Psssst! Considering moonlighting as a guerilla knitter? Over here… We’ll sort you out

We met some rather marvellous yarn bombers for our ‘Modern Eccentrics’ pages in our November issue. The women in question have been yarn bombing their home town of Dorking in Surrey with colour and style for several years. You can read all about them from page 76.

Yarn bombers (aka guerilla knitters) use their craft to make political points, raise money or awareness for charities and sometimes just to make people smile or think. If you’re inspired to do some yarn bombing of your own, you’ll need a few bits and bobs to get you going.

Here’s a guide to what you need for your Yarn Bombing Toolkit before you head out under cover of darkness with your knitting.

The permission of the owner/local council (and in lieu of that, the cheek of the devil and a winning smile should the police arrive).
A head torch so you can shine a light on your work hands free.
Sturdy, waterproof shoes (you never know what you may have to climb on or through). Also hand wipes, as you never know what you may inadvertently put your palms in either.
A raincoat in case of showers.
A hat to keep you warm (and to pull down to hide if your neighbours drive past).
A floral silk scarf or knitted corsage to give off the impression of being a mild-mannered woman who’s vanishingly unlikely to interest the long arm of the law.
A small first aid kit, just in case.
Your knitted ‘installation’.
A map of the local area so you know where you’re going and can beat a hasty retreat if that seems best.
Spare yarn and a large needle for stitching your piece in place.
Wire and garden ties (like you’d use for tying back in the garden).
A good pair of scissors and a pen knife (if you’ve never used that thing for getting stones out of horses’ hooves, now may be its time to shine).
A camera to take some shots of your finished work.
A strong sense of mischief.
A Thermos of tea to warm you up and toast your hard work afterwards.
A fulsome apology and some nice biscuits to offer if you should happen to be asked to move on.