Telling the Bees and Other Customs: The Folklore of Rural Crafts

The skills of weaving, spinning and knitting were vital to clothe and keep warm members of every class, race, religion or social group from the poorest to the richest. And so, we find wool, yarn and thread and the working of those materials rooted very deeply in the folklore of countries around the globe. This book discusses the folklore associated with wool, thread, spinning and associated crafts, through folk and fairy tales, customs and more. Did Eve really spin in the Garden of Eden? What does Mother Goose have to do with crafting? And who really knitted the first telephone box cosy? AUTHOR: Mark Norman is a folklore author and researcher. He is a council member of The Folklore Society and has been on the judging panel for the Katharine Briggs book awards for the last 3 years. He is also the creator and host of The Folklore Podcast. Listened to around the world, the podcast looks at all aspects of traditional folklore and has enjoyed over half a million downloads since it started 3 years ago, with lively audience engagement. Mark speaks around the country on folklore-related subjects, and also writes newspaper and magazine columns plus web articles on the subject. He lives in Devon.
20 b/w illustrations