The Cornish town of Liskeard has been ‘Yarn Bombed’. Not by a nasty subversive force but by really nice people who are keen on knitting ! ‘Yarn Bombing’ is ‘the action or activity of covering objects or structures in public places with decorative knitted or crotcheted material, as a form of street art‘. It has given Liskeard’s granite heart an intriguing, quirky splash of colour, some of it in big and brash patterns and some in tiny, subtle and surprising flourishes. The ‘bombing’ has been organised by ‘3 Bags Full’, a community based group who love to work and play with wool, run fun, friendly woolly events and celebrate Liskeard’s wool history. You can find out more through this link: 3 Bags Full
Apart from the enjoyment it brings simply from seeing the ‘bombing’, it’s symbolic to me of the tremendous energy that bubbles away just under the surface of our communities. This stuff must have taken many hundreds of hours to turn out, and its not just knitting skills that are involved, but also strong organisational, resource management and engagement skills. All, of course, just what you need to create a Neighbourhood Plan! The message is: when putting together a steering group, don’t just look for the essential management skills in the usual places – they may be available in groups whose interest appears to be completely irrelevant to planning.
Thinking on a bit further, how about a Neighbourhood Plan themed knitting project? May be a good way of engaging with groups who are usually not very interested in such things as Planning? Hmm, now there’s a thought…….
Here’s a taster of the 3 Bags Full work. You can see more photos at this Facebook address: StudioWallop
