Poor sheep.

Poor sheep? Really? How so?

I think this is very cute. I'm waiting for all of the comments denouncing this as wasteful, bring it on!

Not so sure if that is good for that beautiful tree. The utility poll yes, cute.

"I'm waiting for all of the comments denouncing this as wasteful"

Um, you mean because it isn't wasteful?

There are lots of needy kids out there who would appreciate a nice sweater...

Sweet and whimsical in a city that could always use a little of both -- I like it.

Of course there are kids who need sweaters. That doesn't mean this project is invalid or 'wasteful.' Let's give sweaters to those kids, while celebrating art and creativity -- these are NOT mutually exclusive goals!

(Where was the outrage when people on this forum were all oooh-ing and aaaah-ing over ridiculously expensive "designer" chairs, benches, lamps, tables, bookcases, ad nauseum? There's no connection, you say? I rest my case.)

By your definition bepsf, lots of art would be wasteful.

valleyval- just because one fails to see or does not view this as art and feels the materials could of been put to better use does not mean they define art as wasteful.

I don't see this as art, I just saw a smothering tree and did not think about about the waste. So see we all see things differently.

I think we should leave nature alone and put the yarn to better use.

What happens when the squirrels pee on it?

I just think it's ugly, but that's only a matter of my own personal taste.

I do chuckle at the idea that the sheep will miss their wool though...

I think it's sweet!

Emily

This is not a good thing to do to a tree. I love it on the lamp posts, fences, trash bins- whatever... but wrapping something around the trunk of a tree eventually KILLS the tree. It's called GIRDLING.</a href> Please stop doing it!

Since when does a tree need revitalizing? The knitted street signs I've seen were cute. However, all I think is how nasty this must get after getting soaked from rain or snow - mildewy stinky sweaters.

@LoriSF -- I think you missed valleyval's point, i.e. that art uses limited resources that might have other uses that some people might say have more social utility.

I think mirandabee has got it right -- before any regular commenter here claims anything is "wasteful" or makes a comment that someone else should be donating to the needy, they really should consider whether their own tastes would be considered wasteful and indulgent by others.

valleyval --

I'm not aware that too many folks in need would be particularly benefitted by being given a framed painting or piece of scuplture...
...but the donation and sale of such items at charitable events where the proceeds go towards programs that benefit the needy certainly does help (And Yes kushkush, I have made it a practice to support certain of such activites over the years through volunteer work, monetary donations and charity/fundraising events.)

In the same vein - I don't know that many trees or lamp posts are particularly benefitted by being wrapped in a sweater, scarf or pair of mittens...
...but given the choice between the two - I'm sure you'll agree that the use of such talents and materials to create knitted items for distribution to folks in need or for sale where the proceeds would benefit the needy must certainly be a better use.

I am a crochet *street artist*, and my group is featured in the new Yarnbombing book.

To debunk all the questions:
We do donate to charitable causes. We crochet hats for children, scarves for homeless, etc. But we use better, quality yarn for that.
The only yarn we use when we hit the streets is cheap acrylic yarn that has been sitting on Salvation Army's shelf for years and years. It's cheap (usually a dollar for a bag of 10 different skeins) and since we're not getting paid to do it, cheap is good. I'd feel terrible giving a child a hat that has potential mildew already on it, but I feel much better about putting it on the street instead of filling a landfill. And who knows, it may get to the landfill if someone takes it down and throws it away, but the majority (about 90%) of ours have stayed up, some as long as two years.

That said, water/rain doesn't do much to the coozies. They rarely sag if properly attached - our group is purely crochet, not knitting, and crochet tends to stay taught for a long time. The sunlight is the worst enemy by fading the colors - but sometimes that looks nice. And even if they get wet, it's the same logic as drying your clothes outside - the sun or wind will dry it, and no mold has ever been spotted on ours that have sat out for awhile (we check on them frequently)

Meanwhile, I know there's the debate of strangling the trees. I myself have not researched it to its extent, but have heard and understand the concer; as a result, I never put coozies on trees.

