Wrap It Up!

Contributed by WAAC Member and Westport Poet Laureate Diane Lowman

Welcome back to the Westport Local Press’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee’s “Culture Corner.” For each month of this year, the WAAC has scoured our 33.45 square miles to highlight one of the many artists – visual, written, performance, and other – who call Westport home. These artists create a spectrum of color that shines over town like the rainbows often seen over the Saugatuck, so we have made “color” our theme.

We’ve come full circle this month as we wrap up the year and this column by choosing an artist who literally wraps things in rainbows. No doubt we have all driven around town and smiled at the sight of trees wrapped in hand-knit “sweaters.” Urban lingo calls these crafty, cozy, often anonymous creations “yarn bombing.” I had to do some sleuthing to locate our local artisan, who will here remain anonymous. I have a friend who has a friend… you get it! Eventually I contacted her and she graciously agreed to chat with me. She calls herself the “yarn balmer,” because she sees the knit wraps as a salve to promote peace and positivity (I’ll refer to her as WYB, for Westport’s Yarn Balmer).

WYB’s mom taught her to sew at the age of seven, and that started her on a path of fabricating fashion and art with threads and textiles of many kinds. She made clothes for her dolls, and then for herself. As a teen, her mom taught her how to knit, and she took quickly to reading patterns which included complicated techniques. “It’s almost like learning a new language,” she explained.

During the worst of the pandemic, the soothing rhythm and clicking needles helped to assuage stress and make her feel productive. She would install her creations at night when she felt protected and nourished by the quiet darkness. WYB really wanted to nod to the first responders who heroically faced the amorphous coronavirus threat head on. To show her gratitude, she wrapped a Westport Fire Department tree in one of her knit “hugs.” 

The night before Longshore reopened to walkers (a much welcome respite to cooped up Westporters) she cloaked an enormous tree – “that’s a big boy,” she said of the tree she chose. She arrived at 9pm with a step stool and climbed into the tree, with a full moon to light her way. While some installations take just ten minutes, that one needed nearly an hour.

The town’s reactions to the arboreal swaddling warmed her heart. The “tree sweaters,” as they were called, seemed to “uplift people – the bring some comic relief.” Even if the diversion was only temporary, as are her works of art, WYB felt gratified to change the topic to something more uplifting than Covid-19, even for a short time. She was also appreciative to receive so much support from Westport Yarns, who donated yarn to the cause. 

While the pandemic may be waning, WYB remains committed to brightening the world one tree at a time. She has taken on private commissions for birthdays, healings, and general encouragement. I cannot reveal her identity, but you can see more of her work and send her a message on Instagram @yarnbalmer.