On the eve of St. Brigid’s Day, in many areas of Ireland, children weave St. Brigid’s crosses. A new one each year.
Spring comes sooner to Ireland than it does where I live. There are snowdrops popping up out of the ground. Lately many areas of Ireland are seeing snow, but the calendar clicks over Feb. 1, the traditional start of spring, lambing season, fishing season.
There are so many legends surrounding St. Brigid, but the one about the cross is that she wove it from rushes that were scattered on the floor while telling a dying pagan the story of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
How to Weave the Cross
If you’re already on the computer (and obviously you are!) probably the best way to learn is to watch someone. There are many videos you can find. I teach workshops. (This is done with pipe cleaners.) Here is a picture with one of my students.
And if you like directions…Use 16 reeds.Begin with one straight reed.Fold another reed around it.Work your way counter clockwise, each time folding a reed over the previous one.When you are finished, tie off the ends and trim with scissors if needed.
There are many different ways to illustrate how to do this, and this may be one of the best. It’s not exactly how I do it, but it’s probably easier to follow.
