International Yarn Bombing Day

Having first appeared in 2004 in the Netherlands, yarn bombing has slowly become an international outsider art phenomenon. 2012 marks the second annual International Yarn Bombing Day, which proves once and for all that knitting isn't just for grandmothers and counterculture isn't just for young punks.

Yarn bombing traces its formal origins back to Houston, Texas in 2005, when one resident attached yarn to the door handle of her boutique. Since then, it has expanded to city streets, where residents cover telephone poles, bike racks and tree branches in colorful yarn. As opposed to graffiti, many critics have deemed yarn bombing a more acceptable form of urban art, as its sole goal is to beautify public spaces.

In June 2011, Joann Matvichuk began International Yarn Bombing Day in Alberta, Canada, when fellow yarn bombers from across the globe hit the city streets with their knits. The next IYBD is slated for June 9th, 2012, so grab your needles and get to work.