I've heard all the complaints from it's a waste of time, to it hurts the trees, it hurts the animals, knitting should be used for the homeless, waste of money, they get smelly, etc etc.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, art and what is art is subjective, but trying to justify hating it using lame and antiquated arguments doesn't work. 

It's a Waste of Time: Is sitting watching a car go around a race track for hours on end a waste of time, cruising the internet, spending time on social networks, hitting a ball with a skinny stick around a course, watching the tv for hours on end, sitting watching men kick a ball or smack each other around in a ring a waste of time. Who is to say how others choose to spend their time is a waste of time?

So how do Knit Graffiti Artists spend their time?

It hurts the trees and animals: I haven't seen any evidence of this. It seems the local deliviery trucks have hurt the trees in our village more than knit graffiti ever did. As for the animals, air quality and trash (ring tabs/plastic parts swallowed by birds) are the REAL concerns, not a bit of knitting on a pole or a tree.

It's a waste of money: Look in the mirror. We all could be accused of that.

Knitting should be used for the homeless: This is such an antiquated argument. While it is lovely to donate knitted items to specific organizations who want knitted items homeless shelters have more pressing needs. It seems disingenuous for someone to claim knitting should be donated with little regard to the real needs requested by homeless shelters . According to Charity guide"Collectively, Americans discard two quadrillion pounds (that's a two with fifteen zeroes) of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year."
What homeless women/families need, according to charity guide,are professional clothes and shoes, wraps for burial, specialty clothing. Many places ( such as hospitals) no longer accept knitting, let alone knitting that comes from recycled sources.

So why is yarn and the act of knitting supposed to be used for only one purpose, and does this rule apply to all arts and craft materials, such as scrapbooking, paints, wood, canvas, fabrics, etc? why presume that yarnbombers haven't  already found a way to help the homeless in a way that serves THEIR needs best.

It Gets Smelly.  Really, have you sniffed a pole or a tree lately? The jafagirls have a whole street of them in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the Knit Knot Tree was up for months with not a whiff about them.

For those who wonder why:
Well it's simple really.
Because we can, because it's fun,
because it makes people smile,
because it brightens up a dreary winter's day,
because children go ooooooh!aaaaaaaah!
because!!!!!!
Life is too short to be getting yer knickers in a knot

I am glad I live in a village, Yellow Springs, Ohio  that not only encourages and supports the arts, but has embraced knit graffiti in a way I haven't seen anywhere else.

To see more about Yellow Springs Ohio

It's Where you LIve Jafagirl Interview

Ohio Magazine chooses Yellow Springs Best Hometown

Budget Travel lists Yellow Springs Top Ten Coolest Town in America