because it's her job...

There is a Chinese story about the cowherd and the weaver maid, which begins with a princess weaving heavenly cloths for the Jade Emperor's wardrobe. It always reminded me of Yeats' 'He wishes for the cloths of heaven', and also -perhaps strangely - of the three fates whose endless job is to spin, measure and snip the thread of each human life. Sounds like a lonely job, weaving the whole damn sky...

The Chinese tale is a love story, which ends sadly. After offending the August Jade Emperor of Heaven, they are separated forever - two bright stars on either side of the Heavenly River. In his mercy, the Jade Emperor grants them this favour: For one day a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, all the magpies fly up to form a bridge across the milky way, where the lovers are allowed to meet.

Or is she more of a knitter... With a penchant for lumpy wool?