A SCOTS art student has had her work showcased all over the world – thanks to an online campaign inviting people to get involved.
Natalie Jones, 21, from Mid Calder, West Lothian, has used her final project at Edinburgh Napier University to spread a bit of colour across the globe in the form of woolen pompoms.
She says she has sent out more than 1,000 kits to people who requested them through her website, and asks recipients to hang them from a tree and send her a photograph, which she will go on to compile into a book.
Each pompom has a tag which can be scanned with a smart phone and a link to the website will be displayed to explain the project.
Ms Jones said: “I started looking at guerrilla knitting.
“I was looking at how people created street art and how there was that element of surprise if you walk through the street and see these things.
“I wanted to a make little pompoms and tied one in a tree near to my house, then people started to see them and wanted to become involved but didn’t know how to do it.
“The idea came that I’d make kits and send the wool out so people could make pompoms all over the world.”
Ms Jones was sponsored by the Little Knitting Company, which provided wool and a bit of financial backing.
The kits have been sent to people of all ages in countries like New Zealand, Australia, Turkey and the United States and around 100 pictures have already been uploaded to the group she set up on Flickr.
The design and digital art student said: “I got an email from a little girl in New Zealand who had seen one and kept it.
“She said she’s going to keep it forever and ever, so I’ve sent her a little kit.
“People are saying they want to be part of something so big.”
Ruth Chester, from the Little Knitting Company, said she jumped at the chance to sponsor the project.
She said: “It just really appealed to a sense of fun, having these smashing woolly pompoms all over the place.
“It’s a lovely finals project.
“I was really happy to give her wool and some sponsorship.
“It brings a smile to your face.”
