Savta Connection Takes Urban Knitting to Tel Aviv’s Streets

If the term “urban knitting” makes you think of old ladies sitting in the middle of Rothschild Boulevard with needles and yarn in tow, think again. And if it makes you think of large gatherings of women getting together in some city apartment to knit scarves and socks for their loved ones - a la 2 Knitting Needles Studio based in Haifa - then you’re a little closer but not quite there yet.
The urban knitting we’re talking about is executed by a group called Savta Connection (or, Grandma Connection) that wishes to add beauty and softness to the city by integrating knitted pieces into the urban landscape. Knitted pieces are attached to benches, adding warmth and color to people’s days. On an environmental level, the presence of local, handmade (and therefore low-energy) decorations are a far greener alternative to the omnipresent billboard ads and flyers that usually decorate the streets.
In Savta Connection’s own words: “We, the people of Savta Connection, wish to give something back to the city we love, and the way we see it, there is no better way than Urban Knitting. Urban Knitting is a soft, inoffesive form of Street Art that finds its inspiration in the old feminine practice of knitting. Like other forms of handcraft, knitting is a great way to create unique, one of a kind pieces of art which present an appealing and heart-warming alternative to our consumerism washed society and city.”

So far their knitted street art has included a love sign, oranges, and a hannukiah during the holiday.

Savta Connection extends a warm invitation to whomever wants to join their cause!