A (Yarn) Bomb of a Birthday

With spring finally in the air, it’s time for some COLOR! Whether you wear your color on the fence like the spinner below or you mix it up in a dye pot like Dagmar Klos, it’s time to chase away the winter grays with some seriously vibrant hues. Reader and Advisory Panel member Debbie Held shared this wonderful story with us when it was in process. We couldn't resist the combination of craft and celebration and asked her to share it with you. -Anne

Without doubt, the best part of any craft-based organization is the people you meet. In my days in both the Atlanta Knitting Guild and the Peachtree Handspinners Guild, I have been fortunate to be in touch with Phred Huber.

Not herself a fiber artist, Phred recently sent out “please help me”-type emails to anyone in any fiber-related guild she could think of. She was planning a surprise fiftieth-birthday yarn-bombing for her significant other, guild member Lisa Ellis. Phred was seeking black squares and crocheted and/or knitted outdoorsy-themed items, including clouds, a bumblebee, flowers, grass … You know, the usual. Phred documented it all in her secret yarn-bombing Facebook page with real-time photos as the big event unfolded.

Lisa, Rosie, and Yarn Rosie

This being a momentous birthday, Phred was keen on creating an experience which would be perfect for Lisa, whose main loves in life are fiber crafting (knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving) and her 11-year-old Bernese mountain dog, Rosie. Knowing nothing about yarn herself, Phred turned to friend Judy Forster, who spearheaded the volunteers’ crafting efforts and made Rosie come to three-dimensional life, stitching together all those black shapes into the perfect four-foot-long Rosie-likeness. Yes, grass, clouds, a dog nose, flowers, even a beaded collar—they, and more, were all there, too, sent or delivered by friends far and near.

On Lisa’s birthday, she was led blindfolded to the couple’s backyard for the big reveal, where she found Rosie, in doggie-doppleganger yarn-bomb form, emblazoned on the fence, the backyard filled with friends and the joy of community.

“So what was her reaction like?” I later asked Phred.

“I really couldn’t tell if she was going to laugh or cry, “ Phred answered, describing a woman first in shock, then overcome with the recognition of all that was happening around her. “The best part was when she reached out just to touch the yarn-version of Rosie. It was just awesome.”

Lisa and Phred intend to leave their work of art up for as long as possible, or until the City of Atlanta forces them to take it down, whichever comes first.

~Debbie Held