CROMWELL, CT (October 11, 2012) – A group of residents at Covenant Village of Cromwell vandalized parts of the retirement community earlier this month when they yarn-bombed it.

Yarn bombing, also known as yarn graffiti, grandma graffiti, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting, began in 2004 in Europe and has been gaining popularity ever since, says Ann Grasso, a nationally recognized lecturer, teacher, and judge for design competitions.

An article in the New York Times last year described yarn bombing as taking “that most matronly craft (knitting) and that most maternal of gestures (wrapping something cold in a warm blanket) and transferring it to the concrete and steel wilds of the urban streetscape. Hydrants, lampposts, mailboxes, bicycles, cars—even objects as big as buses and bridges—have all been bombed in recent years, ever so softly and usually at night.” It is technically considered vandalism, but no one is ever prosecuted.

Yarn bombing is happening in more than urban areas, however, and is popping up in rural and suburban areas, as well. Grasso secretly coordinated the Covenant Village effort to knit the whimsical pictures and place them around the 42-acre campus. Tags attached to each work identified the culprits as “Knit Wits, etc.”

“Last summer a group of us became rather intrigued by the idea, and it was a pleasure to see all the excitement over doing something so avant garde,” says Grasso.

“Fifteen people and four months later, installations are complete and the treasure hunt is ongoing for the rest of October,” says Grasso. “It is a great way for residents to participate and enjoy the crisp fall air.”

There has been one small glitch, Grasso says. One of the pieces went missing.

“In the world of yarn bombing, this is considered standard since passers-by might find something delightful and take it for their own,” Grasso says. “This is perceived as a blessing by the knitter.”

After a bit of delving, it was learned that a resident had taken the piece to use as an ornament for her walker.