My trademark is bicycle racks - it's all I do, even if the other ladies in my group put things elsewhere. I find this functional as a bicyclist myself - my bike has been scratched by bike posts, and to have a little cushion when resting is a protective measure.

And squirrels may pee on it, sure, but squirrels pee on a lot of other things, too. It's just urine.

And the main reason we do what we do is purely for surprising people. Someone walks down a street every day to work, and hey! Your bus bench now has a crocheted arm rest, *my, that's unusual!* We were caught once putting our coozies up by a 20-something man, and he was just besides himself, giddy. He said he had been seeing the coozies for over a year and had been dreaming about the moment he'd witness seeing them put up. It made our night, seeing that we've influenced at least one person.

I think it's a great way to bring the community together:) We did a piece about it too on our blog: http://baltimoresbesttreeservice.com/wordpress/?p=246
Anything to help out B-more!!

Kristen

Puhlease.

I cannot believe that folks are scolding the crafters for sweater tree, and other similar installations.

This is public art (delightful, whimsical and non-pretentious) plain and simple. For those bemoaning the "time, talent and materials" being sucked up by similar streetpost cozies, give me a break.

Do you realize that there are Goodwill stores, Salvation Army, shelters and regular thrift stores that are filled with good-condition, clean children's clothes that cost barely anything?

Why in this instance does public art get vilified as wasteful? Why in this instance do people have the right to dictate how the artists choose to spend their time and money?
Why is delight and whimsy dismissed and devalued?

To me these renegade knitters/crocheters are wonderful and the result is just as valuable as mural or other public art (actually more meaningful, because it is grass-roots and based on a community of individuals). These crafters are at least using their resources to benefit the community, whereas most people are solely interested in advancing their own interests.

Compared to the the truly impoverished and needy, all of our lives are ridiculously wasteful. We all live in glass houses, so quit pitching rocks unless you are truly the next Mother Theresa.

I should add that we've got "tree sweaters" in our community, and many of them are the result of local artists/crafters teaching the area girl AND boys how to knit and crochet. A lot of times, these students then go on to do charity projects: baby blankets and sweaters for the needy, etc. But this is a great way for them to learn the craft and get to share what they've created with their community (who's been very supportive).

Wrapping plastic and metal around tree trunks is bad, but this is knitted yarn. It has holes, it's stretchy, and they remove it during the tree's peak growth season. Personally, I think it brightens up our neighborhood during an otherwise dreary season. And I would have contributed if I'd realized they needed new pieces.

Well, I'm not here to defend the tree, but I would like people to know that the same knitters who did the tree also knit over 600 hats so each student at a local elementary could be a little warmer this winter.
These knitters are also currently making bears for the Mother Bear Project http://motherbearproject.org/about.html so children with AIDS in South Africa can have something to hold on to. So we really do " put the yarn to better use" when we're not trying to brighten up a street corner.

What does Art have to do with charity?
If you're an artist, then you're selfish & hate charity? An Artist MUST give to charity to compensate for the fact you're an artist? What?

How about you people who love shoes, do you buy a second new pair of heels for charity? Or do you hand them your old, worn-out, ugly things that you would otherwise throw in the garbage & pat yourself on the back for doing a "good" deed?

How about that daily Starbucks. I decree that once a month, Starbucks lovers must take Starbucks super double cappaccino lattes to the homeless shelter.
What about that vacation you just took? For a few more dollars, you could have added a homeless person on your double occupancy room.

I don't have to validate my art to anyone, I do it first & foremost for the enjoyment, and I now I also do it for pay.
I have charities I care about & that's no one's business who or what or how or IF I give to them, but I'm not knitting any sweater for anybody (I don't do sweaters, anyway!)

Relax people. It's acrylic yarn. It's fun. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if even only 1 person thinks it's art, then it's art. Personally I like sweaters and I like trees, so I also like sweater trees.

AJ touched on an issue that is much more pressing than the validity of clothing a tree - squirrels. We must all join together to stop these pests from digging up potted plants and peeing wherever they please.

To quote the great philosopher/golf course groundskeeper, Carl Spackler, "...Man, free to kill [squirrels] at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."