You are here: Home / Archives for Yarns Unlimited

Knitting to Heal: Trees That Please Decorate Downtown (Photo Gallery)

First Posted: 12/12/12 11:17 AM EDT Updated: 12/12/12 11:17 AM EDT
Originally published
Knitting to Heal

Bloomington may well be the only place in America where the trees are wearing sweaters this winter—and beautifully knitted, themed sweaters at that. There are 23 sweaters in all, decorating trees around the downtown Square, each one dedicated to a business or organization that has paid for the privilege. The brainchild of Mary Ann Gingles, owner of Yarns Unlimited, and Toby Strout, executive director of Middle Way House, the Knitting to Heal program raised more than $16,000 for Middle Way House. The money will be used to help educate the children of domestic violence victims. More than 50 volunteers designed and created the colorful sweaters. Admirers of the their handiwork made donations that counted as votes for their favorites. Click [...]

Continue reading "Knitting to Heal: Trees That Please Decorate Downtown (Photo Gallery)"

Filed Under: Community, Web Exclusives Tagged With: , , , , ,

Irene Olds’ Tree Sweater Cartoon

First Posted: 10/24/12 01:48 PM EDT Updated: 10/24/12 03:18 PM EDT
Cozy's for Everyone

Downtown Bloomington’s yarn-wrapped trees served as inspiration for local illustrator Irene Olds. “I [have] always thought it a wee bit quirky, and whimsical, to see a tiny dog in a sweater,” she says. “Being a tad bit quirky myself (so others say), my own poochie eventually sported this fine handmade attire. Seeing her in that sweater always made me laugh. So, when the trees began bundling up for the cold season, I was amused.” These two ideas come together in her cartoon Cozy’s for Everyone, showing a woman walking her sweater-wearing “poochie” passing a sweater-wearing tree. Knitting to Heal is a local fundraiser, headed by Yarns Unlimited and Middle Way House, to raise awareness of domestic violence. Many local businesses have sponsored trees [...]

Continue reading "Irene Olds’ Tree Sweater Cartoon"

Filed Under: Community, Web Exclusives Tagged With: , , ,

‘Sweaters’ Will Soon Adorn Trees on Square (Photo Gallery)

First Posted: 8/9/12 11:51 AM EDT Updated: 8/9/12 11:51 AM EDT
Originally published
Knitting to Heal

BY LYNAE SOWINSKI This fall, the trees around Bloomington’s downtown Square will be more than colorful—they will be “yarn bombed.” Mary Ann Gingles, owner of Yarns Unlimited, describes yarn bombing as an international phenomenon that occurs when anything, from a light pole to a World War II military tank, is covered in colorful knitting. Gingles and Toby Strout, executive director of Middle Way House, a residence and service center for victims of domestic abuse, are using yarn bombing as a fundraiser called Knitting to Heal. “We could wrap benches on the street, but I like the idea that a tree is alive and we are wrapping it with something we hand-made,” says Gingles. In Knitting to Heal, several local businesses [...]

Continue reading "‘Sweaters’ Will Soon Adorn Trees on Square (Photo Gallery)"

Filed Under: Arts/Entertainment, Web Exclusives Tagged With: , , , , ,