Even if you can’t make it out to San Diego Comic Con this year, send a little piece of yourself by contributing to “Rubiks Cube Park,” put on by Crotchet Grenade. Marcy Kraft, the 25 year old fiber artist organizing this event, agreed to give me a little bit of insight into her latest yarn bombing project.
When did you start crocheting and what inspired you to begin yarn bombing?
Learning how to crochet was something I had always wanted to do because I spent many summers surrounded by knitting needles and yarn at my grandmother’s house, but she passed away before I could pick it up. People are always surprised to learn that I am completely self taught and started crocheting less than 2 years ago. My mother showed me a couple beginning stitches from her memory and the rest came very naturally to me. Ever since then I have been obsessively crocheting.
This is not your first Comic Con yarn bombing, last year you crocheted a gumball machine and put it out right outside the convention center. How did last years’ experience affect the planning and execution of this year’s project?
Last year when I decided to yarn bomb Comic Con, I went down to the convention center to get ideas for an installation a couple weeks prior to the event. I parked right next to the Children’s Park, across the street from the convention center, where I found cement cubes. I immediately saw Rubiks Cubes in my head, but considering there were 60 of these cement cubes I knew I couldn’t cover them in time. I walked across the street and found cement light barriers that block sidewalk from street traffic while also providing light on the walk way. The shape was perfect for a gumball machine and was totally feasible, so I settled on the gumball machine and put the Rubiks cube idea on the back burner for 2013. A lot of the planning and execution for the Rubiks Cube project has been similar to the collaborative project that I organized to yarn bomb Westfield Mission Valley Mall. In September 2012, I had 30 days to yarn bomb the mall. With the help of online submissions and local meet ups, twelve 15 ft poles and a palm tree were covered. The response of people who wanted to help was overwhelming and I actually had stuff left over to cover a shopping cart that shopped around in Loehmanns for a couple weeks.
You’re trying to reach as many people as possible with this project, how has the response been so far with collecting the squares for the Rubiks’ cubes?
Surprisingly the beginning of the Rubiks Cube project started out slow, but it has been gaining momentum. The people who have submitted pieces thus far and helped spread the word have been amazing. I was able to get a small donation of yarn and a monetary donation in pay pal to buy yarn which I will bring for other members to make squares from at meet ups.
What other projects have you completed in the past? What has been your favorite project? What has been the most difficult project to accomplish?
I’ve done numerous projects- I yarn bombed the gum ball machine at Comic Com, hung crocheted air balloons off of a bridge, left random crocheted grenades in places, organized a yarn bomb project for Westfield Mission Valley Mall, brightened up the store front of Graffiti Beach with bright beach towel covered stripes by making a beach ball bike rack cover, a tree ‘wet suit’, light pole, a surf board, and the 33 bars that cover the store window with bright ‘beach towel’ colored stripes, and last but not least collaborated with San Mateo artist Knits For Life on etch a sketch yarn bomb. It is hard to choose a favorite yarn bomb because I have made so many fond memories and met so many amazing and inspiring people along the way. The most challenging yarn bomb was Westfield mall because I was given 30 days to perform, it was my first large scale project, and I had no idea what to expect.
If you’re interested in contributing to the project, check out the Facebook event and see what you can do to help out. Marcy has knitting meet-ups planned to crochet squares. She is also accepting crocheted squares by mail, as well as monetary donations through PayPal to buy more yarn for the project. If you make an entire cube, she’s offering to stick your business card on it! And if you’re a beginner who wants to contribute, Marcy has put together a fantastic Youtube video demonstrating how to make the Rubiks cube squares. Be sure to keep your eyes on the park across from the San Diego Convention Center during Comic Con to see this project come together!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=en&client=mv-google&v=wXnK3V2zSzA&nomobile=1]
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