Sydenham Struck by Yarn Bombers

Wil McKenny | Apr 01, 2010

“We woke up yesterday and there it was,” sobs a distraught resident who begs to remain anonymous, pointing to a giant pink and turquoise knitted cosy covering her picnic table.

“We’ve never had problems like this before. Sydenham has always felt like a nice, rural little place to live. That’s why we left Toronto: we’d begun to see signs of graffiti knitting creeping into the city: a pole warmer here, a newel post cosy there, but we hoped Frontenac County was far enough away…” Her voice trails off, as she gestures wordlessly to her husband’s garden tools. Sure enough, one of his shovels sports another cosy, this one apparently in Queen’s colours.

“The Township building department’s already asked if we had a permit,” adds her husband. He’s a man of few words, but it’s easy to tell he’s upset, particularly about the tassel.

Residents of neighbouring Harrowsmith have shown little sympathy. “We don’t have that sort of thing going on around here,” commented one, “We’re just not that kind of village.”