On the afternoon of December 4th, librarians congregated in the Community Room at the Tarea Hall Pittman South Branch of the Berkeley Public Library to get their crocheting and knitting on. Led by Monica Ruck and Michele Grim, the attendees learned more about yarn bombing and craftivism in the Bay Area and beyond before turning their attention to crafting. Ruck and Grim explained their own craftivism work—using crafting as a form of activism—and showed examples of their work.
While most have probably seen examples of yarn bombing before—yarn or knitted projects attached to various public structures such as fences, lampposts, benches, etc.—you may have not considered how craftivism could align with library programming. The attendees discussed the possibility of yarn bombing events and crafting workshops to benefit organizations that take knitted and crocheted pieces as potential ways for libraries to partner with local crafters and make a positive difference in the wider world.
Ruck and Grim’s slideshow, which is available via this link here, contains links to many tutorials to learn more about crocheting and knitting, as well as links to organizations where you can donate your crafted pieces.
It was a great crafting event and everyone came away with new or refreshed skills and the desire to incorporate more time for crocheting and knitting in their lives—any hopefully some ideas for library craftivism events, too! Hopefully BayNet will be able to sponsor more craftivism events in the future and if you have an idea for a future workshop or event, please contact anyone on the board. Happy crafting!
Written by Diana Wakimoto
BayNet 