Knitting for History: Yarn Bombing the DC-3
Knitting for History – Yarn Bombing the DC-3
On August 11th, 2012, the Yarn Bomb Yukon Collective yarn bombed the DC-3 plane owned by the Yukon Transportation Museum. This interactive art project was created in partnership with the Yukon Transportation Museum and the Yukon Arts Centre Public Art Gallery. The idea for the project came from Casey McLaughlin, Director and Curator for the Yukon Transportation Museum and the project was taken on by the Yarn Bomb Yukon Collective. In four months the Yarn Bomb Yukon collective hosted over 35 workshops on how to knit, crochet and yarn bomb and over 100 people volunteered to knit, crochet and sew the yarn bomb together. The project was featured on CBC News program The National, the Toronto Star, CBC Hamilton, Vancouver Sun, local, national and international radio and television shows, blogs, and magazines, promoting fibre arts to thousands of people.
The Yarn Bomb Yukon Collective will continue to promote fibre arts by yarn bombing Whitehorse and beyond and are open to suggestions, offers and commissions from individuals and organizations across North America. Please post on our facebook wall, send us an email or tweet on what you think our next project should be. We’ll continue to yarn bomb and free offer knitting, crochet and yarn bombing workshops, teaching classes, and leading community/fibre base art projects.
The purpose of this interactive public art project is to transform a historic aircraft into a large scale public art project, to foster an appreciation for fibre arts, and to teach the lifelong skill knitting and crocheting techniques to adults and children. Once the project is complete, blankets will be donated to local charities and shelters.
This is an excellent example of partnership between museums and the public. The project presents an exciting opportunity to teach the public about the aviation history of Yukon through the artifact of the DC-3 as well as educating the public on conservation and preservation of historic transportation artifacts. As Casey McGlauglan, director of YTM stated in her letter of support:
“This will be the biggest opportunity in YTM’s history to educate all involved and beyond as to what a DC-3 is and the significance of the CF-CPY in the Yukon and abroad. Every person that picks up a needle, listens to the radio, attends a knitting bee or looks at a poster regarding this project will instantly become a captive audience for us to educate on the importance of musicological standards of industrial artifacts and the importance of conservation and maintenance to objects many people feel don’t need the attention…from this one project YTM will now have hundreds of opportunities locally and nationally to educate the world on the importance of conservation, preservation and Yukon history and ingenuity.”
“This is an exciting project that could only happen through partnership,” says Mary Bradshaw, Gallery Director of the Yukon Arts Centre. “All three partners are thrilled to work together and with the public. Because really, this is a massive project—we need everyone to help by picking up their knitting needles.”
Knitting for History – Yarn-Bombing the DC-3 was an overwhelmingly positive experience and a unique opportunity to collaborate with non-traditional museum partners. It was my first attempt at engaging with the community through a “collection-community connection” project. The project took on a life of its own and it was a great success, thanks largely to the huge effort of Jessica Vellenga and Yarn Bomb Yukon.
For the Yukon Transportaion Museum, the cornerstone of yarn-bombing the DC-3 weather vane was community involvement – people worked hands-on, which connected them at an intimate level to our museum and created a feeling of personal investment and ownership to one of the museums artifacts. We also successfully reached a wide audience while also bolstering local, national and international interest about Yukon, the Yukon Transportation Museum and its unique DC-3 weather vane.
For more info, please check out our timeline below.
| Time Line | Date Started | Date Completed |
| International Call for Submissions | April 1, 2012 | June 30, 2012 |
| Knitting workshops for kids and adults, 5 total | May 1, 2012 | June 30, 2012 |
| World Wide Knit in Public workshop | June 9, 2012 | June 17, 2012 |
| International Yarn Bombing Day workshop | June 11, 2012 | June 12, 2012 |
| Sit and Stitch Nights from 5-7pm at the T&M Lounge, 4th and Main, Whitehorse, YT | Every Wednesday Night | ongoing |
| Atlin Arts and Music Festival, knitting, crochet and yarn bombing workshop and demonstration | July 5, 2012 | July 8, 2012 |
| Knitting Bees to sew together the knitted cozy at the Old Fire Hall | August 1 2012 | August 10, 2012 |
| Installation of knitted cozy onto the DC-3 (weather permitting) | August 11, 2012 | August 12, 2012 |
| De-Installation of knitted cozy from the DC 3 (weather permitting) | August 21, 2012 | August 21, 2012 |
I’m in. Please keep me posted. Arlin
Will do, thanks for your support Arlin!
