A story

I first became aware of it when I came to Stockholm to study for a semester. My adventures about that can be found here. I was walking in Gammla Stan in Stockholm when I happened to notice... a streetsign had a scarf wrapped around it. There was a website attached to the odd, brightly colored piece of knitting, and I copied it down, curious what it was about.

It was only after I noticed the pieces in other places that I actually remembered to check it out.

That's how I found out about Masquerade, an urban twist on both Graffiti and knitting (or sticka in Swedish.)

From there I discovered Knitta, another site that documents the beginning of a fun, lighthearted way to take knitting and crochet and make a statement of it.

I have to say, in Stockholm, in the winter, when it is almost always cold and dark? These little pieces of art, so unexpected, brighten my day.

As the Knitta website explains the movement:

Knitta began in August 2005, when the soon-to-be-Knittas were discussing their frustration over unfinished knitting projects: half-knitted sweaters and balls of yarn gathering dust. That afternoon, they knit their first door handle. Then it dawned on them… a tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles on more ambitious outings. With a mix of clandestine moves and gangsta rap — Knitta was born! Today, Knitta is a group of ladies of all ages, nationalities, and… gender.

So go take a look at the websites and let me know what you think.