How To Knit A Giant Sweater For A Bull

Last week, right before the blizzard, the artist known as Olek covered the huge statue of a bull on Wall Street in New York with a crocheted cozy.

Unfortunately, since Olek’s art is not technically legal, the sweater was ripped off of the bull two hours later. Sad!

There’s something about the winter and the recession — covering the Wall Street bull in a handmade protective layer makes sense! Also, the bull and the financial district have a masculine air about them (people love to touch the bull’s balls) and a crocheted sweater seems to telegraph “women’s work.” A fascinating contrast.

Olek — born Agata Oleksiak in Poland — has crocheted many inanimate objects (see more of her work here), and says:

I started it with a bike and ended up with the Charging Bull as a Christmas gift to NYC and a tribute to the sculptor of the bull, Arturo di Modica, who in another guerrilla act, placed the bull on Wall Street in Christmas of 1987 as a symbol of the “strength and power of the American people” following the 1987 Stock Market crash.

Despite the fact that her bull sweater was ripped up, Olek has no plans to quit and promises “many wonderful surprises” to come. Looking forward to it!

Wall Street Bull Gets Snazzy New Yarn Coat, Briefly [Village Voice]
How To Crochet A 7,100 lb Bull [Buzzfeed]
Olek [Official Site]