Why yes, that sign pole is wearing a sweater!
arlier this week as I headed into town, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw a utility box on the sidewalk covered in what looked like a made-to-order, colorful knitted sweater. 'Was this Wiesbaden's answer the to freezing weather on its way?' I thought. But then I looked up and saw the colorful knits covering everything in the Kochbrunnenplatz from tree trunks to handrails to planter boxes. Walking deeper into the city, I saw more and more of these funny little knits on everything from bike racks to sign posts. It was as if a band of crazy knitters went all over the city in the middle of the night, knitting everything they could get their hands on.
Uh, protecting the city's resources from frigid temps, maybe..?
A quick Google search when I got home brought up a Facebook group called Wiesbaden Knäuelt- Strick' Dir Deine Stadt, or 'knit your city', who called upon people to knit things to "prettify Wiesbaden" and celebrate the city being a social business city for one year. I'm not entirely sure what one has to do with the other - or what makes a city officially 'social' in the first place - and the people setting up this project look like they're straight out of downtown Santa Cruz or Golden Gate Park (i.e.- a little kooky), but the results certainly add a little something special around town. As the Weihnachtsmarkt is still setting up, the brightly-colored knitwear for the city is a nice preface to the holiday season to come.
As for the locals, I can't imagine what they think of crazy, colorful yarn all over their town. Being the sort who rarely don outerwear much more daring than olive green or navy blue, this much color on full display might cause some to have a heart attack. Me, I'm just enjoying the creativity. It's almost like a little taste of home (ahem, CA). ;)
*Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische
