A Spinning We Go!

 ROC day is sometimes called “St. Distaff’s Day”. Of course, there is no such saint! It is celebrated on January 7th, the “first free day after Twelve-Eve Christmas”, which was a holiday of transition from Christmas revelries to the round of everyday work. It is also called “Rock” day, as the distaff was sometimes referred to as a rock. Traditionally, in old England, women did not spin during the twelve days of Christmas. ROC day or St. Distaff’s day, was their day to get back to work, and they certainly made the most of it! They were not without troubles during this time, because it was tradition that the plowmen thought it sport to set fire to the flax and tow.

The women kept buckets of water always ready to put out the fires. It was a game of sorts, with many young men being “drenched” to the bones! Also the spinners went back to work a day ahead of the weavers, so that they could have plenty of yarn for the weavers. It was their special day. THE SPINSTER In olden times, the fleece which was brought home in the summer was spun into clothing by the female part of each family during the winter.

It was a well known axiom that NO young woman was fit to be a wife until she had spun for herself a set of body, table, and bed linens. Hence the maiden was termed a spinner or spinster, and the married woman was referred to as a wife or as “one who has been a spinner” even though she carried on these traditions. Interestingly enough, is the term wife, which comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “wif” which is from the verb “wyfan” or “wefan” which means “to weave”!

January 7

St. Distaff’s Day

By Robert Herrick (1591–1674)

PARTLY work and partly play   You must on St. Distaff’s Day: From the plough soon free your team;   Then come home and fother them; If the maids a-spinning go,            Burn the flax and fire the tow. Bring in pails of water then,   Let the maids bewash the men. Give St. Distaff all the right;   Then bid Christmas sport good night,          And next morrow every one   To his own vocation.

Bring On THe King Cake!

Epiphany, the Feast of The Three Kings 

The Adoration of the Magi by Giotto [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Epiphany is celebrated 12 days after Christmas on 6th January (or January 19th for some Orthodox Church who have Christmas on 7th January) and is the time when Christians remember the Wise Men (also sometimes called the Three Kings) who visited Jesus.

Epiphany is also when some Churches remember when Jesus was Baptised, when he was about 30, and started to teach people about God. Epiphany means 'revelation' and both the visit of the Wise Men and his Baptism are important times when Jesus was 'revealed' to be very important.

Some Churches celebrate use Epiphany to celebrate and remember both the visit of the Wise Men and Jesus's Baptism!

Epiphany is mainly celebrated by Catholics and Orthodox Christians. It's a big and important festival in Spain, where it's also known as 'The festival of the three Magic Kings' - 'Fiesta de Los tres Reyes Mages', and is when Spanish and some other Catholic children receive their presents - as they are delivered by the Three Kings!

In Spain on Epiphany morning you might go to the local bakers and buy a special cake/pastry called a 'Roscón' (meaning a ring shaped roll). They are normally filled with cream or chocolate and is decorated with a paper crown. These are normally a figure of a king (if you find that you can wear the crown) and a dried bean (if you find that you're meant to pay for the cake!). In Catalonia it's known as a Tortell or Gâteau des Rois and is stuffed with marzipan.

In France you might eat a 'Galette des Rois', a type of flat almond cake. It has a toy crown cooked inside it and is decorated on top with a gold paper crown.

There are similar traditions in Mexico where Epiphany is known as 'El Dia de los Reyes' (the day of The Three Kings). It's traditional to eat a special cake called 'Rosca de Reyes' (Three Kings Cake). A figure of Baby Jesus is hidden inside the cake. Whoever has the baby Jesus in their piece of cake is the 'Godparent' of Jesus for that year.

In Italy, some children also get their presents on Epiphany. But they believe that an old lady called 'Befana' brings them. Children put stockings up by the fireplace for Befana to fill.

In Austria, at Epiphany, some people write a special sign in chalk over their front door. It's a reminder of the Wise Men that visited the baby Jesus. It's made from the year split in two with initials of the names that are sometimes given to 'the three wise men', Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, in the middle. So 2014 would be: 20*C*M*B*14. The sign is meant to protect the house for the coming year. Some parts of Germany also have the tradition of marking over doors. The 'Four Hills' Ski Jumping Tournament also finishes on 6th January in Bischofshofen, Austria.

