Kassie Mitchell is the yarn bomber of Sixth Avenue in Tacoma.

But you probably knew that, right?

OK, so the delightfully mysterious "yarn bomber" isn't probably such a mystery anymore. For those not in the know (yet), the yarn bomber is responsible for crafting the colorful and whimsical crocheted "bike-rack sweaters" that have punctuated the business district since mid-August. Topped with funky and fresh embellishments like crocheted hot dogs and other nibbles, the bike-rack sweaters have captured the delight of many Tacomans. Mitchell's Facebook page has legions of fans, including the 6th Avenue Business District, which adores her work.

Naturally, one would suspect that the yarn bomber would be a rather unconventional sort of gal. You're right. But what is more interesting is how unconventional I became during a visit with the bomber over brews at The Red Hot. All of my journalistic conventions went flying out the window like a tossed ball of yarn.

It was good thing.

We started out talking about beer. Beer is a good thing, too.

Mitchell enjoys Jolly Roger from Maritime Pacific, but was in the mood for a Narrows Belgium Blonde. I concurred wholeheartedly. In no time, we were hoisting two pints with goofy smiles on our faces.

Mitchell and I are both Tacoma girls, born and raised here. Oh Tacoma, you still freak us both out when it comes to your six-degrees-of-separation weirdness. Between the two of us, we've seen some Tacoma. It was here in the conversation that we developed our catchphrase of the day: "It's Tacoma!"

The shout out was followed by tear-producing laughter, high fives and beer gulps, in that order.

We both survived the 1970s here and in general (It's Tacoma!). Our impression of Sixth Avenue back then: gloomy, dirty, scary (It's Tacoma!). We discussed the weird statue outside of Lowell Elementary (It's Tacoma!). We ran a list of the greasy and glorious bar food (It's Tacoma!).

Mitchell, the mother of three adults and grandmother of one, with another on the way and looking far more youthful than her 54 years, tells some really great stories about the city, her life here and her 'hoods over the years. Good yarns indeed.

Oh yeah, yarn.

OK, then there's the yarn bombing thing. I cut to the chase: Why?

"I wanted to make everybody happy this summer," she said. "We had such a glorious summer. I wanted to get Tacoma talking about a fun project!"

She got her wish. Her work is lauded by many, and she receives offers of donations and art love from total strangers.

Mitchell started doing crochet work at age 10. Like many, she drifted in and out of the craft. In recent years, she picked up it up again thanks to a trip to a remote Minnesota locale and bunches of empty growlers she and her boyfriend collected along the way, clinking and clanking like mad in the back of the car. Determined to find something to do on the trip and make the growlers shut the hell up, she started crocheting "growler sweaters," to stop the racket.

The growler sweaters caught on and caught on fast. She made some for a raffle to benefit breast cancer (she's a survivor), some for The Red Hot, and now is working with the folks at Engine House No. 9 to make growlers - some of the proceeds will go to Tacoma's Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. She'll make 'em for the general public, too, just email her at, wait for it, stuckintacoma@gmail.com. (It's Tacoma!).

So with all this "sweatering" going on, will she continue? I mean heck, this is just one of her MANY projects. She's a dental lab tech by day at Custom Dental Aesthetics in University Place where she makes teeth; if you see her, check out her tooth pinkie ring. Her urban parking strip garden looks like it is something out of Sunset magazine. She takes toss-out chairs from neighbors and within an hour makes them look like they were Fed-Ex'd from Pottery Barn.

But she may have a few more projects in her.

"You know the rains are coming, right Kim? It's not easy to work with damp yarn," Mitchell said.

After a chance and brief encounter with the "Tree Bomber," they've agreed to team up, but mum's the word for now.

"I guess we are like a dynamic duo," she laughed. "But I guess we need a nemesis."

I suggested the chalk art folks.

(It's Tacoma!)