A good way to kick off April: a day warm enough to eat lunch on our deck. Which I did, with the dog as ever waiting around for a handout, and then lolling around in the mild sun.

During our walkabout last Friday in Iowa City, besides plaques in the sidewalks, we began to notice trees wrapped in sweaters, or at least sweater-like creations of yarn.

Nothing like something peculiar to get your attention. Mine, anyway. Later I found out that the wraps are a result of organized yarn bombing — which is something that actually happens — called the Tree Huggers project. Iowa City Downtown District says this about the 2014-15 project, which is apparently the third annual one: “2012 was the first year of the ICDD’s annual winter ‘Tree Huggers’ project produced by Home Ec Workshop and sponsored by Total Tree Care of Iowa City.

“The program has once again invited 120 local knitters transform the landscape of the District starting in November on over 130 trees throughout Downtown and the Northside Marketplace as part of the ICDD’s Community Gallery Program.”

Here’s another:

And another two. Or three, depending on how you count.

On the Sunday after we were there, the trees were “unhugged,” meaning that the sweaters were removed. “Following their removal, the Tree Huggers will be washed and put together for blankets that will be donated to local charity groups,” the district explains.