Yarnbombing And Crocheting : Rockridge Library , Oakland

I taught my mother how to crochet when I was 9 or 10. I think small children should be taught how to sew , knit , crochet , bake bread , make shoes , play the piano and speak French and then they can go home and teach their parents . This will make the world a better place . This is my plan .

So any way I taught my mother to crochet and she made a white , orange and black acrylic afghan which we treasured and took to hockey games for years . I must have taught myself to crochet from a book . My crocheting career has had many highlights. I took a college course in crochet , I crocheted a lumpy pink bathing cap that looked sort of like a brain . I also crocheted my way through 2 encyclopedias of crochet patterns a few years ago , I really enjoyed that a lot . For yarnbombing crocheting is supreme for adding large , luxurious,Victorian looking flowers .

The vigerous right hand movement of crocheting makes me feel very busy and productive I . I notice that sewing , beading , knitting , drop spinning , wheel spinning , crocheting each have their own movement and each movement calms me in a different way like a special tuning of my body . Drop spinning clears my mind and lets thoughts form easily. Sewing beads is best for despair. Crocheting is beat for building enthusiasm.

I imagine people who play lots of instruments or like to do different kinds of exercise have these fine points too.

I sewed this yarnbomb up last Wednesday outside the Rockridge Library in Oakland . It’s the third in my Oakland library series. As I was sewing a young man in sunglasses sat down near me and started smoking a cigarette. He stared at me and then suddenly focused on what I was doing and said ” That’s vandalism you know . I should call the police . ”

I stiffened for a second and then realized he was joking . ” The Oakland police don’t care . ” I said ” We had 7 police watch us put up a yarnbomb once ‘

“I know ” he said . ” I paint murals now but I used to tag . I loved it , but you can get sent to jail for it ! Jail for art , can you imagine ? ‘

I imagined and was very glad that I have never been .

A small article in the Piedmont Patch about the yarnbomb at their library. here.

Some more crocheted flowers from my yarnbombing past.