Stranded!

The Kudzu Project was designed to be a one-time guerrilla knitting installation on the statue of a Confederate soldier in front of Albemarle County Courthouse in Charlottesville. As it happened, a passerby took it upon himself to pull it down. In his haste, he stuffed it into an empty garbage can where it was found and retrieved by TKP volunteers. Since then, the mantel of knitted kudzu has been used repeatedly for "flash installations" on Confederate statues at courthouses around Virginia. After documenting each installation with photographs, TKP is removed and a lone strand is left behind. This solitary vine symbolizes how one small act of resistance can lead to lasting change.

Last week, some participants in TKP went on vacation and used the opportunity to visit Confederate statues along the way at Surry County Courthouse in Surry and Southampton County Courthouse in Courtland. For this trip they left the mantel behind, packing a few lone strands instead. Each of the installations was photographed and has been included in our Rogues Gallery.

It occurred to us that others might want to participate in this simple and economical way of spreading The Kudzu Project. And there are plenty of Confederate statues in Virginia and elsewhere that could benefit from additional helpers. If you want to join us, here are a few instructions:

1) Knit several kudzu leaves and attach them to an I-cord or crocheted vine - see patterns.

2) Target a Confederate statue or monument - we prioritize those on the grounds of courthouses but there are many others. Here's a list of monuments in Virginia.

3) Install your vine and take photos documenting the installation.

4) Send your photos to thekudzuproject@gmail.com and we will add them to the Rogues Gallery.

5) Share your installation and our website with your knitting network.

Kudzu grows incredibly fast - up to a foot a day. Imagine how rapidly The Kudzu Project could spread if knitters everywhere wielded their needles to disrupt symbols of white supremacy.