that's awesome!

My City did what we called Knit Bridge

http://www.knitcambridge.com/theproject.html
I dont' have pictures but we have a video!
http://www.cambridgetimes.ca/videozone/872111

It was amazing to see a bridge covered in various forms of knitting!

That's cool!

i was in austin last week (my home town!) and i'm so sad i didn't get to see this! i did see some of her previous knitted "graffiti" around austin a couple years ago. i have to say this is a sign of how cool the city of austin is to encourage this kind of public art.

The first time AT covered KnittaPlease, community members commented on the racism/ classism of the name. Here we go again! Good idea, bad form. More info at http://www.studioist.com/knitta-please-and-resisting-racist-handicraft/

Sigh.

These would have looked nicer on street lamps. I like the idea, but why cover the trees when so many wild animals are already desperate to use them for food and such? I don't imagine it's great for the trees to be covered like this either. Their bark is especially adapted to reflect or absorb heat via color and shape.

I visited it last weekend! A group of friends and I were at UT to shoot some pictures for one friend's photo webcomic. Among the group was a girl who works on the 27th floor of the UT Tower who got us past security so we could see her awesome space. Beautiful architectural details and an amazing view - I don't know how she get any work done. She also had a builtin cabinet that had a hole in the back leading to an unused elevator shaft. We all took turns climbing into the cabinet and sticking our heads into the elevator shaft - the light from the flashlight could only reach so far, so we weren't sure if it went all the way down or not!

We hit several statues and fountains on our way to what we dubbed the knitted forest. Every tree was interesting and different. The overall effect is so whimsical! We frolicked and took pictures for a while and then continued on with our adventures.

Thanks for blogging this, now I know the origins of the knitted forest!

Hmm...I can't quite figure out how I feel about this.

On one hand, it's fun and quirky...but why not cover something that isn't pretty to begin with? I like the street light idea.

They featured KnittaPlease in one of the video bumpers for this years South by Southwest film festival. I had heard of the concept, but had no idea the group was real

I think this is the start of something much bigger!!!! Aplause Applause for KnittaPlease!!!

Thanks for posting your link Dee Ell! I really appreciate it!

As an African American woman I can't stand behind this simply because of the name...I'd be irked even if the artist was Black...but the fact that she's not makes it even worse.

I live in Houston, where KnittaPlease started before Magda moved to Austin. There are so many places of business that still sport their knit graffiti.

And that's how the group started was as a graffiti group, before the term 'yarn bombing' came around. Going with the theme of graffiti artists taking a tag name, all the members of the group took on various tag names having to do with the craft.

I guess I'm just so naive or focused on the crafting aspect because until the stink about the name came up on this post, I never in a million years would have made the connection between "knitta" and a certain unacceptable racial slur.

I love this. I want a tree cozy.

I've seen them putting it up on the 5th ^_^

to make matters worse -- when the artist was called out on it her response was the trite "I grew up in the inner city" -- as if just because she presumably "has black friends" that gives her a free pass...

cool project but the name of the group is offensive.