunt

Hospital Intersection

Pear in front of Pave (fav bombing place)
In Honor of Dori

Tree in front of hospital
in Honor of Sharon

Kevin the dancing man (fav bombing place)
Coincidentally in front of our church

Curious George in Sno Co Campus
Walk Starting Point

The 7th Bomb was placed by a fellow knitter on the hospital entrance