Wool art mystery is a ripping good yarn

IT was an unlikely yarn that has taken an even more unusual twist.

Woolly jumpers knitted for trees as part of the Leith Festival have been pulled from their trunks just days after being fitted.

But rather than predictable vandalism, the colourful Cool Wool project decorations have mysteriously been fashioned into a fabric teepee on Leith Links.

Knitters and organisers of the festival were at first left baffled as to who had committed the act of artistic terrorism.

Broken branches from the recent heavy winds are thought to have been gathered by local children, and covered with the fabric from torn-down jumpers to make the shelter.

The concept for the Leith art installation, considered the world's most inoffensive graffiti, has been an internet sensation, and has seen street furniture, buses and even buildings across the world clad in bright, woollen fabric, to the delight of passers-by.

The "guerilla knitting" project encouraged people to create small woollen squares, which were used to create jumpers for around 20 trees for the Leith Festival, which runs until June 19.

Adele Conn, manager of the Leith Festival, who came up with the idea, said that although the jumpers have been pulled from the trees, as a result far more local residents have been involved in repairing the installation in some way.

She said: "It's really quite interesting. A lot of the fabric has gone missing, which isn't a bad thing at all, because if people want a piece of it then that's encouraging. We went down yesterday and some were wrapped round trees with big knots in them, as if people had tried to picked them up and re-wrap them, which is fab. I'm quite happy with it."

Ms Conn said an observer had been in touch and posted on the festival's Facebook page that youngsters have been seen building the teepee in an attempt to salvage the installation.

A message was left in chalk warning passers-by not to disturb the new creation.

Ms Conn said: "Somebody posted pictures on our Facebook page and said a group a small children combined the neglected branches from the recent storm with the art installation to create their own art, which we were thrilled at.

"The project has grown quite organically and it has been re-used in some way. "We also wrapped a nearby bench in wool and we believe it was used by homeless people for warmth."

She added: "The Cool Wool project was intended to be an art installation and the fact that all of these people have added to it in their own way is great.

"It's nice that vandals haven't just burnt it, but that fans are actually trying to repair it so it lasts for the duration of the festival. We've no idea who wrote the message, though. That's the mystery of it all."