Except it’s been updated with a new concept – yarn bombing, a fun way to celebrate public space while bringing communities together and once again, women doing hand work. Knit the Bridge, Pittsburgh is a massive community arts project bringing together the many diverse communities of Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania together to create a large-scale, aesthetically stunning, fiberarts installation on a bridge in downtown Pittsburgh.

I recently attended a meeting where a few of the women were knitting and crocheting their panels for this project and I said I didn’t think I had time and I don’t crochet anymore. I was wrong. I was sitting between two women. One handed the other a ball of yarn and a hook, she set right to work for a while, over and under, and then nonchalantly handed me the piece asking me to continue. I immediately, without thought, started crocheting. I was quickly reminded of the peace that hand work brings and how calming its natural repetitiveness is. So I am calmly working on my panel and pleased to be a part of this community outreach project. I’ll show you a photo of my panel when it’s finished. In the meantime if you’d like to participate in this really cool project while enjoying the personal benefits of hand work, visit Knit the Bridge. You’ll be glad you did.