Community Corner

Another "Yarn Bomb" Strikes Walnut Creek

The free-spirited knitters continue their campaign in Walnut Creek and nearby communities.

The editor of Lamorinda Patch passed these photos and tale along from a reader who recently came across another  "attack" of yarn bombing in Walnut Creek, this one outside Walnut Creek's Target.

Yarn bombing, the latest trend in guerrilla art, is when an individual or group of knitting artists swoop into an urban area and wrap a utilitarian element on the street — such as a lamp post — in colorful yarn,  Or a bike rack, as happened

In the most recent incident, the yarn bombers struck one of those big red decorative balls in front of t.

Find out what's happening in Walnut Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"My son Matt and I saw this red Target ball turned into a beach ball (sewn up and then zippered on) at the Walnut Creek branch this morning," wrote Lafayette Patch reader Sarah. "...Wondering it it's a prank or intentionally done by Target?"

"Streetcolor" was the name of the knitting artist who struck the Orinda bike racks last month, while "DRINKIN knitters" left their "tag," in the form of a heart-shaped Valentine's card, on Locust Street outside the Walnut Creek Yacht Club in February.  Walnut Creek Yacht Club co-owner Ellen McCarty, who recorded the incident outside her restaurant, also came across a yarn bomb in the form of a knitted Tibetan prayer flag outside Lafayette's ABsolute Center Yoga and Pilates in April. 

Find out what's happening in Walnut Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the website, Yarn Bombing, artists create knitted or crocheted works that range from cherry blossoms to bees to strings of words on public signs, benches, parking meters and telephone poles. 

Yarn bombers say they are just trying to pretty up a city landscape, but the City of Walnut officially regards their works, however well-intentioned, as a form of graffiti and a public nuisance. 

What do you think? Yarn bombing: harmless, pretty art or a public nuisance?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here