What sized pieces do you need & where do we send them?
Hi
Thanks for your interest in our project. Knitted or crochet cloth can be any size, from a granny square to a blanket. Here’s all the info for the pattern https://yarnbombyukon.wordpress.com/knitting-for-history/pattern/
Submissions must be sent by July to Yukon Arts Centre, 300 College Drive, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5X9
Thanks for your support!
Jessica
Hello there!
I happened to stumble upon an article that brought me to this web page. I just wanna say that this is by far the COOLEST idea I have ever seen! Some girls and I here in our home town of Corpus Christi, Texas have recently started yarn bombing and we have many ideas that we are working on right now but we would like to make a few pieces to contribute to your DC-3 plane. Please keep us up to date with all your plans and we will get started on some things and mail them your way! (:
With yarny love,
C.C. Bomber Babes
Hi Corpus Christiy Yarn Bombers! Glad you found us. We’re so happy you’d like to contribute to our yarn bombing of the historic Dc-3 plane. Knitted or crochet cloth can be any size, from a granny square to a blanket, but it must be acrylic yarn. Here’s all the info for the pattern https://yarnbombyukon.wordpress.com/knitting-for-history/pattern/
Submissions must be sent by July to Yukon Arts Centre, 300 College Drive, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 5X9
Thanks for your support!
Jessica Vellenga
Silly nonsense, waste of time and materials..better offered to war casualties and refugees… and an indignity to the glorious DC 3
Hi Beatrice, thank you for your thoughts on our community art project.
As most Yukoners will agree the DC-3 airplane is a point of pride: it is a unique piece of Canadian heritage. We are proud to inform everyone that Yarn-bombing the DC-3 was started at the grass roots level to make the collection-community connection and has now become an international phenomenon.
The movement of yarn-bombing began about 2005. This non-permanent street art employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth and has gained international recognition.
As such the Yukon Transportation Museum (YTM) Executive Director/Curator Casey McLaughlin thought yarn-bombing the DC-3 would be a fantastic way to put Yukon on the map as well as engage community partnerships. It is also an opportunity to teach the public – locally, nationally and internationally – about Yukon aviation history, preservation of artifacts and about fibre arts. Furthermore the project will be recycled; Yukon charities will get blankets.
To get this project rolling, McLaughlin received full YTM board support and joined forces with the Yukon Arts Centre and Yarn Bomb Yukon Collective.
Be assured that protecting the DC-3 is of utmost importance, so we are working closely with an Industrial Objects and Public Art conservator from the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa, our own YTG local conservators, as well as an aircraft maintenance engineer.
A local architect is also on board and has created a pattern specifically for the DC-3. The design involves linking blanket-sized sections together into one large cozy. A portion will be in military colours to represent the DC-3’s first three years of being in United States Army Air Force camouflage colours and flying transport missions in India and China.
The large cozy will only cover the wings and fuselage for two weeks only ; delicate portions will not be covered. The blanket will remain on the aircraft for two weeks. Once removed, the cozy will be separated into individual blankets and donated to charities throughout Yukon.
I hope we have answered some concerns and welcome further dialogue. People with further concerns about this project can contact YTM or visit http://www.goytm.ca or contact the Yarn Bomb Yukon Coordinator at yarnbombyukon @ gmail.com
Sincerely,
Jessica Vellenga – Yarn Bomb Yukon Coordinator