'Yarn Bomb' Explodes at Kent Library

The Cultured Purls knitting group, which has been meeting at the for more than three years, decorated the library this month with samples of knitting in what is sometimes called a “yarn bombing.”

“Yarn bombing is happening all over the world,” explained Kent Free Library librarian and Cultured Purls leader Rayna Shilling. “We thought, ‘why don’t we do it here!’”

This is at least the third yarn bombing in Kent. Graffiti-style yarn art also decorates a bike rack in front of and a sign post in a garden bed in .

About 15 knitters wrapped the library’s staircase railings with colorful, knitted tubes and hung panels on the section of shelving housing the knitting books — they even attached knitted pieces to a book cart, which librarians then loaded with the library’s newest knitting books available for checkout.

“Yarn bombing gives knitters even more opportunity to be creative,” Shilling said. She encourages visitors to really look at the knitted pieces around the library. “People put their heart and souls into them — they aren’t just plain squares. You can really see the personality of the knitter coming through.”

You can learn more about yarn bombing at the library by viewing a display by Sue Meindl in the library’s first floor display case.

The Cultured Purls meet the first Thursday of each month in the library’s second floor meeting room at 6:45 p.m. All ages and skill levels are welcome to join fellow knitters to share projects and tips and to hear about the library’s latest knitting books.