Wealweaving

Wealweaving is an ancient art form unique to the eristur. Wealwoven items were believed to bring great fortune and ward away evil, though the cultural significance and popularity of the practice has steadily declined over the years. There are nevertheless a handful in every generation dedicated to keeping the craft alive.
Wealweaving begins with white wool. Although some purists believe that a true wealweaver should perform every step of the task htemselves, it is acceptable in the modern day to begin with wool that has already been cleaned and carded but not yet spun. As part of the initial preparations, herbs believed to be auspicious and plants believed to possess potent spirituality are burned. The ash is sprinkled onto the wool and incorporated into the yarns as they are spun.
Once the yarns are ready, the wealweaver begins the painstaking task of preparing each one for the loom. This part of the process is the most laborious and time-consuming as the words of a prayer or a song—typically one asking for guidance, wisdom, and good fortune—must somehow be incorporated, the longer the text, the better. As the yarns are usually too narrow to use IktOrryk script, and any attempt to weave the words into the pattern would lead to prohibitive material and labor costs, wealweavers make use of a specialized writing system invented specifically for purposes of wealweaving.
Using seven different dyes, wealweavers paint bands of color onto the yarns. These bands can come in sets of at least two and at most four. Every unique combination represents a character used in IktOrryk script, allowing wealweavers to encode the text of the dedication into the yarns themselves. It is these bands that give wealwoven fabric its distinctive appearance as they come together to form what appears to be a cross-hatching pattern after the final weaving stage.
The last step before the final weaving is called "singing" the thread. Here, the wealweaver presses their lips together and passes the yarns from one side of their mouth to the other. While doing so, they hum a song or murmur a prayer, infusing the yarns with more auspicious intentions. This part of the process is believed to make the intrinsic power of the wealwoven cloth more potent, but beyond the superstition, it is also believed that this part is vital as it tightens the yarns and seals the dyes.
At the end of this laborious exercise, only one thing is left to do: weave. Customarily, wealwoven cloth is made with nothing more complicated than the simple, alternating weave. This is to make the colors dyed into the yarn stand out. In recent years, however, some wealweavers have taken to weaving more interesting design patterns as an attempt to remain relevant and reach a wider audience.