Photo by Howard Owens
Have you ever seen a tree wrapped in a cozy, crochet sweater?
If not, head to Downtown Batavia and stop by GO ART!, 201 E. Main St., because a circle of crocheters who meet monthly at GO ART! have completed their first tree sweater outside of Seymour Place.
“We meet every second Thursday of the month,” Melissa Lee explained, as she and her fellow crafters worked to attach the final pieces to the tree. “Gregory (Hallock), who’s in charge at GO ART!, thought it would be a good idea. He came to us about doing tree sweaters. He talked us into maybe applying for a grant. We got the grant, and we’ve been working together to create these motifs to put on the tree.”
The project, which Lee describes as “just a fun project,” is more than just a whimsical art installation. It’s a statement about the versatility of crochet and the power of collaboration.
“We want to get it out there and let people know, crocheting can be more than just blankets, and old ladies and crocheting,” Lee said.
The group, including Lee’s mother, Debbie Urban, Ashley McClellan, Tim Lee (wearing crocheted pants in photos), and Lee’s father, Don Urban, has poured nearly 80 hours into the project.
“It’s been a collaborative work for quite a few of us,” Lee said. “We started at 2:30 today and did a lot of work yesterday, pretty much all day, trying to finish it so that we’d have one big kind of blanket-looking piece, so that we could wrap it around the tree. And then we’ve been taking small pieces and just attaching them.”
The finished result is a mosaic of color and texture, accented by the individual expressions of each crocheter.
“We all had the same pattern that we started with, and then everybody picked their own colors, so they all had their own little spin on it. So it’ll be fun when the ladies come out and they’re like, ‘Oh, that was mine,’ and they can come and look at the tree and pick out their pieces,” Lee said.
The project has become a family affair, with Lee’s mother and husband joining in the fun.
“My mother is working on the tree out there too, and she was the one who made the pants,” Lee added, referring to crocheted pants worn by Tim Lee.
And this is just the beginning. The group plans to yarn bomb another tree on the side street later this summer, with a new theme featuring crocheted characters, butterflies, animals, and flowers.
“This one is granny circles. The other one will be little characters, butterflies, animals and stuff and then flowers around. That should be fun,” Lee said.
