Washington, D.C. Lyft riders will see a new app option during the 2017 holiday season: Merry Mode. Tap it and one of three yarn bombed Lyft cars arrives complete with karaoke carols inside. Lyft donates its share of each Merry Mode fare to local nonprofit Martha’s Table.
Each Merry Mode Lyft car is completely decked out in a custom ugly Christmas sweater with cheery details like tinsel and carrot noses. Philadelphia artist Jessie Hemmons, known as the yarn bomber Ishknits, produced the car sweaters with a team of stitchers including Rhiannon “sameshit” Bly, Alexander “AlexCreates” Reynoso, and us!
This project is very special for us because it was our first opportunity to work with Jessie, who’s been an inspiration and mentor to us from the beginning. She is an activist who not only pumps a pitchfork at injustice on a daily basis, but holds the torch for female street artists with her unwavering commitment to inclusivity and transparency in the art and craft worlds. Jessie has generously taught us about everything from knitting machines to how to maintain integrity as an artist. Our other collaborators, Rhiannon and Alex, are two New York-based stitchers with an unparalleled love of yarn and street art–we hope this team gets together again soon.
The Ishknits team pulled this project together in a mere couple of weeks! Our contribution consisted of the crocheted appliqués pictured at the bottom of this post. The rest of the team crocheted the remainder of the appliqués, knit the backgrounds, and numbed their fingers dressing the cars in 30-degree weather over the course of a few days.
Lyft’s Merry Mode is live in D.C. at the following times:
- 3 p.m. — midnight Thursday, Dec. 14
- 3 p.m. — midnight Friday, Dec. 15
- Noon — midnight Saturday, Dec. 16
- Noon — 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17
In the news:
Lyft to Donate ‘Merry Mode’ Ride Proceeds to Martha’s Table (NBC Washington)
‘Yarn-bombed’ Lyft cars in Merry Mode for Martha’s Table holiday fundraiser (local WTOP news)
Poet Sings Karaoke In Lyft’s ‘Merry Mode’ (local WPGC radio)
Behind Lyft’s Fleet of Ugly Sweater-Wearing Rides This Weekend (DC Inno)
Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Lorna & Jill
KNITS FOR LIFE 
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