Yarn Bombed Trees in Worthing

It's been an unseasonably chilly month of June so far and even the trees in Worthing are wearing woolly jumpers, it seems.

   I cycled past this technicoloured tree cosy in the rain yesterday so had to return under blue skies to take a closer look. There are in fact three knit-adorned trees on the corner of Union Place and the A259, a spot that boasts a fine view of the ring road in front of Waitrose's car park and is next to a big boarded up space by yet another car park. The town's Conservative club HQ is opposite. It's a location that really benefits from some colour and cheer!

   I suspect this outdoor art installation is the work of Worthing's guerrilla knitters, though the piece is unsigned. The decorated trees surprised and delighted passers by.

Meet and Make - Worthing's crafty Stitch 'n Bitch

Where do all the cool and creative people in Worthing go? On a Tuesday morning you'll find them at Meet and Make, a free weekly craft and coffee drop-in. Set up by two of Worthing's savviest women Nicky Fijalkowska and Chi Chi Revolver, in three short months it has become a hub for the town's crafting community. All forms of stitchery and handicrafts are welcome, and procrastinators are positively encouraged to bring along garments needing repair and a bit of TLC.

The venue for this splendid meet up is our town's best independent cafe Mooey's Mocha Shop which sadly is forced to close at the end of the month. The owners Danny and Linzi Harrocks have done so much to create a lovely, welcoming environment (as well as serving delicious food and damn fine coffee) and as a result Mooey's became a magnet for the great and the good of the town. We're heartbroken at the cafe's demise - there's no where else like it. But rest assured Meet and Make will continue and is currently in negotiation with a forward-thinking seafront establishment - watch this space.

Venue update:

Great news as our new venue has just been confirmed! Starting Tuesday 12th June 2012 our weekly meets will be held at Coast Cafe on Worthing seafront (at Splashpoint, east of the Pier), from 10.00am to 12noon. Our last two meet ups at Mooey's will be on 22nd May and 29th May.

Guerilla knitting on the streets of Worthing

I went out on my bike to photograph the early setting sun and stumbled upon a monumental piece of knitted graffiti on the seafront corner of The Steyne. The Steyne’s old red phone box is now wearing a huge woolly patchwork cosy, complete with a large pom pom on the top. Inside it’s filled with intricate crocheted flowers and leaves, handmade insects, cute rodents and even a knitted bird.
     This multicoloured knitted telephone booth celebrates the radical eccentric guerilla knitting of Magda Sayeg and the phone box cosies of London's Knit The City movement - it's a splendid sight and well worth taking a seafront detour for.
     Worthing's piece of kooky craft is signed Blueprint 22 and The Wool Bar. A bit of Googling tells me it could be the start of a big outdoor knitting exhibition in Worthing. I look forward to seeing more knitted graffiti on our streets!