Mad Hatter Tea Party

Eugene Storefront Art Project is a great organization here in Eugene and Springfield.  From their site, they're mission statement:

-To place short term exhibits in empty Lane County storefronts while beautifying downtown areas and allowing artists a unique canvas.

-To promote new art and improving the quality of life while creating an artistic environment and making vacant properties more desirable.

- To facilitate happenings and events in vacant storefronts, urban spaces and community oriented businesses featuring the work of artists in different media, such as visual art, performance and music.

-To develop ways to use empty buildings as a temporary studio space available to artists until rented.

So when ESAP asked us to be a part of a installation theme Color Hungry, we jumped at the chance.  We were inspired by the color in Alice in Wonderland and thought a tea party would look great.  We knitted and crocheted blankets, doilies, fruit, flowers, edibles, vases and chairs!  Most pieces are for sale, if interested please contact us at knittingknotty at yahoo.com

Our installation is currently up at 402 Main St., Springfield, Oregon if you have a chance to stop by and view it for yourself.

Please visit ESAP on facebook to keep up to date on more artist projects and see photos of the other Color Hungry installations.

You can view more Eugene Knotty Knitters photos on our flickr.

You're Invited

You're invited to our annual holiday party!  We ask that you bring a homemade/handmade gift and something to eat or drink to share.  It's a lot of fun- we swap presents, play games, knit and laugh.  Join us on Friday, December 16th at 6:30pm.  Please email us at knittingknotty@yahoo.com to RSVP and get directions.

Photos from our past holiday parties:

Holiday Party 2010

Holiday Party 2009

Woolly Walk Along

photo by Knitty Graffity

In July we told you about monsters we had knitted as part of a global yarn bombing project The Woolly Walk Along in Auckland, New Zealand.  This past weekend Knitty Graffity installed all the pieces.  It looks amazing.  It is very exciting to be a part of something so huge.  So global.  Please visit Knitty Graffitys blog to see other creative knit pieces that were included.

Eugene Celebration 2011

This time of year is The Knotty Knitters anniversary.  Last year we celebrated being one by yarn bombing parking meters just outside the Eugene Celebration.  This year we decided to march in the parade!  

 We gathered a bunch of donated sweaters to create what we call The Scarf of Doom or Octoscarf.  

And we used the leftovers sweater scraps to make our banner!

We also yarn bombed the parade goers while marching.

We had so much fun.

We also won an award!  Runner up for Judge's Choice!  We're so honored and thrilled to be supported by Eugene.  View more photos on our flickr.  See more on our facebook page.  Are you a knitter on Ravelry?  Follow our projects there.  Got photos to share?  Send them to knittingknotty@yahoo.com

Monster Mania

A few months back, Knitty Graffity asked The Knotty Knitters if we would participate in something she calls The Wooly Walk Along. The Rugby World Cup is coming to Auckland, New Zealand in September and she had the idea to create an outdoor yarn bombing exhibition for the visitors. Please visit her blog to see all the beautiful pieces created and sent from all over the world!

The Knotty Knitters chose to knit monsters for our piece! We are honored and excited to be a part of something so global. Can't wait to see photos of the installation!

Calling All Sweaters!

The Knotty Knitters need your help! We're embarking on a project and we need lots of second-hand sweaters. Were you just thinking of giving your old winter sweaters away to a thrift store? Give them to us instead! Wool, cotton, acrylic, hand knit, store bought, any color, any size!! Or please donate some money so we can head to the thrifty and buy some.

You can email us at knittingknotty@yahoo.com with any questions or details. Thank you!

International Yarn Bombing Day

It was a success! So many great pieces were created for the bridge! Pom poms, flags, a salmon, a snake, spirals and lots of cozies! The biggest cozy is over 50 feet long.

Every single person who walked by had a positive thing to say. They loved it and thanked us for decorating the bridge.

There were a few questions that I'd like to answer. Who removes it? We do! We continuously check on our yarn bombs and do any repairs or remove any pieces that start to look dingy or are too destroyed to keep. We try very hard to prevent any litter or trash. The city of Eugene has not spent any money or time cleaning up our installations.

How is your graffiti different than traditional graffiti? Why don't you get in trouble? I suppose the difference is that you can remove knitted graffiti in a matter of seconds with a pair of scissors. And also I think people respond better to public art that's knitted because it's surprising to them. They don't expect it and that usually makes them laugh. For us, the removal of our graffiti is no different that using a hose to erase sidewalk chalk art.

Why don't you spend all that time, effort and yarn knitting for charities instead of wasting it on yarn bombs? Most of us do donate to charities. But we're also artists. Art for art sake. To ask someone to spend any and all free creative time for a specific purpose is silly. When you want to bake a cake, do you bake it for yourself or is your first thought to spend your time and ingredients baking for a food bank? Besides, we've been told what we're doing is a public service by people and the city of Eugene.

Video by Brian Walker.

You can read more about this event on yarnbombing.com and on our facebook page. Check out more photos on our flickr.