AN upper dale knit and natter group have “yarn bombed” their village with explosions of colour ahead of a major environmental competition.
Residents and visitors to Middleton-in-Teesdale have been stunned by the sudden appearance of woolly characters covering bollards and railings throughout the village.
They range from red squirrels and mermaids to iconic scenes such as High Force and bouquets of flowers.
They are the product of a group of knitters who call themselves the Chaotic Crafters who aim to beautify the village ahead of the summer judging of the Northumbria-in-Bloom competition.
Middleton has won gold in the competition for the past years running.
Anna Johnson, from the group, said: “Our idea was just to prove other than the flower ladies, there are other groups working for the village.
“We hope to have all the bollards covered by the time of the judging.
“When we decided to have a go at it we had no idea how many there was.”
There are 46 bollards in the village and the knitters have tried to make something that match the locations.
For example, those in front of the butcher’s shop feature sheep, and the fish and chip shop bollards have been decorated with an octopus and a seal.
A special mermaid has been knitted for inside the chippy.
