New Tag at TCR!

Gorgeous day for installing this tag. Most people ignored me, but some workmen did notice what was happening. "Looks great!" one said. Another stopped on his way back and asked "how long did that take you?"

After I finished, a smartly-dressed woman stopped on the corner to look at it. "I love those! They look cozy," she said. "I saw some by the coffeeshop--did you put up those, too?"

I look forward to seeing the other tags go up by TCR!

Scouting for October installation

Went downtown to scout out a potential location for a new yarn installation.

We want to tag TCR to honor its support of local playwrights during its Underground Play Festival.

There are several tagging options.

Probably the meter poles are not a good idea
--they may be removed or changed soon to make way for the new solar-powered meters.

This fence looks PERFECT for a project that involves weaving . . . but it also looks like private property, so maybe not.

We Yarntagrz don't usually tag pretty streetscape items like these pretty lamp posts. They don't need any art on them! Let's put our tags on otherwise ugly or neutral items.

However, there are some cool options that might be nice. For example, there are two sign posts that flank the entrance to the theatre.

They have an 8" diameter, so our usual tags would fit nicely! And we can make them as tall as we can reach.

They're certainly ugly-to-neutral; some yarn would help their looks.

This big square post would be a nice place for some granny square tags.

Each side is approx. 5 1/2 inches. Four granny square tags of that size, sewn together, would make a stylish tag for this monster. We could just put one on the post, or make a bunch.

And creating yarn garments for sculptures is a time-honored yarntagging idea. There's a sculpture of two dancers right across the street from the theatre--they are life-size, and maybe they need some hats or scarves?

Let's get our hooks and needles flying! We have a bit less than 2 weeks before opening night. Maybe we could plan to do our tagging on Thurs., Nov.3.

Tag on Bike

OK, it's actually a size 3 thread tag!

Newest Tag at Green Square

It's an interactive yarn tag--someone has moved it from the middle to one end!
Here's the sign--don't know if anyone will see it or not.

Fun to be part of the last downtown Farmer's Market!

Yarntagrz at the Market

If you're at the Farmer's Market this week (September 17) be sure to find our newest yarn tag in Green Square Park. It's on the bike rack, and will be near Sonya Darrow's textile art installation.

New Tags: Time Check neighborhood

We finally got our new tags up in the Time Check neighborhood, right outside the new Groundswell community center (the old Hubbard Ice building).

We'd been putting off the installation because it's been so HOT--and today wasn't great, but it WAS below 90. I think.

Here we are in the coolness of Brewed, finishing up some projects.

Last week, a young woman sitting near us asked to take our picture. She was working for the Obama campaign and was supposed to send them a photo of where she was working. She thought a picture of us would be cool. Well, yeah. Wish I'd asked her to send us a copy!

We went over to Time Check to install our art. I dropped off a flyer at the Groundswell center so they knew what we were doing . . . and off we went!

Go check it out--and stop by at Groundswell for some ice cream!

New Tags soon!

We're scheduled to work on tags today at Brewed at 2 p.m. We might be able to install them this evening . . . or maybe we'll wait until better weather!

Here's a document I put together to leave at Groundswell after we install our tags:

Why are there sweaters on the sign posts?
Those "sweaters" are yarn tags, pieces of public art made by local yarn artists. Yarn tags are like graffiti--they're free of charge and take art to the streets. But unlike graffiti, yarn tags don't harm property, and they can easily be removed.

Why yarn?
Because we are crocheters and knitters! We also like the statement we make when we cover mass-produced, functional fixtures with whimsical, one-of-a-kind art.

Why here?
We love what's happening in the Time Check neighborhood, especially what's going on here at Groundswell and Matthew 25. We also know that this neighborhood could use some beauty and whimsey to counteract the effects of the flood.

We hope you enjoy the unexpected sight of these colorful yarn tags!

Would you like to join us in creating yarn tags for the Cedar Rapids area? Send us a message at yarntagrz.gmail.com

New Tag!

This was a collaborative tag, created at Brewed Awakenings on a Thursday afternoon. We're considering more around this area. Interested? Email us at yarntagrz at g mail dot com.