Free pattern until 1 November 2024

You knit the jumper from top to bottom in, in one piece. After the increases in the round pass, knit a few sets of shortened needles to raise the back panel. Then split the work for the sleeves and bodice. Also at the bottom come shortened needles to make the back piece longer. As icing on the cake you embroider the spirals. The jumper is oversized with a very wide neckline that can fall well over the shoulder.

Protection against evil spirits
Circles and spirals are common signs in Wicca. The spinning spiral swirls us in and out of existence. The circle is a barrier through which evil spirits cannot pass. One of the most important Wicca symbols, it represents infinity, wholeness and oneness. The ritual circle, or the circle of the arts, serves as the sacred space where practitioners of Wicca perform rituals and spells. The spiral is also seen as a protective symbol. The infinitely continuous line is meant to keep evil spirits busy.

Tribute to thousands of ‘witches’
The spiral jumper is part of MICCA, a collection that pays tribute to the many victims of the persecution of witches. More than 100,000 alleged witches died at the stake in Europe alone. Magdelaine Lestarquy was one of the victims. She was 65 when she was falsely accused of witchcraft. She was imprisoned for 14 days. After 2 days and nights of brutal torture and interrogation, she confessed to being a witch. Along with 5 other women, she was strangled and burned on a hill in Ellezelles, a small village in Belgian Hainaut - the village where I live - on 26 October 1610.