Get ready to give “crafty” a whole new meaning. The HANDMADE BRIGADE is coming to town!Definitely NOT your typical doilies and lace craft show experience, the family owned and operated independent craft store, Tall Mouse Arts and Crafts, will be hosting an Indie craft fair. The event will be held at the Tall Mouse in Cerritos on Saturday July 12, 2008 (13233E. South St. Cerritos, Ca 90703).

Click the image above to visit the website and learn all about this upcoming event!

In the hands of guerrilla street artists, yarn graffiti snakes around telephone posts, through barbed wire fences, and over abandoned cars. Originally created by a crew in Texas, knit graffiti has become an international movement embraced by crafters of all ages and nationalities. Yarn Bombing: The Art of Knit Graffiti is a book about the history of yarn graffiti in urban spaces and future plans for world yarn domination, and will teach knitters how they can join the revolution.

Are you a knitter or crochetier? Do you design (or want to design) unusual pieces of street art out of yarn?

If so, you should design a pattern for Yarn Bombing: The Art of Knit Graffiti, to be published by Arsenal Pulp Press in fall 2009.

A DIY guide to the art of yarn graffiti and a history of hand-crafted textile street art, Yarn-Bombing will feature patterns such as street-smart disguises, useful wearable tools like gloves and tool belts, street art such as knit car cozies, bike covers and headlight toques, and outdoor installations such as crochet shawls for leafy trees. The sky’s the limit as long as it’s knit or crocheted! Projects should be fun, colorful and a little bit wacky.

Designers are asked to submit a sketch and detailed description of their project, along with a brief bio, by the submission deadline of May 15, 2008.

There is no entry fee, and you are encouraged to submit multiple designs. Please include your complete contact information (email and mailing addresses) with your submission. Hard-copy submissions will not be returned unless an SASE or International Mailing Coupon is provided.

Digital sketches (under 2MB) can be emailed to mandy@yarnbombing.com, or hard copy sketches can be mailed to:

Leanne Prain
203-884 Bute Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6E 1Y5

You will be notified via email if your design has been selected for publication. Selected designs will need to be knit or crocheted by their designers over the months of June-August, and mailed to the publisher for photography and editing by August 30, 2008. Patterns and any accompanying diagrams must be mailed to mandy@yarnbombing.com by the same date. Designers who are chosen to participate will receive the yarn necessary to complete their project, an honorarium, a free copy of the book, and credit for taking part in the book.

For more information, please visit Arsenal Pulp Press (arsenalpulp.com) or the Yarn Bombing Blog (yarnbombing.com).

If you have any questions or concerns regarding submissions, please contact Leanne (leanne@yarnbombing.com) or Mandy (mandy@yarnbombing.com)

The Authors

A graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design, Mandy Moore now lives in Vancouver, BC with her small family of husband and cat. She is the technical editrix of popular online knitting magazine Knitty.com, and of various other knitting and crochet books and publications. She is a hardcore making-things evangelist, and will probably try to convince you that you should try (knitting, crocheting, sewing, painting) too! You can find her online at yarnageddon.com.

Upon learning to knit, Leanne Prain co-founded a stitch and bitch called Knitting and Beer in order to expand her skills while knitting at the pub. While the group has disbanded, she continues to be amazed at what can be created with two needles and a bit of yarn. A professional graphic designer, Leanne holds degrees in creative writing, art history and publishing. She lives and knits in Vancouver, BC.