Hephaestus, son of Hera and possibly Zeus. Though in some myths he was the project of parthenogenesis from Hera created out of jealousy after Zeus created Athena. He was cast out of Olympus by Hera because he was born with a disability. He is the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, artisans, metallurgy, carpenters, forges, sculpting, and blacksmiths.

Hephaestus gets revenge on Hera by creating a magical golden throne, but it traps her in it as soon as she sits down. The other gods begged Hephaestus to return and free Hera but her refused. Ares was sent to fetch him, and threatened Hephaestus with fire torched, but failed. In the end Dionysus got him drunk with wine and returned him to Olympia on the back of a mule. 
In exchange for freeing Hera Hephaestus demanded Aphrodite as his bride. their marriage was not happy, and Aphrodite repeatedly cheated on Hephaestus with Ares. 
He was blacksmith to the gods. He designed Hermes' winged helmet and sandals, Aphrodite's girdle, Agamemnon's staff of office, Diomedes' cuirass, Heracles' bronze clappers, Helios' chariot, the shoulder of Pelops, and Eros's bow and arrows. Most famously he also made the armour of Achilles as a favour to his mother Thetis. 

He was worshipped in manufacturing and industrial centres of Greece, especially round Athens, where he often shared festivals with Athena. This is his temple in the city which has survived nearly intact. 

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.

This is the last of our limited edition colours, any orders placed over the holidays will be packed tomorrow, which is also St Distaffs day, in a different mythology... this is the end of the 12 Days of Christmas celebrations and women would now go back to their looms and spindles to recommence the never ending task of making cloth. 

Poor Hera, spend enough time around the Olympians and you start to feel a bit sorry for her. Queen of the Olympians, wife and sister to Zeus, goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. However one of her defining character traits is jealousy (given Zeus infidelity who can blame her), and her vengeful nature, particularly towards the women who Zeus had seduced or tricked. 

Hera is the stepmother and enemy of Heracles son of Zeus. She sent two serpents to kill him in his cradle, but Heracles strangled the snakes. Zeus also tried to trick Hera in to raising Heracles, she discovered the trickery whilst breast feeding him, and the spurt of milk formed a smear of light across the night sky creating the Milky Way.Once full grown Hera made Heracles mad, when he killed his family, causing him to set out on his famous labours to compensate for his acts. Hera made nearly every single one of his tasks more difficult.

Despite all this in her role of goddess of marriage and childbirth she was very important in daily life. She was celebrated at many festivals and also several temples were built in her honour. 

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.

Apollo has an eclectic selection of areas to look after. God of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, busy bloke Apollo. Son of Zeus and twin brother to Artemis. Patron deity of Delphi, home to the Delphic oracles, key for guidance on all matters of importance. 

Apollo could save people from illness and disease, but also cause epidemics by firing his arrows. The Greeks learned this to their cost in the Trojan wars, they captured the daughter of a priest of Apollo, and refused to return her. Offended, Apollo shot arrows in to the Greek camp causing disease to spread.
​ In this role as protector from disease, and also for his ability to avert evil he was heavily worshipped, with many major temples built all over the ancient greek world. 

Apollo was also the god of the young, overseeing their transition from childhood to adulthood. At the point that a boy became a man his long childhood hair would be cut off, and burned in sacrifice to Apollo. 
In winter months he goes north and rides on the back of a swan. His absence leads to a lack of warmth and causes winter. Unable to choose between them he was the lover of all 9 Muses, and also many men. Most famously Hyacintha spartan prince. They were practicing throwing the discus when Apollo's discus hit Hyacinth in the head. Apollo was grief stricken and out of Hyacinth's blood created a flower named after him. The festival Hyainthia was celebrated in Sparta commemorating this death and rebirth. 

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.

God of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses. Brother to Zeus, drawing of lots allocated him the sea whilst his brother Zeus got the sky, and Hades the underworld after their defeat of Cronus. A spiteful god, demanding veneration, and if he felt that he had not been respected would unleash earthquakes and floods. 

He was the father of the hero Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur. He shared his brother Zeus tendencies towards not taking no for an answer. Regularly pursuing  deities and mortal women, with a list of offspring as long as your arm. He's notable for his hatred of Oysseus, despite supporting the Greeks in the Trojan War, and was responsible for his journey home taking so long. 
He's nearly always depicted with a trident as a symbol of his power, striking the ground to create springs and streams. Many naval institutions, or bodies with links to the sea use it in their costs of arms, flags and badges. Including the city of Liverpool, a city whose wealth was built on the naval trade. 

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.

Son of Zeus and Hera, Ares was god of war and courage. He seems a bit of an odd god. Athena was goddess of warfare and was far more worshipped, whereas she represented cleverly well though battles, Ares represented more of the physical valour, brutality and bloodlust.

 Famously in the Trojan war Aphrodite persuades Ares to side with the Trojans, in opposition to Athena who backed the Greeks. In a later myth Ares is discovered to be having an affair with Aphrodite by her husband Hephaestus. HE traps the lovers in a net, and exposes them to the ridicule of the other gods. 
Their affair must have been undiscovered for quite some time however as together they had 5 children, including Eros, god of love.

 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.

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.