Pillar box topper, yarn bombing and spinning a yarn

 

Pillar box topper. Long Elmes, Harrow. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Seasonal events celebrated through the year include 

Valentine's Day (hearts), 

Easter (rabbits), 

Armistice Day (toy soldiers and members of the armed forces and crosses), 

Halloween (spiders and pumpkins) and 

Christmas (Santas).

For more see my previous posts, and the Facebook group page.

In the UK we refer to post boxes. Pillar boxes are the free standing cylindrical ones.

USA

In the USA the term used is mail box. You can buy or make covers for home mail boxes.

Yarn bombing of trees and city architecture has been popular in the USA, in Houston and other cities.

UK

You could join a Women's Institute group to make these seasonal items. Buy a pattern online. 

Home Decor

Or make a tiny one for outside a dolls' house. You could use a Champagne bottle cork, painted with red paint. 

Or a tiny one of painted pastry for the top of a birthday cake,. Or a Christmas cake or other seasonal cake.

From a photo taken from a bus of a pillar box topper in Long Elmes, I went on a journey around the internet, seeing yarn decorating trees and covering entire buildings, in Spain and other countries around the world. Yes, covering entire buildings.

I am not 'spinning a yarn'. The phrase spinning a yarn is thought to come from spinning ropes at sea, and telling tales, long stories, often far-fetched, fictional, to while away the time.

Useful Websites on Pillar Box Toppers.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/876920579707070/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_box_topper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn_bombing

https://weavesandknits.com/a-gallery-of-famous-examples-of-yarn-bombing-from-around-the-world/

https://grammarist.com/idiom/spin-a-yarn/

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Mailbox topper in Hatch End, London, England, UK

 

Mail Box Topper in Hatch End. So cute with the dear little hedgehog perched on top. Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

The traditional red pillar box, shaped like a pillar. Americans would say mail box. I always think of boxes being square, but I suppose you get round ones, like hat boxes and cheese boxes.

The red colour makes it British. Also the toppers.

Once you have seen one, you want to see more.

Websites on post box toppers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_box_topper

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarnbombing_Los_Angeles

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Xmas tree, snowman and Santa socks: knitted topping decorating Post Box in London

Snow Scene Decorating Mail Box, Royston Grove, off The Avenue, Hatch End, Pinner, North West London. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Notice the amount of detail in the knitting or crochet work. Numerous little colourful hanging socks. The trees. The snowman. The two big red boots with white tops.

When we passed about 7 pm the lights on the Xmas tree were lit. I took this picture on our return journey after 11 pm when the lights were off.

So if you enjoy seeing it in daylight, or late at night, go back to see it again when the little lights are glowing. 

How do they get it to light up? I wonder if it is batter operated, or using sunlight in daytime to generate power.

Photographic Records

I have taken photos and written posts about the ones I have seen previously. The terms for these items include yarn bombers, yarn fairies, yarn toppers, according to the Wikipedia article. Wikipedia has pictures of the previous seasonal events commemorated, regional ones with the words Covent Garden, and Oxford. 

Sometimes there are no toppers between national and seasonal events. Just when you feel disappointed that there's nothing to see, along comes another delightful photo opportunity. Maybe it's time for the museum of London and other venues to devote a room to them, at least to pictures of lights and decorations around London for major events.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_box_topper

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Post_box_toppers_in_England

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