Yarn bomb drops on CPT

WORDS Remy Raitt PHOTOS Ed Basson

Seems a creative outburst on the city streets no longer requires a can of spray paint. In fact, local creative Isabeau Joubert is taking a much more vintage approach, choosing knitting needles over stencils and paint.

Following the international “yarn-bombing” movement, Isabeau has been bombing the streets of Cape Town with hand-made knits. Recently, she brightened up Cape Town street poles with cheery woolen “leg warmers” for a project she did in collaboration with Virgin Active.

We caught up with her to find out more about her unusual project…

Could you give us a bit of background on the project you did with Virgin Active? How did they approach you?

They approached me after seeing the previous yarn bombing I did in and around Cape Town. I used to be an art director for the company, so they knew we would work well together. They wanted to use the yarn bombing as a teaser for a campaign (stay tuned for more details…) and I thought it would be a good fit for me.

Craft has become a new way of communication and it’s great to see a brand embrace it, especially one that’s known for its wicked sense of humour.

When did you first come across yarn bombing?

I first saw the work of Magda Sayeg from knittaplease.com and I especially loved the work of the artist Olek agataolek.com, who covered the Charging Bull in New York.

I fell in love with the idea of bringing feminine craft into the masculine urban landscape. Cities are so cold and hard most of the time.

Have you always knitted?

I’ve always done handwork or craft, and I don’t only knit but try and learn as many techniques as possible. I really feel we need to learn ‘vintage’ craft before it’s forgotten – from knitting, crochet, macrame, lace making, etc. it should all be treasured and passed on from generation to generation.

How many balls of wool did you go through for this project?

I probably used around 30 balls of wool, all different sizes and thicknesses – from super chunky to good ol’ double knit.

How many poles received “leg-warmer love”.
Twenty-five

How else do you plan on using yarn bombing in the future?
I want to try different techniques and I’d love to cover something really huge one day. I’d like to use yarn bombing to re-introduce people to craft again, bringing it to the people, where they live and work, and get everyone interested in craft work again.

For more information, visit isabeaupeep.com.