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Whether you are having a good or bad day, these wonderful postbox creations are guaranteed to make you smile. But what are post box toppers? Postbox toppers are knitted or crocheted decorations that fit on top of Royal Mail postboxes and have been seen all around the UK. You may have spotted one around where you live. It began during the lockdowns and has gained momentum continuing to the present day and falls under the collective term yarnbombing. You can also find photos of the postbox toppers on Royal Mail’s Instagram account.
Rosi Garcia del Rio is one of the many faces behind the wonderful postbox toppers popping up around the country. Some of her ones can be found in Wimbledon Park and Southfields. When asked about her background in crocheting Rosi says “I learnt to crochet when I was around 10 years old by copying the ladies in my village. Since then, I have always had a project to do to challenge myself”. She says that she thinks that “it would be a great way to see more smiles in my community and others, especially in this low time.”
Recalling her favourite project, Rosi mentions “After 300 hours of crocheting, I created REA {as seen in the image above} which depicts a girl on her bike lying down in the peaceful Wimbledon Park, reading to her children and a cat under a tree.” Along with REA, she has also created a remembrance topper “to honour our people from the past, present and future” and a Christmas topper “to (anonymously) wish a happy and jolly time to everyone.”
If you would like to join a crocheting group, have a look on Facebook for ‘Postbox Toppers and Yarn bombing’ (created by Sally Fletcher-Gray) and ‘Random Acts of Crochet Kindness’ (created by Olivia Dieterich) or follow the Instagram handle @postboxtopperuk. Rosi concludes “I want to make people happy and also encourage other knitters to have fun and be busy.”
So, keep an eye out, and you never know – you may see one on your next family walk!
