The Stonnington council is running the second year of the Glow Festival. A festival designed to get the Stonnington community out and about in a dull Melbourne winter.
As you may or may not know, I host a knitting group at Malvern Library. Everyone one is welcome, but I mostly teach beginners how to knit. It is through this connection with the Stonnington Library that I became involved in the Yarn based installation for the Festival.
The festival theme is 'down the rabbit hole'.. so a link with Alice In Wonderland was the perfect connection to the Stonnington Libraries. It was proposed that we create a community based Yarn project to connect with Glow.
We put together kits and tips for library users and the broader community to make Pom-Poms, finger knitting and knitted pieces along side kits including yarn and old CDs for weaving.
Meanwhile I set about knitting a variety of large form pieces as well as pieces to patch together for the yarn bombing.
I created hoops which were both woven and knitted which we threaded with fairy lights to spell out G L O W, these are displayed in the Library window.
I also knitted hoops featuring Alice in Wonderland images such as the Pocket Watch and Heart decorated with playing cards.
And of course what would an Alice In Wonderland yarn bombing be without an oversized knitted Cheshire Cat grinning madly from the tree?!
More community involvement came with the Installation, where the Toorak Library hosted a Mad Tea Party preceding the decoration of the area.
The Tea Party was fab! We had prizes for everyone - thanks to donations including Pancake Parlour vouchers and hamper. There was a themed photo booth, a story telling card wall, bunting made from playing cards as well as a delicious selection of tea from Yarra Valley Tea Company and gorgeous cakes and cookies from Verve Spice cafe in Toorak Rd.
With great enthusiasm, local families and others adults all set to work to hang pom poms, decorate trees, benches and bike racks! The woven CD's were strung like textiles Christmas lights. All in all, a great job.
Thank fully we finished in time as the rain came down around 5pm.
The next day, in true Melbourne style, it was blue skies and sunshine! I stopped by to check out how the installation had fared in the rain and came across local residents curious and entertained by the sudden decoration of the space. I had a chat with a number of people who all thought it was really fun and great idea.
Be sure to check it out if you're in the neighbourhood. The installation should be up until the end of August.
I look forward to working on more community based projects in the future, bringing together people with craft and creativity is a rewarding exercise.
