Working Magic In Stitches

 Dear Reader,

As any crafter can tell you, what they do is a labor of love and a work of art. Even the kiddie artwork with the googly eyes counts because they put their heart into it and worked hard. When you start looking at old fashioned crafts (i.e. knitting, crochet, needlework, weaving, etc.), you can discover a world of folklore surrounding these crafts and myths featuring them. Careful examination of the folklore and mythos behind these crafts reveals that they are not mere past times to wittle away idle time. You will discover there is true magic hidden there.

Some of the modern folklore seems odd but unerringly true. Consider the tale of the 'Boyfriend Sweater'. A young knitter is utterly smitten with their boyfriend and decides to make them a love gift of a sweater. After many hours of tiresome and at time tedious work, the sweater is done. The knitter presents their gift to their beloved only to discover that their boyfriend's response is tepid and they never wear the sweater. Eventually, the couple parts, for our young knitter realizes that the boyfriend didn't truly appreciate them or their effort. Many knitters can tell a story like this of people disregarding their handwork in favor of mass produced goods.

There is the folk-wisdom of weaving a strand of your hair into a garment for a person will bind them to you as long as they own the garment. I've yet to hear of this little gem failing.

In ancient times, weavers were considered to have magic powers. Their ability to weave, to tangle, and untangle their work sympathetically effected their people's success on the battlefield and abroad. Spinners were also viewed in this fashion. Indeed, some cultures regarded spinners highly and with great caution because through their work they could influence one's fate.

Those who could sew (and by extension do embroidery and other forms of needlework) could bind or unbind people. They could fashion intricate sigils and spells of protection with the designs they produced. The core element in all of these crafts is not merely the fact that they are fiber arts, but they are highly effective means of casting intention into action. And such deeds could be done openly when more overt ritual practices are opposed by the overculture.