Saltburn yarnbombers say: "We'll protect our modesty" (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Saltburn yarnbombers say: "We'll protect our modesty"

8:00am Thursday 30th August 2012 in News By Julia Breen

THE knitting community in Saltburn is still keeping the identity of its publicity-shy “yarnbombers” a closely-guarded secret – as the latest wool figure of a naked Prince Harry sparked fresh interest in the town.

The topical wool doll, which is protecting its modesty just as Prince Harry did as he was photographed naked in Las Vegas after a game of strip billiards, has triggered more national interest in the seaside town and its mystery knitters.

The creative knitters, who call themselves “Darn Crazy” remain anonymous – and those in the know are keeping it a tight-knit secret.

They gained worldwide notoriety when they knitted a 50ft wool scarf celebrating the Olympics, which mysteriously appeared on Saltburn Pier overnight in March.

Since then, more topical celebrations have been added, including knitted diamond jubilee scenes on railings beside the top of the town’s Cliff Lift.

Angela Morton, of Saltburn who runs the wool shop Ripping Yarns, in the town, with her sister, Sheila Wheatley, of Marske , admitted earlier this year she knew the identity of the knitters,- but insists her lips are sealed. Her shop opened a week after the scarf appeared on the pier.

Yesterday she said: “We get a constant stream of people coming in the shop saying, “Are you the mystery knitters?” and I say, No, we are not. If it had been me, I would have made a sign saying “wool shop, this way”.

“It is anonymous, and I get the impression that even the people who do the knitting don’t know the other people who do it.

“It is not a group that sits down and says, let’s do this. I am not quite sure how it works. I am not sure if a person or group comes up with the idea and someone knits it.”

She said there had been a lot of interest in the latest Prince Harry figure.

“It was fantastic,” she said.

“They must have started knitting as soon as they saw it on the news and thought, we will do this, because it was up by Sunday, which was fast.”

Mrs Morton said she did not know who had made the Prince Harry figure – even though the mystery knitter probably uses her shop.

“When I saw it, I thought, I don’t have any wool in that flesh colour,” she said. “I’ll have to get some of that colour in. But most people who knit have boxes and boxes of yarn to hand. They don’t always need to go out and stock up for a particular project.”

She said that knitting was becoming more popular in the area – even among younger people – in part due to the fun scenes depicted by the Darn Crazy group.