Take my spoon, Blodwyn
Make it soon, Blodwyn
The valley knows the way I feel today
Take my spoon, Blodwyn
Make it soon, Blodwyn
Before some other spoon takes you away
Blodwyn by Badfinger
Okay, so now that I’ve referenced The Tick and mildly obscure British rock bands launched by The Beatles, let’s get down to what they have to do with crafts.
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This is an antique Welsh love spoon. The one above dates from circa 1900.
Nobody knows for sure precisely how the tradition got started, but as far as anyone knows, it started in Wales, though they have also been carved in Scandinavia and parts of Eastern Europe. The earliest known example dates back to the seventeenth century, but they are made today by artists all over the world.
The idea is that when a young man falls in love with a girl, he should sit down and carve a spoon for her using various symbols to express his hopes for their life together. If the girl accepts the spoon, they are engaged. When they get married, the spoon hangs in a place of honor in their home. There’s no particular word of what happens to the spoon if the lady rejects it. Perhaps the gentleman uses it to eat a heaping helping of crow.
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