I remember when I first started #sewing, I economized #thread as much as possible.

I’d even pull thread back on the machine before starting every seam to not have long thread tails; I never pulled threads through to rethread the serger, preferring to re-thread every time so I wouldn’t waste thread!

Then I realized I was only saving fractions of a cent at the huge expense of time.

Still, I’ve kept all my thread scraps thinking I’ll use them one day as stuffing for a dog toy. @sewing

🧵 1/2

Today's #MinCup23 match is calcite vs opal. This'll be a thread.

Calcite reminds me of a story from Costa Rica. A chief called Nandayure owned a magic wand that could make disappear anything that contained calcium. One day he saw his people dancing, wearing lots of white body paint, and grew so angry at the decorations he aimed the wand at them. You know what else has calcium? Bones. Oops.
(He managed to reverse the spell by destroying the wand)
#folklore #folktales #minerals #gemstones #thread

End of thread! For more ruby-related folktales, and sources, check out my Gemstone Folklore blog post here:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2022/04/r-is-for-ruby-revenge-gemstone-folklore.html

Happy voting everyone!

#folktales #folklore #MinCup23 #thread

The Magic Ruby on the Snake's Head is a tale from Thailand. It tells about a magician that finds out that he can enchant a snake, and make it grow a priceless ruby on its head in 1000 years. The magician doesn't survive that long, but the snake grows into a giant man-eating monster.

Later a princess declares she wants the ruby for her necklace (to inspire people to rid the land of the monster). A prince finds a way to kill the monster and take the gem.

#folktales
#folklore
#MinCup23
#thread

Another exciting folktale is The Ruby Prince from the Punjab.

In this one, a king receives a priceless ruby that turns into a baby boy in the queen's treasure chest. The Ruby Prince kills a monster and wins a wife, but tells her never to ask where he came from. When she inevitably does, he disappears.

She later finds out that he lives with the King of Snakes now. She takes dance lessons, enchants the king with her dance, and wins her husband back.

#folktales #folklore #MinCup23 #thread

By the way, I blogged about the Myanmar legend about the origin of rubies here:
http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2020/11/storyspotting-rubies-and-royalty-crown.html

This is also the origin story of the (in)famous Mogok ruby mines. It features a Naga princess who falls in love with the Sun, and three magic eggs, one of which bursts in Mogok and fills the land with rubies.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23 #thread #StorySpotting

In another folktale from India a clever turtle saves a goose from a fowler with rubies and trickery. He offers the man a ruby for the goose. The man asks for two rubies. The turtle brings a second ruby from his pond, but then says "let me see that first one, to make sure they match."

In the meantime, the goose gets away, and the turtle dives into the pond with both rubies.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23 #thread

In a folktale from Simla, a man is exiled with is father and 4 wives. The youngest hides some valuable rubies in bread. Later she gives one to her father-in-law to sell, but he falls into a greedy merchant's trap - and so does his son.

The woman then dresses up as a policeman and joins the king's forces. She defeats a monster, earns favor, and solves the case of the men's disappearance, bringing justice to the evil merchant.

#thread #folktales #folklore #MinCup23

One of my favorite ruby stories is a legend recorded by King Sancho IV of Spain. It tells about an English king who gets lost while hunting in the winter. He encounters a naked beggar, takes pity on him, dresses him in his own clothes, and carries him to shelter.

The grateful beggar asks the king to blow his nose. When the king does, a ruby larger than a hen's egg falls into the handkerchief: a magical (though a bit gross) reward for the king's kindness.

#folklore #folktales #MinCup23 #thread

Today's #MinCup23 match is corundum vs lawsonite.

*Cracks knuckles*

I'm voting corundum, because folklore (and because as a kid I had a book on gemstones, and padparadscha seemed so magical).

I'm going to make this a thread, because rubies and sapphires figure into a whole bunch of tales and legends.

🧵

#folklore #folktales #mythology #gems #minerals #thread #corundum

You don't have to be a mathematician, or even "good" at #maths, to help your #children learn maths. You just have to model resilience and positivity towards what they're doing, and to avoid reinforcing negative tropes.
A #thread: