Skuld is the first shawl in a series of three shawls on the theme of the three Norns (Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld) in Norse mythology. The determine the fate of all living creatures by spinning the threads of life. And they water Yggdrasil – the tree of life – so the branches do not dry out or rot.
Skuld is the Norn representing the future, and since the future is dark and unknown for us mortals, I choose to use Sappho II from the Sanguine Gryphon in “Sleep Comes Down”. The colours are dark blues and black.
The Norns are responsible for spinning the threads of life for all living things, and our lives are all intertwined. Skuld is a triangular shawl designed around the idea of the threads of life and our intertwined lives. The pattern will be available on June 15 as part of the Seasons of Lace series.
The stories of the Norns have always fascinated me.
The three sisters live in a remote area of Aasgard, under the first root of Yggdrasil. They live in a dark cave, and in front of the cave is a well. The root of Yggdrasil snakes around the well. Each day the sisters collect water from the well and mix it with the magic clay and the coarse sand surrounding the well. They create a paste with which they cover the root to prevent rot and to preserve the life force of the tree. Yggdrasil is the world tree – central to the nine worlds of Norse mythology.
Every morning after caring for the tree, the sisters start to spin. But the thread they spin is no ordinary thread; it is not only the thread of life for all human and divine life, but also the thread determining the fate of the universe. It is the norns that measure time and control the past, the present and the future.
Their names stem from their work. Urðr represents the past, Verðandi the present and Skuld that which will happen. Together they represent destiny.
The home of the Norns, at the well, in the shade of Yggdrasil’s root is a holy place. There are three reasons it is a holy place; this is where Yggdrasil is cared for so that no rot could spread in the universe. It’s where Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld spin the thread of life and death. And it’s where the Norse gods go every day to discuss and lay plans to postpone the destruction of the world – Ragnarrök.
What could be better than an entire season of lace?
Each month you will receive a brand new pattern for a lace shawl designed based on the current theme. The lace subscription can be ordered for the summer (3 months), or summer & autumn (6 months) – Summer (June-August), and Autumn (September-November).
The theme for the summer is the three Norns (Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld). They determine the fate of all living creatures by spinning the threads of life. And they water Yggdrasil – the tree of life – so the branches do not dry out or rot.
In the autumn, we will be visiting three different world heritage sites. These shawls will be published in September, October and November.
The cost for 3 months is $20 CDN. And the cost for 6 months is $38 CDN. Each month you will receive a brand new shawl pattern. The yarn requirements vary from shawl to shawl. For the first three shawls I have used 1 skein of Marks & Kattens Fame Trend (460 yds per 100 g), 2 skeins of Unique Sheep Eos (total 1280 yds, 640 yds per 2 oz), and 1 skein of Sappho II from the Sanguine Gryphon (440 yds per 3.5 oz).
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