Crewels

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of thick embroidery thread often used in needlework creating textured designs
2. A collection of yarn spun from wool or other fibers that is traditionally utilized in decorative crafts
3. An assortment of strands employed in stitching and creating intricate textile patterns

Etymology: "Crewels" is the plural of "crewel," and the singular form is the one with the real puzzle: its origin is unknown. Early English spellings such as "crule," "crewle," and "croole" show the word wandering through different forms before settling into its current shape, but no certain ancestor has been identified in any other language. The word names a loosely twisted, fairly thick yarn, usually of wool, that was once the everyday material for embroidery. Its best-known use is in crewelwork, a style of embroidery in which these yarns are stitched in flowing, looping patterns onto linen or cotton, a craft that flourished in England and America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Synonyms: embroidery, stitchery, needlework, craft, textile