When Life Gives You Lyme Disease, Make Lyme Yarnbombs!
Marian Eastman, Lyme Yarnbombs, Inc. Founder/President, Yarn Addict; Lyme Advocate.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
When life gives you Lyme, make Lyme Yarnbombs!
Yarnbombing is a form of graffiti using yarn rather than paint. Inanimate objects are given their own hand-knit or crocheted sweaters called yarnbombs. I stumbled upon yarnbombing a few years ago,on the internet and thought that is something I really want to do someday! Knitting and crocheting are my favorite things to do so why not use yarnbombing to raise Lyme disease awareness? 
I have had Lyme disease for 18+ years and would like to help prevent others from getting it.
Over 300,000 people will be diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. With so much misinformation about it, there is a desperate need for accurate Lyme awareness. Lyme is no longer just a concern for the Northeast but is now found in all 50 states and 80 countries. For the month of May 2016, Newark, DE, gave me permission to yarnbomb their Main Street parking meters for Lyme disease awareness month. Previously, that winter I had met some of the women of NFL (Newark Free Library) Yarnivores and KTOG (Knit Together in Love). They agreed to help make Lyme yarnbombs with me using lime green yarn. Together we made a total of 86. Friends encouraged me to yarnbomb for Lyme in more towns, but for that to happen I knew I would need more coordinators, volunteers, and sponsors. This is how Lyme Yarnbombs, Inc., a registered 501c3 nonprofit charitable organization began. Our mission is to use yarnbombing to educate, raise awareness and bring hope to Lyme patients. Parking meter yarnbombs are simple rectangles. Volunteer knitters and crocheters can make them in any pattern they choose. Measurements are provided. We only ask that acrylic lime green yarn be used since acrylic works best for this. Neutral colors can be used for accent but are not required. Red Heart Yarns will be providing the yarn! Not only will we have a ‘Yarnbomb for Lyme!’ event in Newark this year, but we have also added Doylestown, PA. Coordinators from other states are waiting to hear back from their perspective city councils
for permission as well. Completed yarnbombs can be mailed to P.O. Box 416, Hockessin, DE, 19707.
We are so happy that a fun thing like combining yarn and parking meters could bring hope to Lyme patients and bring a smile to others! After all, it is not every day you will get to see a sweater on a parking meter! We hope more people will join us in our mission. Royal Pest Solutions will be one of our event sponsors. Contact Mimi if you are interested in being a sponsor for a parking meter, a knit or crochet volunteer, an installer, or a town coordinator. It is $50 to “sponsor-a-meter.” Sponsor 1 or more! Checks can be made out to Lyme Yarnbombs, Inc. Each parking meter will receive a lyme yarnbomb, a lyme fact and a “name tag” of the business/person sponsor for the month of May.
All Lyme disease facts are from the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) who have the only tick-borne disease guidelines listed in the National Guidelines Clearinghouse (NGC).
See ilads.org for more information on Lyme disease.
Write [email protected] for more information on the “Yarnbomb for Lyme!” events.
Email Mimi at [email protected]
