Yarn Harbor “Warms up the city”

Today marked the return of the “Warm Up the City,” program created by Yarn Harbor. The purpose of the program is to distribute hats and mittens and knit products across the city of Duluth- in a “yarn bomb” fashion.  The long running event has seen about five to six hundred donations yearly since its conception.

“And so we all know and appreciate that we need the winter accessories because it is cold. And being an individual, what can you do to enrich your community? This is certainly one way to do it, and it’s kind of a fun way to do it,” says Kathy Thomas, owner of Yarn Harbor.

Duluth faces harsh winters where warm clothing is a necessity. Thomas says she saw the need and was inspired to create this program years ago.

“I saw someone on social media a number of years ago and they collected knitted accessories. It was a yarn store, I believe, who started and collected knitted accessories, knitted crocheted items and then distributed them around town just in public areas so that people didn’t have to go to a certain site to collect donations. So it’s a lot more user friendly. So then we just took it up ourselves,” continues Thomas.

For those interested in donating, Yarn Harbor asks that the items are just clean and ready to go. On distribution day a group of volunteers come and pick up the garments, go to a location and yarn bomb. For those that don’t know, yarn bombing is the act of sticking knitted things on statues, street signs, and other public objects and places. To find out more about Yarn Harbor and the “Warm Up the City,” event and how you can donate, click here:  https://yarnharborduluth.com/