Morristown residents have had the mystery of the so-called "Yarn Bomber" on their minds since a slew of knit items mysteriously appeared on the statues in and around the Morristown Green late last week.



The harsh polar vortex conditions that settled into the area prompted a visitor to the Green to place modern winter weather gear on the statues of George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette and Alexander Hamilton.



Several Patch readers sent in photos and posed the question: who did this and why?



The answer may lie with the note attached to the hat and scarf connected to the Seeing Eye statue of Morris Frank.



"If you need this to help keep you warm in this cold weather, then it is now yours. Life is good. Pass it on."



One astute Patch reader, Golden Pineapple business owner Donna Lohmeyer, pointed out that the knitting knaves may in fact be participating in "yarn bombing."



Yarn bombing, yarn storming, guerrilla knitting, Kniffiti, urban knitting or graffiti knitting is a type of street art that has employs displays of knitted or crocheted yarn rather than paint or chalk according to the book Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti.



But last week in Ottawa (where the it tends to be nippy) a series of scarves appeared on statues around town, according to a report in the Ottawa Citizen.



The Citizen said 14 scarves were left around various monuments to Canadian heroes with attached notes read that read "I am not lost. If you are stuck out in the cold, take this scarf to keep warm."'



Last month, in Winnipeg, more than 200 scarves were left wrapped around trees and poles in a downtown neighborhood. The yarn bombing has taken place for the past three years as part of an annual event called, Chase the Chill, the report said.



So the "why" may be clearer now. As for the who, that is a little muddier. The folks at Emily's Hats for Hope have refused to confirm or deny their involvement until after interviewing those who claim responsibility is completed. Check back with Patch for an update!



