Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

People are always doing amazing things. Take “yarn bombing” as an example. Who first thought of knitting or crocheting coverings for trees, cars, sculptures or phone boxes?

According to Wikipedia, yarn bombing appeared in the Netherlands in May 2004 and then hopped over to Texas in 2005. Since then the practice has gone global. When I see knitting needles or a crochet hook I cringe; it is not my thing. However, yarn bombing seems pretty good natured - I like that.

When Urban Knits by Simone Werle showed up on the new books shelf, it caught my eye. Werle shows photos from all over the globe of this intriguing and egalitarian pastime. My favourite cover-ups from the book have to be the trees, the cannon balls and the large hollow spheres.

Other books that show the expressive capacity of old-fashioned crafts are Yarn bombing: the art of crochet and knit graffiti and Hoopla: the art of unexpected embroidery.

Calgary has had its own yarn bombs, like this public art intervention on the Brotherhood of Man statue by fibre artist Suzen Green. It was part of ARTcity Visual Arts Festival in September 2011. And I am happy to report that the talented Ms Green is now on staff at the Central Library.

My favourite group of yarn-bomb pictures on the internet comes from Time Magazine and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. But my all-time favourite guerilla knit is on this smart car in Rome.

Let me be the first to advise you that June 9 is International Yarn Bomb Day.

- Candace