World Urban Art

Lest We Forget Pillar of War Memorial Kilmarnock. We will remember Them Other pillar of War Memorial Kilmarnock

Nightknitpixie took a wander past the war memorial recently to see if the yarnbomb poppies made it inside & they are still there, just below the statue

Thank you NightKnitpixie

Kilmarnock War Memorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kilmarnock War Memorial located in Kilmarnock, Scotland; was built in 1927 to remember everyone who fought in the First World War. The imposing structure takes the form of a Grecian temple. Inside there is a figure cast in bronze, ‘The Victor’, who’s head is bowed in silent contemplation of the cost of war. The memorial has nearly nine hundred names inscribed in it, a staggering number as the population of the town during the Great War was only 38,000. During the first world war around 12% of UK soldiers were killed; in Scotland it was nearer 25% as Scottish regiments were often sent ‘over the top’ in the first wave. The monument also commemorates those who fell in the Second World War.

Remembrance Day – also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day – is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918 (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice). The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during war; this was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.

A new piece of knit graffiti will be installed on Friday morning in Maastricht, before breakfast even. There are several issues for the installer – it will be daylight, and it hasn’t been tested. Best Beloved did the measurements, hope he recorded them correctly

But the question is “Will it be an Orange piece”, or Will it actually be the Red & White one? Whichever colour it is, it will be round.

Orange or maybe it will be Red & White

These Haarlem Balls have now been removed and unless they return before we leave the Netherlands, my custom made Ball Warmers have no balls to call home.

And these photographs may be the only ones ever that record an event, an art installation, a modification of the cold crisp environment with soft coloured yarns to surprise and delight in a winter wonderland.

So from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I see that

A sphere (from Greek σφαῖρα—sphaira, “globe, ball”) is a perfectly round geometrical object in three-dimensional space, such as the shape of a round ball. Like a circle in three dimensions, a perfect sphere is completely symmetrical around its center, with all points on the surface lying the same distance from the center point. This distance is known as the radius of the sphere. The maximum straight distance through the sphere is known as the diameter of the sphere. It passes through the center and is thus twice the radius.

In higher mathematics, a careful distinction is made between the sphere (a two-dimensional spherical surface embedded in three-dimensional Euclidean space) and the ball (the three-dimensional shape consisting of a sphere and its interior). See the Wikipedia article here

So there we have it.

But HOW to knit a spherical object – that is the question?

You need to know the size of your sphere – ball. My first one was 150cm plus a handspan (my handspan).

I began with 8 stitches, increased to 320 stitches by increasing 8 times on every 4th round (more or less). I knitted this on a circular needle and circularly – entirely appropriate for a circular object.

I used 8 ply or double knit yarn on 4mm needles. The length from the top point to 320 stitches should be around 80cm. I have knitted the last of the top section of about 10 cm in k1p1 rib to help the cover to cling well. It is not a good look to have a baggy saggy ball warmer. There is a bit of give and take – because I didn’t knit this first half with only 8 ply (DK) yarns – I included mohair and faux fur fibres and some cotton yarns. So I needed to measure the piece for length as I knitted and adjust the increases and I will have to do the same when I do the decreases. SO this is not a formal pattern – this is a “suck it and see” piece of knitting.

Decreasing will be the increasing process in reverse – except that I will end up with around 32 stitches because the bottom half doesn’t present the full sphere to you as it is set in concrete. This half will still be created on a circular needle, but is not longer knitted circularly otherwise it will not fit over the ball. So back and forth from the centre down (more or less). I will knit the bottom half in garter stitch to assist it to join more easily – it is awkward to join the ball warmer together as I found with the first Haarlem Ball Warmer. I think I will use velcroe on this one – so that it can be joined more easily and removed more easily. It could then live another day as something else maybe.

There are lots of balls to alter however temporarily here in Haarlem, and also in Maastricht, so maybe they are everywhere in the Netherlands and I have received reports of balls in California.

In the Beginning there was a cold tree in Haarlem

Check this link

And the tree still has its scarf – nearly 6 weeks later.

World Urban Art – is online now

The site is still to be set up – but if you have found us please remember to come back and check as this will grow and change as all urban environments do.

We are adding works from previous events and opportunities to photograph sculpture. These we have dated back from the even itself. So the website starts now – February 2010 – but we have been photographing sculpture for a long time. I hope that something here sparks your imagination.