Nearly 2 Miles of Yarn and 1000 Volunteer Hours: How Manchester Libraries Yarnbombed the Women’s Rugby World Cup

From left to right, Diana, Anna, Alina, May and Angela posing with a selfie frame and a rugby ball.

The Women’s Rugby World Cup is one of the most important fixtures in this year’s sport’s calendar, and Anna Putek, Delivery Assistant at Manchester Central Library, was thrilled when she heard that Manchester would be one of the host cities. A big supporter of women in sport and an amazing crocheter, Anna mobilised the crafting community at Manchester Central Library (and beyond) to create an amazing tribute to the players. Here’s a short account of how she did it!

It all started in May, when the Rugby Football Union got in touch with Manchester Active with an idea: to engage local crocheting and knitting groups in the host cities of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in making rugby balls, red roses and red and white bunting to be displayed in libraries and galleries for the duration of the tournament. Upon hearing the news, Delivery Assistant Anna Putek, who runs a very successful monthly Crochet and Chat Club at Manchester Central Library, decided that she couldn’t let this opportunity pass by! With the support of the RFU, who provided the template patterns, and Manchester Active, who purchased the yarn sets, Anna had everything she needed to get the (yarn) ball rolling. Here’s a couple of photos from the launch of the yarn bombing project at Manchester Central Library’s crochet club!

  • Group of women of different ages and ethnicities smiling and holding their crochet equipment as they celebrate the launch of the Red Roses yarn bombing project. They are sat on the ground floor of Manchester Central Library.
  • Group of women of different ages and ethnicities smiling and holding their crochet equipment as they celebrate the launch of the Red Roses yarn bombing project. They are sat on the ground floor of Manchester Central Library.
    Members of Central Library’s Crochet and Chat Club at the Red Roses yarn bombing project launch event.

Word of Anna’s yarn bombing project spread far and wide, with even England player Morwenna Talling and Australian former rugby union player Libby Andrew paying a visit! Libby Andrew was a member of the Wallaroos, the Australia women’s national rugby union team, and competed in their first official Rugby World Cup squad in 1998.

Anna Putek (left) posing with England rugby player Morwenna Talling (right) posing in front of a car with a rugby world cup trophy which can be seen through the car's back window. The women are standing on a pink carpet decorated with a white rugby ball and the letters RWC. Below the drawing of the rugby ball, white writing reads: women's eng25. Anna Putek is a white woman with short hair and she's wearing a long green coat. Morwenna Talling is a white woman wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt. She wears her hair in a pony tail.
Libby Andrew on the ground floor of Manchester Central Library. She is posing behind a table which is covered in a black table cloth. There's writing on the table cloth which reads Manchester Central Library. On the table is a display which includes rugby balls, t-shirts, photographs and magazines. Libby Andrew is a white woman with short hair and she's smiling and holding a rugby ball in her hands.

But the project didn’t stop at Manchester Central Library’s monthly group! Anna coordinated engagement with libraries all over Manchester, with many knitting and crocheting groups getting involved and remaining active to this day. It was been estimated that Manchester crocheters and knitters have volunteered over 1000 hours and used up the equivalent of nearly 2 miles of yarn for this yarnbombing project.

A display of crocheted objects on a big table on Manchester Central Library's ground floor. The objects include red and white bunting, crocheted St George's flags, red roses and rugby balls, and red granny squares with white roses in the middle. A piece of paper on the table reads: This area is reserved for Crochet Club.
5 Red and white crocheted rugby balls of various sizes and a red and white crocheted hat. In the picture there are also a red ball of yarn and a crochet hook with an orange handle.
A group of people of different genders, ethnicities and ages crocheting on Manchester Central Library's ground floor.
A small cardboard box containing a crocheted red rose and two crocheted red and white rugby balls. Inside a box is a label which reads 'handmade with love'

During Central Library’s closure in August, Anna also attended the Women’s Rugby World Cup opening ceremony and ran a stall at the tournament’s fan zone in Piccadilly Gardens. On this exciting occasion, Anna and other volunteers gifted red roses and books to the fans in attendance, spreading awareness of the amazing work libraries do for Manchester’s local communities.

Volunteer Diana posing outside the entrance to the fan zone in Piccadilly Gardens.
From left to right, volunteers Diana, Alina and May posing with a selfie frame. Diana and Alina are white women and May is Asian.
Crocheted rugby balls and red roses.
Angela holding a knitted red rose in her hand. Angela is an older white woman with blonde hair and she's wearing glasses and an orange top.
Crocheted St George's flags with a red rose in the middle and crocheted rugby balls. A container full of crochet hooks can be seen in the bottom right corner.
From left to right, Diana, Anna, Alina, May and Angela posing with a selfie frame and a rugby ball.

When people in the fan zone ask me: “Which team do you support?”, I always say: “I support all women in sports”

Anna Putek

A beautiful display of crocheted and knitted creations was also set up on the lower ground floor of Manchester Central Library, with the Lord Mayor visiting the library to celebrate the amazing results of Anna’s and her volunteers’ hard work.

Want to find out more about this project? You have until the end of September to see Anna’s wonderful display on the lower ground floor of Manchester Central Library!

Similar craft activities took place in other libraries, including Avenue Library where the Blackley Craft and Crochet Group produced these beautiful displays!

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