About Knits for Life

We try to respond personally to every email.

Lorna and Jill Watt

Hi,

We’re Jill and Lorna Watt, sisters known as Knits For Life. Since 2011, we’ve inspired audiences around the world with our unique and often guerrilla-style yarn bombs and fiber art installations. In 2013, Lorna was appointed Artist in Residence for the Downtown Business Association of San Mateo, California, where she produced public art for the Downtown Art Project. Most notably, with Jill, this time saw the birth of our world-renowned “Squid Tree” yarn bomb.

In 2016 we won a prestigious Clio Award in Visual Marketing for yarn bombing an entire vintage Ford truck in Old Navy’s Flagship San Francisco store. In 2017, SF Beautiful awarded us the Beautification Award in Placemaking.

Today Knits For Life specializes in custom installations, including for SFMOMA, Twitter, Google, GitHub, Merck and Meow Mix. Our ongoing public art installation of creature yarn bombs transforming trees, “Knitting the Commons,” is currently on view in Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco.

We also spread our special brand of creativity through self-published DIY needle arts patterns for knitters and crocheters. Our patterns and work have appeared in numerous craft magazines and websites. We occasionally lead virtual knitting and crochet circles on how to yarn bomb. You can find us on Ravelry as Moipouf and Knitsforlife.

Knits For Life currently operates out of a bright and upbeat space at Claremont Art Studios in San Mateo, halfway between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. In our free time Jill likes to research and make historic costumes and practice photography, while Lorna still likes to knit heirloom garments and gifts. When we’re not lunching over comedies and talking about cats, we also make sock puppet movies, play room escape games and make our own treasure hunts.

Here are some highlights from our press:
A fun interview with our personal backstory.
A short documentary and a fun news story about us with shots of our colorful art studio.
An episode of the Bay Curious podcast about Knitting the Commons.

xxxo,
@knitsforlife

For knitting and crochet pattern help, please bring your questions to the Knits for Life group on Ravelry. The answer may already be there! We check the help group at least once a week, and usually daily.