Keen knitters and crochet fans sought to yarn bomb village for Artweeks

Banbury artist Susie Wightman, who has a studio in the village, is looking for people to help her in the noble art of ‘yarn bombing’.

Yarn bombing, also known as guerilla knitting or urban knitting, is described as a type of graffiti with an international guerilla movement. It can also be a form of protest or a way of brightening up a run down area.

Mrs Wightman is looking for people with knitting skills who might be interested in yarn bombing the Sibfords.

All volunteers need to do is knit or crochet tags to be used around the village.

Speaking to the Banbury Guardian, Mrs Wightman said it was about ‘bringing a bit of insanity into the world.’

She said: “I have just recently finished an MA in fine art and this is my next project. It is a bit like taking a craft like knitting and crochet and asking, ‘can it be art?’

“You don’t have to do it on your own. It is nice to get a group together.”

She had already had several people express an interest, including friends in Banbury, and was hoping to put together a team of around 10 to 15.

“It is going to be part of Oxfordshire Artweeks this year, which is in May and the whole purpose is to get as much yarn bombing material together so we can spread it around the village as a yarn bombing trail,” she said.

“Hopefully, it will make people smile, given what the world is like at the moment.

“Yarn bombing has been around for quite a long time, particularly in America and places like Scandinavia. It is pushing the boundaries of craft.”

And Mrs Wightman has already been on the lookout for suitable places around the village to cover in knitting, including near her workspace at the Old Mission Hall Studios.

She had also identified a number of trees which might get the yarn bombing treatment as well as a number of gardens.

Anyone wanting to join Mrs Wightman in her yarn bombing project, can contact her on 07891 167485 or 
[email protected].

Yarn bombing has a language of its own.

A tag is any piece of knitting or crochet used as a graffiti object.

A crew is name for a group of people who create tags for a yarn bombing project.

A blockbuster is a piece created to cover a large area.

A person who creates a blockbuster is known as a roller.

Get-up is the act of putting graffiti on a surface.

Getting up is having as many tags and bombs in as many places as possible.

This year, Oxfordshire Artweeks is running from May 5 to 29 where studios in towns and villages around the county will be opening their doors to the public for free and visitors can watch artists at work and demonstrations or have a go themselves.

Art on display will include painting, photography, textiles, sculpture and ceramics and digital art.

The second week of Artweeks will focus on north and west Oxfordshire including Chipping Norton and Banbury.

More information and a festival map is already available online at www.artweeks.org/festival.