Oceanside yarn-bombed

A “yarn bomb” went off in Oceanside on July 31: tree trunks, signposts, bike racks, and other road fixtures on Pier View Way, Artist Alley, and Coast Highway were blanketed with squares of yarn. Volunteers gathered to sew squares of yarn around the street fixtures. Most of the squares are a foot or larger in size.

The idea came from Stefa Witt, an art teacher at Camp Pendleton’s Rancho Santa Margarita Elementary School. Starting in April, she began soliciting volunteers through social media and flyers, to crochet or knit squares of yarn. By mid-July she had received 60 donations from around the country, sent by everyone from students to senior-citizen groups.

Witt and her group then began the task of planning the placement of each square, based on size, and the street object available to be placed upon.

At 6:30 a.m., the artists fanned out and hand-sewed hundreds of yarn squares together to cover the fixtures. But Witt also put up three special installations, using yarn as art, which are now gathering the most attention.

Witt covered an old phone booth in front of the Oceanside Public Library to make it look like an iPhone. She also strung across the city hall’s courtyard fountains, between two palm trees, what look like hanging little sweaters. And in front of the Petite Madeline Bakery on Coast Highway, strings of yarn that look like little cupcakes.

The project is temporary; expected to stay up only for another two weeks. City officials, along with local art and neighborhood organizations have loved the idea, relishing in the amount of positive attention the creativity has brought to the city. So much so that Witt sent out an email on August 6 inviting all of her volunteers to a meeting to plan the next “attack.”