In a time of year when many of us are making journeys to see family and friends we should all be paying tribute to Hermes, god of journeys and travellers. Wearing winged sandals he can travel between the worlds of the mortals and the divine. He was also patron of shepherds and their flocks, so a god we can all firmly get behind!

The son of Zeus and Maia the nymph, he also had numerous children. Including Pan, god of the wild, who was famously half man half goat. He was also father to Evander, who bought Greek gods, laws, mythology and the Greek alphabet to ancient Italy. He founded the city of Pallantium on the future site of the Palantine Hill, Rome. Greek gods usually have a Roman equivalent, Zeus becomes Jupiter, Hestia becomes Vesta, Hermes becomes Mercury etc.
He's usually depicted wearing a travellers round hat, cloak, but most importantly his caduceus. 

The staff is entwined with two serpents and topped with a pair of wings. It's now often used as a symbol of commerce, and mistakenly in some places as a symbol of medicine. At some point it became conflated with the  Rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake and no wings. Asclepius was the god associated with healing and medicine. 

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.

There's a bit of dispute over Hestia as one of the 12 Olympians, but she is one of the children of Cronus and Rhea, and the other possibility to include is Dionysius. I went with the goddess of the hearth, home and family rather than the god of wine, festivity, ritual madness and religious ecstasy. 
Her role as goddess of the hearth placed at the centre of every household, and because fire was often used to burn offerings she technically received the first offering in any religious sacrifice. 
Hestia was primarily a goddess of the women of the household. The hearth was the centre of the home, and extinction of the domestic fire represented a failure of domestic and religious duties. It could be ritually extinguished, but re-lightning was also accompanied by rituals to ensure the continued protection of the goddess. 

This is a 6th century tapestry depicting Hestia and attendants. It's made from wool, and was crated in northern Egypt. It's currently held in a collection in Washington DC. 

Unlike most of the other Olympians Hestia is a remarkably straightforward goddess. She was one of the virgin goddesses and as guardian of the hearth fire was unable to move around like the other Olympians getting up to trouble!

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.

Sister of Zeus, goddess of the harvest, agriculture, fertility, and sacred law. Most famous as being mother of Persephone, whose father was also Zeus. (in some myths Persephone also goes on to have a son with Zeus, Dionysus, I told you that this family tree was a bit of a horrifying mess!). 

Demeter's daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades (who was also her uncle), after Zeus had given permission for her to be Hades bride. Demeter was so furious about this that she halted the seasons, crops began to die, and when faced with the reality of the extinction of life on earth even Zeus had to give in. He agreed that Persephone would be returned from the Underworld if she had eaten nothing during her stay. Unfortunately she had eaten some pomegranate seeds, and this then meant Persephone was bound to the Underworld for half the year. 

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.

Two versions exist of the origins of Aphrodite, in one Cronus (father of Zeus), severed Uranus (Father of the sky and Grandfather to Zeus) genitals and threw them in to the sea. From the foam Aphrodite arose from the sea. In the other Aphrodite is described as being the daughter of Zeus and Dione. In all stories of her origin though she's described as having no childhood, always existing as an infinitely desirable adult, in her role as goddess of love, lust, passion, pleasure, beauty, and sexuality.
​She is one of the three goddesses whose feud led to the start of the Trojan War. 

The deities were invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (who would go on to be parents of Achilles), except for Eris goddess of discord. She was so annoyed that she arrived at the wedding feast uninvited, and threw a golden apple on the floor with the inscription "for the fairest". Aphrodite, Athena and Hera all claimed the title, and appealed to Zeus for a judgement. He wimped out, and instead delegated the decision to the Trojan Prince Paris. He couldn't decide so the goddess attempted to bribe him... Aphrodite offered him marriage to the most beautiful mortal woman on earth, Helen. The Trojan War becomes the unhappy result as Helen was already married. 

Aphrodite is nearly always depicted naked or barely clothed in the ancient statues and art, and in the renaissance scenes depicted her birth, rising from the waves became popular. Most famously in The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. 

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.

Twin to Apollo, Artemis was a daughter of Zeus, born as a result of an extramarital affair with Leto. Hera was so offended that she forbade Leto to give birth on solid land, but in the end the island of Delos gave refuge to Leto. Artemis is described as being born first, and then assisting in the birth of her twin brother Apollo. She goes on to become the goddess of nature, childbirth, wildlife, healing, the hunt, sudden death, animals, virginity, young women, and archery. In Roman mythology she's known as Diana. 

