Welcome to Crios/Cross!

After a very busy January in the Etsy Shop (www.etsy.com/shop/CriosCross) getting all the orders out in time for Brigid's Day, I thought I'd start a separate web page and blog for this little undertaking. I hope you can pop by once in awhile and say hello, ask a question, or share some ideas. I'm very inexperienced as a blogger, but it seems like a good idea...I regularly uncover all kinds of interesting material on Brigid, saint or goddess, and on weaving traditions in Ireland and ones that have been transported here.

I think of what I make as the "North American" version of the traditional Brigid's Cross. The reeds in Ireland are often much larger than the ones I have access to I'm my area. Traditionally, reeds would be cut a day or two ahead of February 1, to be ready for Brigid's Eve on January 31. I must cut my reeds around solstice time so they will be as large as possible...and they are often flowering when I cut them. If you've received one of my Brigid Crosses with the flowers clinging to the reed, it's one of my little signatures. So my little crosses are just a bit different right from the start. It took me years to figure out the right kind of rushes to use, and I tried many varieties in my part of the world, Rhode Island. The are called soft rushes and they grow in roadside ditches, but they are just a bit fussy and don't want it too cold in winter, so a sunny spot is critical for them to proliferate. They are considered an invasive species where I live and the town road crews mow then down, usually around July 4- another reason for me to harvest them by the end of June!

I hope you'll consider joining my very limited, brand new email list for Crios/Cross. (just scroll to the bottom for the form) I'm offering a 10% discount in the Etsy shop for those who join, and I am planning to email only FOUR times a year. In the newsletter I hope to offer some little articles, coupons and update about offerings in the Etsy shop.