Swiss Cottage has become the latest victim of ‘guerrilla knitters’ after residents awoke to find parking signposts wrapped in colourful knitwear.

The knitted sleeves, first spotted in King Henry’s Road near Swiss Cottage Tube station last Thursday, are wrapped around parking signposts giving them a multi-coloured makeover.

In a phenomenon known as ‘yarnstorming’, like-minded knitters across the capital have been releasing their knitwear onto the streets covering statues, trees and telephone boxes with the vibrantly coloured yarn.

Sandy Black, professor at the London College of Fashion, who is an expert in knitting, said the new trend has led to a resurgence in knitting among young people and challenging the stigma that the craft is just for “old grannies”.

“This phenomenon began around 10 years ago and it’s becoming quite mainstream,” she explained.

“All around the world young people are getting involved, using their knitting as a fun way to turn public spaces into something a bit different.

“It’s mostly internet-driven and it’s a bit like graffiti tagging but with people leaving their mark in a way that doesn’t cause any lasting damage.

“Some do it to make a political statement, others just for fun, but either way it usually leaves a smile on people’s faces.”

Knitting artists have been absent from the borough for quite some time, with their last spree recorded in 2010 in Oval Road, Camden Town, when a series of knitted pirates was spotted hanging from various spots.