Initial Introduction to the Movie
This weekend I watched the movie “YARN”.
I originally learned about it after having watched Vickie Howell’s interview with the co-directors/producers Heather Millard & Thordur Jonsson.
My interest piqued when Vickie explained that it really is a documentary about yarn.
I wondered, what does the documentary have to say about yarn for an entire movie?
Apparently a lot!
Yarn In The World
The movie explored yarn and how it is being used as art and function world-wide. It is fascinating how many ways knit and crochet fiber artists uniquely bring yarn into the world for people to interact with.
When I partnered with a local Alpaca breeder I felt I was pushing my comfort zone. I definitely learned there are even more ways to branch out in my creative endeavors.
From yarn bombing – where one places crochet or knit creations in random public places, to crochet art on canvas hanging alongside artists in traditional galleries, to large installations in museums and parks where children are invited to play on them.
I am inspired by the many ways yarn artists are pushing the traditional grandma-stigma crafts and making them more modern and useful in our society.
Modern Crochet
As a designer of knit and crochet items myself, I really appreciated how the documentary portrayed yarn as a creative stance to build the present day art movement.
Modern crochet is not only a grandmother’s craft. Many young women and men are picking up hooks and needles all over the world to explore creating with their very own hands either as a way to adorn or clothe themselves or their family or finding different, creative ways to express them.
The pioneers of the modern movement, as portrayed in the movie, are the tip of the iceberg to what I believe is becoming more and more the norm as we push past traditional stereotypes and bring it forward into a more accessible and relate-able way.
What’s Your Take?
When you think of yarn, what do you picture in your mind? Do you take notice of pieces displayed in public? What do you think when you see someone working on the craft?
