Magda Sayeg of Knitta, Please! is leading the charge in a full-scale knitted invasion of Mexico City-most recently covering an entire bus (imported from Japan) in some kind of colorful blanket. Can you arrest someone for being a hipster yet? The perky Texan decided she and her graffiti team were going to subject Mexico City to her cozy artwork after already spreading her “graffiti” over half the world (claims to fame so far are a rock at the Great Wall of China, multiple street signs in Paris and various fire hydrants, etc in New York City.) Why did she pick Mexico City for her bus installation?

“I think that Mexico City is the most appropriate place to put this loud, clashing-with-colors bus- and it seems like the people are loving it too. We all see Mexico and Mexico City as being vibrant…This is a passionate city. They’re very accepting of this…I mean I’m sure there’s lots of places that would love to see like a wrapped vehicle, but here, for some reason, I feel like they’re almost as connected to it as I am.”

Magda admits that the bus and her “graffiti-knitting” in general don’t always make sense to everyone.

“There are some places where it catches them off guard more, they wanna ask why, why are you doing this.”

We’re imagining some sobbing man on his knees screaming “WHY?? WHYYYY??? WHY ARE YOU COVERING OUR PUBLIC STRUCTURES IN YARN?” Hopefully it hasn’t actually been that dramatic. It’s tempting to dismiss Magda as a puff-brained Houstonite who has nothing better to do with her time than scamper about the wide world like Rainbow Brite, sprinkling all and sundry with color, but the woman actually seems pretty earnest and sweet. Speaking about her work in general, she says she isn’t trying to make a grand political statements- she just wants people to feel the love!

“I think the other thing that’s attractive about what I do is that people associate knitting with things that are about love or about something that’s loving and tender and personal…I feel like that’s what puts smiles on people’s faces, is that they see this handmade material on something that’s kind of cold and un-alive.”

And our favorite, Bjork-channeling moment of the interview:

“I put hats on fire hydrants and all of a sudden I wanna take the fire hydrant home with me, it’s so adorable.”

Ah well, she may be flogging that same tired line about Latinos being passionate and colorful, but at least she’s trying to add to the beauty, not just take pictures.

Full interview and footage of her at work, below:

Guerrilla knitting hits Mexico City [LA Times]