Yarn bombing, knit graffiti -- or as it’s called in Europe, yarnstorming -- has been taking hold all over the world. From fiber artists who craft covers for a water tower or bus to small community groups who cover lampposts and parking meters, embellishing the world with yarn is a celebration of beauty and a sign of hope and humor. This kind of work is joyous, whimsical, and opens up what knitting and crocheting can be. What can you do, individually or in a group, to decorate some part of your world with yarn? Yarn is the new paint of our times.

Yarn Bomb a Chair!

We chose bright colors of Hometown USA to turn a plain wood chair into an eye-popping work of art. This chair is covered with stitch patterns and embellishments like pom-poms and braided strips.

We used books like stitch dictionaries as well as our online StitchFinder for inspiration. Please note that we do not have stitch patterns for every stitch pattern shown; however, all of the swatches shown do use one of the techniques described below.

1. Pom-poms. Use one of our pom-pom makers or make one by hand (click here for a video) to add a touch of whimsy to any project.
   
2. Crochet popcorn stitch. There are so many variations o this classic textured stitch. You'll notice on the chair that we've done several swatches using either one or two strands of yarn to vary the scale of this fun textured stitch. Click here for a basic version.
   
3. Knit stripes. Whether you use one color or 6, stripes are a fun way to brighten up your world! Just change colors every few rows. Click here for tips on carrying the yarn along the side, so you don't have to keep cutting your yarn.
   
4. Tassels. Add just one or a few for a touch of classic style. Click here for a basic pattern.
   
5. Stranded knitting. With a chart from a stitch book (you can also just create one for yourself on graph paper), and using stranded knitting, we created this neat two-color swatch. Click here for more information about stranded knitting.
   
6. 3-color braid. We braided 3 different colors of Hometown USA together and then wrapped the braid around the chair leg, for an easy no-knit-or-crochet embellishment!
   

7. Knit single loop fringe. We knit some loop fringe and wrapped it around and around for this fun effect. Click here for the stitch pattern.
   
8. Knit intarsia. Using a chart from a stitch book, we made this stylish two-tone swatch. Click here for a blog post about this technique.
   
9. Crochet stripes. Whether you use double-crochet (as in our black & white swatch) or single-crochet (as in the 3-color swatch), crochet stripes are a great way to add interest to your pattern! It's as easy as switch colors every row (or two or 3)!
   
10. Wrapping. In several places on the chair, we simply wrapped a single strand around neatly, gluing the yarn in place. Wrapping the legs or rungs is a fast & easy way to make any chair stand out!