Yarn bombing is a growing world-wide trend with guerilla knitters everywhere taking up the challenge  of giving local spaces and places funky feel makeover.

Whilst I had seen various photos and videos (Google image the term for a dazzling array) about this new art form, it was lovely to see a colourful piece for real. This “tree cosy” is on the Falkland Estate in Fife.

Its proper title is “The Inside-Out Woolly Tree”. It was created earlier this year by more than 30 people aged 9-94 as part of a community arts project. There was a range of abilities from complete beginner to experienced knitters.

The inspiration came from looking at magnified images of the cell structure of wood. If you Google images for this, you will find they look just like very delicate and beautiful knitting and croquet patterns. Each piece represents the creator’s unique interpretation of these.

According to the pre-project information sheet, the aim of the project was to

“…show the hidden beauty inside and under trees… On the trunk, the tree will show its unseen cell structure within; on the ground, the imagined visible roots will be displayed. We’re not aiming to be scientifically accurate – this is an art project and we plan to have creative fun with it – but we hope to learn more about trees along the way.”

As you can imagine, it took some effort to dress the tree. According to the information I was given, it involved a tree surgeon dangling off several ropes on a rather windy day. He secured the top sections and the rest were added below.

Sadly, now that The Big Tent environmental festival is over, the field is now occupied by sheep. This means that the  knitting will have to be removed.

There is something very special about community arts projects. This is certainly a different take on a patchwork quilt or blanket.

Many thanks to Tess Darwin, Woodland Learning and Development Manager at the Centre for Stewardship, Falkland Estate for providing the background information for this blog post.