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“Come here, you Crewel One,” the King called. A very big-eyed fairy with a sharp toe stepped forward.

“He’s not really cruel, My Lady, just a fancy-acting fellow. He’s an artist,” Sir Bodkin explained to his mistress.

“Tell, sir, what you can do to make the world beautiful!” he then said to Crewel, who began to sing this song:

“I weave the woolen threads so bright,

And silk and cotton, too.

All in and out and ’round about

To make the pattern true;

A pretty trimming on your dress,

Your rompers or your smock,

I also make the blanket-stitch

For edging ’round your frock.”

“That’s the very thing for this dress!” exclaimed Margaret clapping her hands. “Oh, let’s begin, dear Crewel. I’ve some lovely pink wool thread here in my knitting-bag.”

She cut a length of the yarn and Sir Bodkin showed her how to loop it around Crewel’s head and then squeeze it between her thumb and forefinger so it would slip easily into his big eye. Crewel stepped on the back of the dress at the left side of the neck. He took two tiny back steps on the wrong side to fasten the thread. Margaret held the edge of the neckline over her left forefinger and held the thread down with her left thumb, so Crewel could slip over it when making the blanket-stitch. He then sang as they worked: