Kaye - Crochet with London Kaye: projects and ideas to yarn bomb your life

Editor: Meredith A. Clark
Designer: Danielle Youngsmith
Production Manager: Kathleen Gaffney

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958785

ISBN: 978-1-4197-3807-4
eISBN: 978-1-68335-671-4

Copyright 2019 London Kaye
Photographs by Michael Slebodnik

Cover 2019 Abrams

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his book is dedicated to my sister, Chase. She is there for me today and has been there for me every day for the past twenty-seven years. I have built a business crocheting from the ground up, and none of it would have been possible without my sister. She is my biggest cheerleader and is always there with profound advice that is wise beyond her years. Some of the times I will cherish most are the years we lived together in New York City, working together on crochet projects around the world.

m always excited to meet someone who has a relationship with crochet. Whether it is a sweater passed down from generation to generation or a blanket made specially by a loved one, yarn has always been there to bring people togetheror, at the very least, to make them smile. But the world of yarn is changing. Crochet is no longer your grandmothers sport. Its coming back in style, and I consider myself lucky to be a part of this exciting revolution.

In the summer of 2013, I was working at an Apple Store in the hub of New York City, where the worlds hippest, trendiest, and most artistic dwell. The work could get monotonous, so I kept myself entertained by engaging with the eclectic group of customers who came into the store. One day, a woman by the name of Olek walked in with a crazy crocheted bag. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

I was enamored of her bag and wanted to know more. Right after she left the store, I went to a computer and googled her. The results not only showed me more about the artist, but a few of the top hits also showed me more about yarn bombing. Not much had been written on yarn bombing at the time, but I gathered it was the practice of wrapping a piece of crocheted or knitted fabric around an object in a public space. The idea was to make people happy and to encourage them to think about yarn in a new way. Although I grew up crocheting, I had never considered using yarn to make anything other than a typical scarf or blanket. This was my pivotal moment.

Within seconds, I was opened up to an entirely new way of crocheting. I fell in love with creating crazy things out of yarn. I wasnt yarn bombing with a specific goal; I just wanted to put my crochet art out on the street and, hopefully, make someones day (just like that bag had made mine). I gave myself the freedom to create my own style and veer from traditional yarn bombing, if there even was such a thing. I began using chain-link fences as my canvas and layered shapes on top of one another to create an even bigger picture. I soon developed my own technique.

Its been only five years, but I have accomplished so much more than I could have previously imagined. Yarn bombing has become my full-time job. Ive had my work sold at ABC Carpet & Home. Ive had a couture capsule collection with REDValentino and made a fifty-foot billboard entirely of crochet in Times Square. Ive yarn bombed entire coffee shops. A mix of hard work, determination, luck, and a whole lot of yarn has led me on this incredible journey.

I was born in Los Angeles to an artist mother and a musician father. Both of my parents appreciated the arts and raised my sister and me to follow our artistic passions. For the longest time, dance was mine. I spent countless nights at my studio, dancing until my feet were blue. The intense work led me to suffer a back injury at age thirteen, which put my dance career on hold. For someone who found solace in keeping busy, being on bed rest was not an ideal situation. As luck would have it, my friends mom taught me how to crochet one summer afternoon, and that was it: I was hooked (pun intended). It started out as a hobby but soon transitioned into my first business.

I started selling custom scarves to the girls at my dance studio. I called my business Spectacular Scarves. By the time I was sixteen, I had earned enough money to buy my own car. Eventually I was able to dance again, and my little crochet business fell by the wayside. I studied dance at New York University, where I was fortunate enough to receive a full scholarship and put all my attention into balletuntil graduating, when I found myself at a crossroads yet again. I knew I wanted to do something creative, but I wasnt sure anymore if it was dance. Dance had always been my passion, but it was not necessarily how I wanted to make a living. While I grappled with the daunting question of what I wanted to do with my life, I started working at the Apple Store. But it didnt take long for me to realize I wanted something moresomething out of the ordinary, adventurous, and creative. When you are clear on what you want, the universe tends to reward you with little signs.

After that initial introduction to yarn bombing, I began my self-imposed thirty-day challenge. Every day I found inspiration for what to crochet, and every night after work I put up a yarn bomb. I had no previous yarn bombing experience, but I knew how to single crochet, and that was all that mattered. I love a challenge. Even if I dont have the time, Ill make it happen. And instead of putting up a yarn bomb every day for only thirty days, I did it for fifty. This daily practice helped me develop my unique style. There are only so many objects you can wrap in crochet, so I had to branch out. I found new and unique ways to display my pieces. All of a sudden, that spark of passion was back in my life. I had always loved to crochet, but now that I was crocheting on new surfaces, I was able to explore my creativity in an entirely new way.