41 Extraordinary Knit Designs

Another view of the decorated fence in lower Manhattan. It's about playful colors and soft materials in the tough urban landscape.

The knitting family of crafts can be remarkably creative and versatile, with surprising results. New York City's Nicole Gastonguay makes delightful creations like this adorable squirrel with acorn.

Nicole Gastonguay uses a combination of crochet and needlepoint, and works up her whimsical designs without formal patterns. This means each piece is unique, like this jar of pickles.

You can order Gastonguay's unique work from her shop -- or get inspired and start creating your own pieces.

The sky is the limit when it comes to unleashing your own creativity. Who'd have thunk sardines could be so cute?

This cute and cuddly robot won't become a totalitarian overlord. At least not yet...

Cheer up little mousetrap, you won't be breaking any tails anytime soon.

Remember these? Digital photography is actually greener than relying on toxic chemicals for processing. But that doesn't mean we don't have nostalgia for the old ways.

We love Knitted Landscape, a collaborative site that encourages people to upload photos of their own creative projects. The community is about "knitting, art, inspiration, landscape, beauty, humor, nature, photography, imagination, make people smile."

We adore the images of handmade mushrooms and other natural designs, placed in provocative spaces. It gets us thinking about humankind's tremendous impact on the planet, our relationship to the natural world, and our perspectives on it through art, creativity and the senses. And they're cute!

This fantastic knit shelf fungus seems to be right at home in picturesque woods in the Netherlands. We wonder how it inspires hikers who come across it.

Looking like a bit of guerrilla gardening, this knit 'shroom is a new type of green graffiti, taking back public spaces for the natural world. (At least in theory.)

How funny would it be to play a trick on a fellow gardener with one of these? If you've got an organic garden like us, then you may want to keep it green and use organic yarn for the project!

This delicate knit flower makes a thought-provoking contrast against a stark commercial landscape. The work was installed in 2007 at the Van Nelle Factory during the Rotterdam Stich'nBitch Event. It's a good example of how some fabric and a touch of color and creativity can help brighten up our world.

A gray day at Diamond Hill in Ireland's Connemara National Park is lit up by this whimsical pile of knit cairns. Such arrangements of stones have long been used to convey mindfulness and purpose, as well as a welcome to travelers.

Since all fibers originally come from the Earth, it's not too much of a stretch to envision crafts growing from trees.

If you're short on time or skill, you can still bring a smile to your baby's face with these adorable fruit rattles from Bella Luna Toys. Handmade by artisans paid Fair Trade prices, kids love the soft toys.

A thought-provoking project of the International Fiber Collaborative, dubbed World Reclamation Art Project (W.R.A.P.), brought together the work of professional artists, hobbyist crafters and students, all with the goal of highlighting society's harmful dependence on oil. Participants crocheted, knitted, stitched, patched or collaged 3-foot-square fiber panels, with each unique one expressing concern about the topic.

The panels were then sewed together, to completely cover an abandoned gas station in central New York. This project is an example of people remaking an ugly industrial legacy into something softer, gentler and more beautiful.

Although not without controversy, Shepard Fairey's iconic Obama image helped energize a generation. Make your own memento of this historic time with the plans from Subversive Cross Stitch. This also got us thinking about what other messages crafty folks might want to share...

Speaking of inspiring political figures, TDG's Gloria Dawson spied this cuddly caricature of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. If you're in town stop on by Lion Brand Studio to take some knit or crochet classes, and make your own. Or check out a local shop in your area. Crafting is good for hand-eye coordination, keeping the mind sharp, and meeting new people. And it can reduce our need for mass-produced goods.

Lion Brand also makes yarn, including many rich colors spun from soft recycled cotton. It's perfect for baby clothes, lightweight garments or washcloths, and is made from fabric pieces that would otherwise be discarded. Clippings are sorted by color, minimizing the amount of dyeing needed. The cotton is blended with acrylic to enhance performance.

As Green Upgrader points out, here's a safe (and smart!) way to put plastic on your head. My Recycled Bags.com has detailed instructions on how to transform 20 used plastic bags into a one-of-a-kind accessory.

In fact there are many potential uses for this so-called "plarn," which is plastic yarn made from plastic refuse that has been cut into loops, girth hitched together into longer strips, and woven or knitted into a coarse fabric.

This funky bracelet was made entirely of recycled materials -- specifically plarn made from upcycled grocery bags and old cassette tape. It's a hip way to show your commitment to reuse and the environment.

Despite the serious problems plaguing the newspaper industry, there's still a lot of broadsheets and tabloids heading to landfills. One creative way to get another use out of your daily read was suggested by Dutch designer Greetje van Tiem. Her "Indruk" project can purportedly spin 20 yards of usable "yarn" from a single sheet of old newspaper.

Get detailed instructions on making your own yarn from recycled newspaper at Green Upgrader.

Believe it or not, lots of things can be made from recycled newspaper yarn, such as curtains, screens, throw rugs, even furniture coverings. The material may not be quite as durable as traditional fabrics, but it has a unique, rustic look that's a great conversation starter.

A number of artists around the world have created stunning installations by knitting trees. Here's one colorful example from the Global Arts Village Delhi in India.

Entitled "tree cozy," this crocheted masterpiece by Carol Hummel took 500 hours to complete. The colorful installation stood for nearly three years outside Cleveland Heights City Hall.

A group of women known as the jafagirls have been "yarn bombing" Yellow Springs, Ohio for some time, spreading crafty cheer. The group's "knit graffiti" has stayed up for months, and has been added to by the community.

Fabric helps a city block come alive at Chicago's Logan Square. Photo by Daniel X. O'Neil.

Protest art has taken many forms over the years — and sometimes requires people to take up their needles. In a recent project in Denmark, artists covered a tank by knitting and crocheting, turning a menacing machine into a pink plaything. A video about the making of the project — which protests Western involvement in the Iraq War — is available from the Nikolaj, Copenhagen, Contemporary Art Center.

Passersby admire the whimsical knits in New York City.

Some of the true pioneers of the knit graffiti movement are Houston-based KnittaPlease, a group bringing color and expression to urban landscapes in a nondestructive form. Knitta "tags" have been seen around the world and have inspired a number of other artists. What do you think of the idea?

Look how much happier things look in color! Also check out these fun videos of KnittaPlease.

This old junker got a cheery spruce-up, thanks to KnittaPlease.

Spread the crafting love!

Stockholm's historic sculpture of Karl XIII gets a dapper update in the form of a knit tie and peace sign, courtesy of Maskerade.

In Territorial Knittings, Lauren Marsden covered the signs of every street on which she has lived in Victoria, British Columbia (without permission from the city). Luckily, she knit replicas of the signs, so the goal wasn't confused motorists. She definitely made her mark!

The timeliness and playfulness of Subversive Cross Stitch reminds us how crafting need not be only for an older generation. We can take the tools of our grandparents and refashion our own styles, based on our values and sensibilities. Isn't that what Stephen Colbert would do?

We're LOLing over this anthem for net denizens and skeptical college students everywhere. We also ask WTF is up with those who hate on our planet?

You may have been hearing about bees in trouble around the world. Well now is your chance to show some support for our pollinating buddies!

Get sweet dreams in this one-of-a-kind bed.