Needlework in Fiction: A Thursday Thirteen

Since I seem to be on a roll with the subject of needlework (here and here), I started thinking about novels that touch upon needlework or textiles in some way.  I couldn't come up with a complete list of thirteen novels, so I had to include a few nonfiction titles as well (some you'll no doubt have already seen in other lists I've made).  These are the books that come to my mind first, but if you can think of other books that mention needleworkers, seamstresses, textile artists or anyone who creates with a needle and thread, I would love to add them to my list. 

1. The Needle in the Blood, Sarah Bower - am reading this now--about the Bayeux Tapestry
2. The Lady and the Unicorn, Tracy Chevalier - about the making of the Unicorn Tapestries
3. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne - Hester Prynne is a needleworker
4. The Tenth Gift, Jane Johnson - both heroines are embroiderers
5. The Blood of Flowers, Anita Amirrezvani - a young woman learns the art of making carpets
6. Emotional Geology, Linda Gillard - the heroine is a textile artist
7. The Tailor's Daughter, Janice Graham - about a Victorian seamstress
8. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie - another seamstress
9. The Moon Pearl, Ruthanne Lum McCunn - recommended by a friend--there are descriptions of the characters embroidering
10. Crewel World, Monica Ferris - I've not yet read this series, but they are cozy mysteries about needlework
11. Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich - these last three books are nonfiction
12. The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman, Nancy Marie Brown - discusses 11th century weaving
13. Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years : Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times, Elizabeth Wayland Barber

What have I missed?  Surely there are loads more books that mention needlework?  Now, if only I was in the UK I would go and see this exhibit.  The Fabric of Myth:

"This exhibition will explore the theme of myths through the medium and history of textiles. From Ariadne's thread to the story of Arachne transformed from weaver to spider, these narratives have communicated associations including redemption, protection, metamorphosis and communication."

The exhibition will explore the way textiles have shaped both cultural and personal myths. The Fabric of Myth will include historic textiles, sculpture and work by artists such as Delaine le Bas, Joseph Beuys, Louise Bourgeois, William Holman Hunt, Ray Materson, Alice Kettle, Henry Moore, Elaine Reichek, Bispo do Rosário, Tilleke Schwarz and Michele Walker."

Doesn't that sound wonderful?  Perhaps I should order the exhibition catalogue?  Thanks to Sylvia for the heads up on this one.  You can read A.S. Byatt's essay, "Twisted Yarns" here.  What an intriguing connection between textiles and literature!