One of the three virgin goddesses, alongside Athena and Hestia. She's usually described as a hunting goddess of the woods, accomanied by a chaste gang of nymphs. In her role as goddess of the hunt and childbirth she was one of the most widely venerated deities in ancient Greece. 
Artemis's companions weren't expmpt from the attentions of Zeus. Callisto was one of Artemis's nymphs, and Zeus seduced her by disguising himself as Artemis during a hunting session. Callisto became pregnant, and when Artemis found out she was so furious that Artemis transformed her and her son Arcas in to bears, ad=nd then placed them in the heavens forming the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. In some versions of the myth it's Hera that does the transforming, but either way it's Callisto that pays the price.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (in modern day Turkey) was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. At it's largest it was 137 m (450 ft) long by 69 m (225 ft) wide and 18 m (60 ft) high, with more than 127 columns.

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders.

Favourite daughter of Zeus, Athena was born from Zeus forehead (you just have to go with the stories about the gods... they made sense to the people of the time, and who are we to judge!). She's the goddess of wisdom, warfare and handicraft, specially weaving. 

Forever associated with the city of Athens, she won the right for patronage of the city over Poseidon by creating the first olive tree.She's also the patron goddess of heroic endeavour, helping Heracles, Jason, Perseus and Bellerophon. She also assists the Greeks in the Trojan Wars and acts as divine counsellor to Odysseus. 

This image from  480-470 BC showing Athena observing as the  Colchian dragon disgorges the hero Jason.

In the fable of Arachne Athena shows herself to have a temper just as volatile as her father Zeus. ////arachne was the daughter of a famous dyer of Tyrian Purple, and was a weaving student of Athena. She became so conceited that she claimed her skill was greater than that of the goddess. Athena disguised herself as an old woman, and warned Arachne not to offend the deities, but determined to prove her skill she insisted on a weaving content. 
Athena's tapestry showed her victory over Poseidon for the patronage of Athens, and the 12 Olympian Gods and their victories over mythological figures who challenged their authority. Arachne's showed all the episodes if the deities infidelity and the unfair behaviour of the gods towards mortals. 
In a taper Athena destroyed Arachne's tapestry and loom, and struck Arachne with her staff. Arachne hung herself in despair, but taking pity on her Athena bought her back to life in the form of a spider. 

This is the limited edition shade of Superfine Merino & Silk for today. You can find it in the online shop until stocks run out, and as always it forms part of the Buy 2 Get a third half price offer available on this fibre blend. I am happy to combine orders, but will need you to add a note when you purchase each day. I usually have a lot of orders to process on the first day back and without a note it's highly likely I will miss that you have multiple orders. 

We'll start at the beginning with this years 12 Days of Christmas, for which our theme was Christmas on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the King of the Gods so he'd better go first... given his reputation not putting him first would be a very foolish mistake. 

If you fancy a read along or a listen along as you spin then I can recommend Mythos by Stephen Fry. This will give you more of the origins of the Olympians, and their complicated lives! 
But in short, Zeus is the offspring of Cronus and Rhea who were Titans, and themselves the offspring of Uranus (Father Sky, and Gaia (Mother Earth). As we go through the days you'll realise that being related is utterly inconsequential when it comes to having offspring with each other. Cronus deposed Uranus, but fearing the same fate from his own children ate  Demeter, Hestia, Hiram Hades and Poseidon. Zeus was the youngest child, and his mother came up with a plot to keep him safe, Rhea handed Cronus a swaddled rock instead of the newborn Zeus, and then hid him throughout his childhood. Once full grown Zeus makes Cronus disgorge his siblings, and the Cyclopes, who give him his famous thunderbolt. Together with his siblings and many other allies Zeus goes on to fight in a war with the Titans which he eventually wins. 

After this most of Zeus time is spent having multiple wives, and seducing nymphs, dryads and metal women. All while trying to avoid the wrath of his principle wife Hera. In total he has seven wives, Athena is born to Metis, and Oceania nymph and daughter of Titans. With his sister Demeter he has a daughter; Persephone. With Leto, another daughter of Titands, he has twins, Artemis and Apollo. With his sister Hera he has Ares, Hebe, Eileithiya, and Hephaestus. 
When seducing mortal women he was fond of disguising himself as various animals and birds, often to try and evade the jealousy of Hera, who usually found out anyway and unable to punish Zeus took out her feelings on the mortal woman... more of that later!

The fibre today is a hand dyed braids of Superfine Merino, Camel and Peduncle Silk. Inspired by the lightning bolts that were Zeus's weapon of choice! There's a few spare braids in the online shop, and if you fall in love with the base there's also some other colourways available. I only stock this base for the 12 Days of Christmas, so stocks are limited and won't be back until next year.