An Inspirational and Beautiful Gift to the Community
“So often, tradition and innovation seem at odds with each other,” explained John Ossowski, “we see them as part of a necessary process of change that happens regardless of whether we want it to or not. Every tradition starts out as an innovation – we are all standing on the shoulders of giants.”
John Ossowski and Mike Beehm started this project 11 months ago using leftover yarn from past projects and a considerable amount from John’s late grandmother’s ample stash. The idea came to them after they crocheted a wreath with a knitted bow that was displayed at the First Annual Pop-Up Yarn Shop as part of the 2022 Christmas in Little Falls celebration. Later they found a picture of a crocheted Christmas tree using granny squares and basically started crocheting! A lot of this project was made up as they went along, with design decisions being made in response to how the project was unfolding and how the materials behaved.
The Central New York area itself was once a hub of textile manufacturing and it provided a means for sustaining our community economically for decades. John’s grandparents, who came to the U.S. from Poland after WWII, were able to create a modest standard of living from jobs they had in these factories. After the decline of manufacturing in our region, it seems we’ve been struggling with innovating a new chapter in our economic history. This work explores this larger conversation, and some things to consider as we find our way.
In this project, they used crochet to create an art object they hope others find inspiring to their own creative practices, regardless of the materials or methods they use. Fiber, generally, is viewed as ‘craft’ and placed (artificially) outside the sphere of what is considered ‘art.’ They wanted to break down that boundary and uplift the value of human creativity and expression that is accessible to everyone.
The tree’s methods also join us in time to people past, present, and future. The motions that made the tree’s stitches were taught to us by our grandmothers (who probably learned it from their mothers) and it could have been their hands on this work as easily as it was ours, or yours…or the hands of generations yet to come.
John said, “We repurposed most of the material for this tree including yarns and lumber. One tradition that our grandmothers practiced was frugal stewardship of resources (as in: “waste not, want not”). We think this is a tradition needing to be revisited in a world seeking innovations. One of the most basic things we can all do is to reduce waste by reusing or repurposing the materials and products we already have. The tree embodies values of sustainability and inspires us to find value in the things we might not otherwise question throwing away. What meaning and value can you create right now in your own life, in your family, in your community – with what you have and who you are?“
Summary of Fun Facts
- Created by John Ossowski and Mike Beehm over the course of approximately 11 months in their spare time
- Utilized mostly repurposed materials – yarns and lumber.
- Some new materials used to make tree frame, topper, edging for each layer, and tree skirt)
- Estimated 80% of materials are repurposed.
- Approximately 18 miles of yarn (weighing about 39 pounds)
- Equivalent to about 87 Red Heart Super Saver skeins
- Dimensions
- Height = approximately 10″6′
- Diameter = approximately 6′ (at base)
- Circumference of Base = 19′
- Techniques and Design
- The tree is made of approximately 550 ‘granny squares’, a traditional crochet pattern.
- Estimated to consist of over 146,000 individual stitches in the body of the tree alone (excluding edgings, topper, and skirt)
- Other elements were developed for the tree by John and Mike
- The tree is made of approximately 550 ‘granny squares’, a traditional crochet pattern.
Source: Little Falls Friends of Fiber
