The rise of large-scale crochet public art projects is bringing a bolt of vivid colour and cheerful vibes to neighbourhoods across the globe...

Large groups of crochet artists are now organising to create large projects like this one by the Appledore village community

Photo: Jennie Lamb

Photo above and below: Asier Rua

Crocheted canopies created for Tejiendo la Calle (top and bottom)

Appledore’s granny square Christmas tree

Photo: Jennie Lamb

Artist Naomi Lawrence installs the project Flowers of Turtle Island

Photo: Naomi Lawrence

Few things brighten a place like an ambitiously immense crochet project. Happily, plenty of fibre artists agree, and are seeking out permission from local authorities to create crocheted artwork on an awe-inspiring scale. From uncanny creatures to glorious flowers, trees and parasols, there seem to be no limits to the crochet ingenuity on display. Even better, many are getting local crafters involved to spread the yarn love and a sense of community.

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

Some of these large-scale art projects have been around for a while. For the past decade, Tejiendo la Calle, or Weaving the Street, has been bringing together residents of Valverde de la Vera in Extremadura, Spain, to improve the public spaces they share. The project is led by led by Marina Fernández, who explains: “We crochet large lightweight structures that are installed in the streets as parasols during the hottest months. The pieces function as sunscreens during the day and have built-in lights at night.”