Yarn Tree Takes Top Honors in Del Ray Christmas Contest

A Christmas tree made of yarn and put together by UpCycle Creative Reuse Center and the Del Ray Yarn Bombers took top honors in the first-ever Del Ray Business Association tree-decorating contest.

The tree went on display outside Fannon Fine Printing in the 1700 block of Mount Vernon Avenue in early December along with 11 other trees at various Del Ray locations. All were part of a competition presented by the DRBA.

The yarn tree was the top vote-getter after hundreds of ballots were cast on the DRBA website.

“The DRBA board couldn’t have agreed more with the public’s vote,” said DRBA President Mellenie Runion.

Upcycle and the Yarn Bombers won a $500 cash prize for their efforts. The 10-foot tree, made almost completely of recycled materials and dozens of knitted squares, took more than 200 hours of labor to complete.

Local blog DIY Del Ray chronicled the creation of the tree through several posts this fall.

The tree will soon move to a more permanent location outside A Show of Hands (2301 Mount Vernon Ave.), where it will be decorated for Valentine’s Day.

“We have trees on the mural out there,” said Pat Miller, owner of A Show of Hands and a DRBA board member. “Why not have a tree on the patio?”