Its a drag when you and all your brothers get turned into birds and your little sister has to save you with magical clothing.

Its an even bigger drag if you are the little sister.

There are lots of stories from lots of cultures about boys getting themselves turned into birds. In some of those stories the boys have bird adventures but in some they simply wait around for their sister to save them. She does this with the power of her crafting (!!!) and her sweetness. The sister is always good and pure and beautiful and lonely and sad (and dull). You know, a total little-goody-two-shoe type. But she has mad crafting skills.

I’m telling a smart-ass version of The Wild Swans, (“De vilde Svaner”) as its found in Hans Christian Anderson. In this story there are 11 Swan Brothers and the Swan Princess has to make shirts from stinging nettle. Yes, stinging nettle which she picks and spins with her bare hands. That Swan Princess may be goody-goody and dull as a doorknob but she is pretty freaking tough.

As I mention in the video, using nettle as a fiber is a real thing. Once the plant has been stripped of its leaves, which is where the sting comes from, it makes nice bast fiber. Birte Ford has a book out on how to turn nettles into yarn. You can also check out her website which some resources on that topic too.

These posts are so easy. All I do is spin some yarn and run my mouth. People seem to like them though. I have a few more and you can find them on the Spinning In Cowgirl Boots page. Enjoy!