Sherlock Bradshaw and the Yarn of the Alien Tea Cozies

It began with a series of eerie manifestations, captured on film by teen sleuth Louise Lalande, popping up on on posts, hydro poles and trees around the area of the Consilium office - strange knitted objects, attractive, mysterious, and apparently without purpose.

Photos by Louise Lalande: Gladstone at Bank, Front of Church, and right outside our office.

We scratched our heads, discussed them at length, even mulled over while wool-gathering (pun intended).  Alien tea-cozies?  Larval quilts? Random Acts of Wool?

Our resident master of `le Mot Juste`, Jan Glyde of C.A.R.C. theorized "Guerrilla Knitting`. And a gruelling, exhausting investigation by Jennifer Bradshaw (well, a Google Search, actually) revealed just how close to the truth she was.

Jennifer's investigation uncovered a worldwide movement of artists who refer to themselves as "Knit Ninjas",  and engage in what they call knit graffiti or yarn-bombing. They're folks who enjoy little bit of whimsy, covertly deploying splashes of colour and a touch of mystery in gray urban landscapes.

As described in the Sacramento Bee:

``It began as a series of guerrilla strikes – the culprits sneaking out under cover of darkness, taking to the streets, tagging fire hydrants and sign poles.

With yarn.

Bright, knitted cozies have been appearing with increasing regularity on urban landscapes in cities around the world. ``

You can read more about these amiable eccentrics here.
And if you find yourself tickled at the notion of enlivening your visual landscape, you can look forward to breaking out on International Yarn Bombing Day, June 11, 2011.