Swedish Yule Goat Needlepoint Canvas

In Sweden, people believed the Yule goat to be an invisible spirit that would appear before Christmas to make sure that the holiday preparations were done correctly. The goat eventually took on the role of a gift giver and is sometimes seen in place of or alongside Santa, who is called Jultomten.

In the town of Gävle, Sweden, a Yule Goat has been constructed out of wood and straw in the Slottstorget, or Castle Square, since 1966. These Yule Goats are constructed to be around 40 feet tall, and built with straw and other natural materials. However, the construction of the goat is not the only tradition local to the region. In the past 56 years, the goat has burned down 38 times. In 1973, a man stole the enormous statute and put it in his yard. He was later arrested. In 1976, a crashing Volvo took out the goat. In 2010, a plot was afoot to capture the goat and carry it away by helicopter. Thankfully it was foiled. Despite this appalling track record, the 2022 goat surprisingly made it to the New Year 2023. We will have to see how the 2023 Gälve goat fares!

Today, most Yule Goats are ornament-sized and hang on trees.
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This Yule Goat needlepoint canvas is 4x4.5” on 13 mesh, perfect for fun fibers and decorative stitching. I kitted mine up with straw silk to mimic the straw construction of the Gälve Yule Goat!

Here are my thread suggestions for this canvas, which will need to be purchased separately from your LNS as I do not carry these thread lines:

• Background: Very Velvet (standard) V230, will need 2 cards
• Goat Body: Silk Road Fibers Straw Silk 1 each of 0230 Mocha, and 0240 Raffia 
• Red Ribbons: Neon Rays 1 card of NP22 and 1 card of NP26