At Epiphany in Belgium, children dress up as the three wise men and go from door to door to sing songs and people give them money or sweets, kind of like Trick or Treating on Halloween. Children in Poland also go out sining on Epiphany.

In Ireland, Epiphany is also called 'Nollaig na mBean' or Women's Christmas. Traditionally the women get the day off and men do the housework and cooking! It is becoming more popular and many Irish women now get together on the Sunday nearest Epiphany and have tea and cakes!

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (which celebrates Christmas on 7th January), twelve days after Christmas, on 19th January, the three day celebration of Ethiopians Timkat starts. This celebrates Jesus's baptism.

Epiphany Eve (also known as Twelfth Night) marks the end of the traditional Christmas celebrations and is the time when you were meant to take Christmas decorations down - although some people leave them up until Candlemas.

Love Books--For The Children

Mystery Children's Quilt Along   The details of my 2017 FREE Mystery Block of the Month..woohoo!

Go to Pat's website first, then head over to Free Quilt Patterns to watch video and download the supply list

Off The Loom....................

I'm so excited!  I'm thrilled!

Cut off these two scarves from the loom this week

All washed, pressed and ready for wear!

One is woven in Dornick twill and the other just

1-3, 2-4 on the same threading

These are handspun wool/silk and the weft is handspun silk.

I'm loving these!

Now, what to warp on the loom next--hmmmm?

Museum At FIT

Black Fashion Designers is an exhibition that examines the impact of African American and African designers on the fashion industry. It will be on display in the Fashion & Textile History Gallery at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City from December 6, 2016 through May 13, 2017. 

Museum Exhibits of 2017

Black fashion designers began to gain recognition during the late 1940s, even while still segregated within the fashion industry. A section of the exhibition devoted to black designers breaking into the industry features work by New York-based Zelda Wynn Valdes and Ann Lowe, who created custom-made gowns for society women and celebrities. They represent the transition from nineteenth-century dressmaking traditions that encompassed countless, unnamed black dressmakers, to the modern conception of a fashion designer. Designers such as Arthur McGee, Wesley Tann, and Jon Weston worked for New York manufacturers before establishing their own businesses. For example, Weston, an FIT alumnus, started his ready-to-wear company in the mid-1960s, stating, “I’d gone as far as I could go on Seventh Avenue; it wasn’t growing with me.” 

New UFO's?

It's the new year--a time to begin those new UFOs!  Yes, I know, when I begin a project, I'm just sure that it will not end up in my UFO pile for another year.  This Year it will be different--I say to myself!

I resolve---oh, I hate that word!  But, I PLAN to take at least one UFO out of the box to finish--yes, I said FINISH! before I begin another UFO!  It's a definite challenge to just reach in the box and pull out an unfinished object--don't look!  Just reach in and do it!  Okay, so it's not one you REALLY want to do now--but, it needs to be finished sometime!.

I know there is a 'game' you can play with yourself, especially on knitting UFO's--place the project with needed yarns in a plain paper bag; staple it shut!  and pile into a box!  Gee whiz--so many--but, the next time you want something to knit--reach into the box and pull out one of these bags!  You can't look in the bag--it's stapled, right??

It's not so easy with quilting UFOs--okay, here we go--first up--to finish one of those Christmas hangings I didn't do before Christmas 2016--so close to being finished, of course.

This is one of those Christmas panels that has been 'aging' forever!  Luckily, I did copy off some instructions--thank goodness! 

Okay, it will be ready for Christmas 2017!  

Finished!! just need to cut the binding and select a backing and off to the

quilter it will go.

Now, doesn't that feel good!?

on to the next UFO to finish...........

Happy New Year!

Here we go again!   2016 was a full year of daily blog journals.

I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings, events, and just plain

happenings.

To each of you,

I wish you the best of the new years--may 2017 bring you

joy, peace, good health and many happy days of stitching!

Let the 2017 begin!!