The cherubs and storks that make up the Singing Fountain have a new wardrobe thanks to a local knitting club.
The Drunken Knitwits, a social crafting group, “yarn bombed” the East Passyunk attraction Sunday with brightly colored textiles — each piece created with their own knitting needles. Fabric flowers adorn the mermaid at the top of the fountain, while the cherubs below her sport tunics. The storks on a lower tier rep Philly sports franchises with their sweaters. The Eagles and Phillies gear has more of a vintage feel, while the Flyers sweater is just a bright orange portrait of Gritty.
The work extends beyond the fountain, covering the nearby benches and Little Free Library. QR codes taped by the fabric direct users to information on the Greater Philly Yarn Crawl and the Drunken Knitwits, who meet each week to craft over dinner and drinks.
Public art wasn’t a priority when the group started. The Drunken Knitwits, an international organization with English roots, expanded to Philadelphia in 2017 after ethics professor Allison Covey took a job at Villanova University. She had belonged to the Oxford chapter, and with its encouragement, she started the Philly branch. They’ve met every Wednesday for the past seven years, mainly at restaurants in Center City.
Kristin Hunt/for PhillyVoice
The East Passyunk yarn bombing extends beyond the Singing Fountain.
“People can just bring whatever they’re working on,” Covey said. “It’s very informal. Just a lot of us getting together and having a drink and crafting in public.”
The Drunken Knitwits took their projects even further into the public eye last summer, when they did their first yarn bombing of Cherry Street Pier. The group covered the fence by the Delaware River with knitted marine and plant life for the Phantastic Phibers exhibit, organized by Drunken Knitwit and the pier’s artist in residence Bonnie MacAllister. Buoyed by a positive reception, the installation stayed up longer than the rest of the exhibit. When it finally did come down, after two and a half months, the knitters knew they would bomb again.
So as the seasons changed, they approached Fitler Square Park about knitting some holiday sweaters for its animal statues. They crafted cozy knits in Christmas and Hanukkah colors, which adorned the park’s turtles, ram, bear and dog.
By early 2025, the group’s profile had risen enough that South Philly Yarn and Craft approached them about outfitting the Singing Fountain.
Each of the three projects took about a month of advance work, plus some light maintenance after the installation. The Drunken Knitwits received the blessing of the site’s owners on each occasion, which Covey acknowledged goes against the guerrilla principles of yarn bombing. But given the time-intensive nature of the work, she said, “we’d rather have permission.”
The Drunken Knitwits is geared toward knitters and crocheters ages 21 to 50 years old, but includes a mix of academics, engineers, lawyers, health care professionals, stay-at-home moms and retail workers. While they’re not sure when or where they’ll bomb next, Covey said the discussion is already happening — and they welcome suggestions from the public.
“I think for us, the appeal is that we get to show what we do to the community and we get to see people’s reactions,” she said. “We loved the installation yesterday ’cause it was such a nice day and there were so many people walking by. And we just got to see their actual reactions in real time. Same with Fitler Square. I mean, I saw families making their Christmas cards in front of our bear statue in his sweater. It was just nice to bring a little joy to the community and make things look a little festive.”
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