A whimsical, Dr. Suess-like covering has blanketed the Village Green for the past two weeks, causing passersby to stop and snap photos of the well-dressed tree branches, benches and lamp posts.
Palisadian Michelle Villemaire and her cohorts, daughters Pearl and Serena, dressed the park top to bottom in yarn “hats” and “sleeves” in the early morning hours on March 4. Villemaire told the Post it took a team of “bombers” 12 hours to install the wild and wacky creation. That is, after several months of “non-stop knitting and crocheting” that went into preparing the pieces. The real work, however, begins now that the park has been “un-bombed.”
Hoping to use the experience as a teachable moment for her young daughters, Villemaire plans to refashion the yarn into blankets and donate them to homeless women and children at an area shelter. After washing and reconstructing the 40 pieces used in the installation, Villemaire said she hopes to create as many as 15 blankets to give away.
“I couldn’t wait to see everyone’s reaction when they saw the project up in the center of town. But even more, I can’t wait to take my girls and hand-deliver the blankets we made to those less fortunate,” Villemaire said.
Two years ago, Villemaire recruited her sister-in-law, an avid knitter, to brainstorm their fiber invasion – mulling over fun ideas like embroidering words like “thankful” or “love” onto park benches, but ultimately the pair settled on the yarn bomb installation just in time for National Women’s History Month and National Craft Month (March).
Villemaire turned to friends, family and other Palisadians to help her crochet and knit the yarn pieces, each named for a woman in history like Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Sacagawea and other impactful women – including a few Palisadians, like Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Villemaire’s mother, visiting from Maine, learned to crochet in order to jump in on the project. The family nanny knitted some hats for the lampposts and Villemaire’s 7-year-old daughter Pearl, a Palisadian-Post junior reporter, darned a piece for the flagpole all her own.
“Many people have come up to me and thanked me for bringing color and whimsy the area. I am blown away by the warm welcome it’s received.” Villemaire added that despite an afternoon vandalism attempt on March 11 the project has been treated with respect.
“There will definitely be more yarn bombing in my future. Seeing the joy on people’s faces is too amazing to not do it again.”
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