The quirky winter festival transforming trees into jumper-wearing art forms
By Anthony Caggiano
Updated July 23 2025 - 1:57pm, first published 1:55pm
A quirky winter festival involving knitting and trees is on again in Warwick, a two-hour drive south-west of Brisbane. Subscribe now for unlimited access.
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Many a scarf, beanie and blanket have been knitted or crocheted for loved ones, but some love to make jumpers for trees.
Kerri Harycki is among the creatives who yarn bomb trees across a country town each July as part of a winter festival.
"I love looking at the skill of different people; you just go, 'Oh, wow, how did they do that?' or 'I wish I'd thought of that'," she said.
As part of the Jumpers and Jazz in July festival in Warwick, about 100 trees in the town's CBD are covered in yarn for a tree jumper exhibition.
The main limits are the jumpers shouldn't be more than two metres tall, focus on the tree's trunk, and ideally are made with yarn.
Kerri Harycki with her Rapunzel tree jumper design ahead of the Jumpers and Jazz in July festival at Warwick. Picture supplied
The idea was started by the Warwick Art Gallery in 2004 as a fun way to keep newly-planted trees warm during winter after a streetscaping project in the town, and has continued since.
This year's theme is cascade, so Mrs Harycki, 59, and her sister Dawn Smit, both of Toowoomba, created a scene involving Rapunzel.
Their 3D design is all crocheted, including the damsel herself and her long hair, a balcony, prince, horse and fairies, plus the jumper's base that clings around their allocated tree.
Mrs Harycki said she enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of the "competition" and the challenge to create something "new and unique", but the day of setting up before the festival started was also fun.
"We really enjoy the atmosphere of setup day where everybody's interested in what you're doing, and you can see what everybody else is doing," she said.
Coming from a large and dispersed family, the jumpers allow the sisters to hang out and share crocheting together.
"Our mother was a crafter, and it's how we stay connected with her," Mrs Harycki said.
Mrs Harycki dabbles a little with knitting, making scarves "because that's just rows", but it's crochet she loves most.
"It's almost meditative, because there's a lot of repetition in it, but you can do it a lot of different ways," she said.
"Or you can try new things... which are more complex, so it's working your brain as well."
The festival, which runs from July 17-27, has more than 220 experiences including live jazz performances, markets, creative workshops, art trails, artisan stalls and of course, handmade yarn art.
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