Have a go at... yarn bombing

Wool you be having a go at Yarn Bombing? Visit the Harley Gallery, and you’re in for a colourful treat. Not only can you see the beautiful exhibition Ptolemy Mann: The Architecture of Cloth, Colour & Space, but visitors to the gallery have also been showing off artistic flair with a spot of yarn bombing. The Harley Gallery is inviting visitors to leave their mark on the outdoor space, by placing crocheted, knitted or embroidered masterpieces in the courtyard for all to see. We didn’t want to miss the opportunity to have a go ourselves, and have our work proudly ‘exhibited’ at the gallery. Armed with lengths of yarn, we set to work and created this rather colourful braided bunting, and with the help of our very own ‘yarn bomber’ – managed to get our work up on the Harley Gallery sign! All work produced will continue to hang in the courtyard until the end of the current exhibitions on 18 October, meaning your handy work will be seen by an abundance of visitors. Still unsure about yarn bombing? We caught up with Marketing Officer, Rebecca who answered our questions about this intriguing idea. Where did you get the idea for ‘yarn bombing’? We’d been thinking a lot about how Ptolemy Mann uses colour in her work to make places more beautiful – whether a wall based piece of artwork, a lovely textile for your home or a design for a building façade. As soon as we saw the exhibition in the gallery, we got really excited and wanted to find a way to take all of those ideas out into the Harley Courtyard. What do you need to ‘yarn bomb’? Not a lot – it’s easy to get involved. You need some wool or yarn and whatever tools you enjoy using – maybe a crochet hook, or knitting needles… plus some imagination. What is your favourite piece so far? There’s a very clever piece of weaving on a drain cover, a crocheted spider making a web on the Gallery sign, bold yarn wrapped objects and small, subtle, witty pieces – it’s so hard to choose! What has the reaction been from visitors? Visitors have been really intrigued by the yarn bombing, and excited to have a go. Families have really enjoyed making their yarn bombs together. Where are you encouraging people to yarn bomb? We’d love to see visitors’ yarn bombs in the Harley Courtyard; the walled area outside of the Harley Gallery and Welbeck Farm Shop. We do ask that yarn bombers check out the guerrilla knitting guidelines before taking part – they can find them in the courtyard and on the Harley Gallery Facebook page. What is the ‘must-see’ piece of the Ptolemy Mann exhibition? I love the Fuchillilkat Chairs – they’re woven directly onto the chair frame and one even has a loom attached to it. They’re really ingenious, and use Ptolemy’s amazing colour palette. You can see Ptolemy Mann: The Architecture of Cloth, Colour & Space at the Harley Gallery until 18 October, and don’t forget to take your yarn with you.

Why not have a go at some braided bunting like ours? We look forward to seeing your creations. Send us a picture via Twitter or Facebook.