Mourning a friend as well as an aunt

We had to rush down south yesterday as Mr Mog's aunt was taken into hospital suddenly. The doctors told us it was only a matter of hours and  as we are close we immediately set off. A journey that normally would take between 5 and 6.5 hours took 8 and 1/2 hours:( Horrendous traffic and very fraught time as we obviously wanted to be with her, we are almost her only famil y and Mr Mog has always been very close to her. She was a fighter and finally passed this evening with us by her side. A really peaceful departure and I am so glad we were there for the end of this journey and the beginning of her next. We need to make arrangements tomorrow and that is something neither of us have done before. Hopefully we will go home Thursday and back here when the funeral is arranged. I suspect that will take a while due to the Christmas/new year backlog and holidays.
Goodbye Aunt we will miss you very much

Happy Solstice:)

 Happy solstice may the returning light be with you always:) Did you see the eclipse this morning?

 I missed the beginning but luckily the cloud cleared for the final part and for the beginning of the return of the moon from the shadows. A truly fantastic way to celebrate midwinter:) The clouds soon came back over but they made for a fantastic sunrise over the back of the house.

 This time of year  I remember the first time I read work by Susan Cooper, author of the Dark is rising series. Her poem seems especially appropriate for the day

 The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.

 I hope your Solstice is filled with the magic of the eclipse and the fire of the sun.

A blessed Yule to you all

Yule part 1

It is the eve of Winter Solstice and the moon is full. The cold took my breath as I stood by the back door to welcome the Lady Moon

Winter Solstice- the longest night and shortest day. A time when the world seems to hold its breath waiting for the wheel to turn and the light to appear.

Made especially special  by the Lunar eclipse tomorrow morning , starting at 5.28am

I think we will have clear, cold skies for this very special rare event, the first time it has coincided with the Winter solstice full moon for over 400years.http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/dec/20/lunar-eclipse-winter-solstice

I will be watching and waiting for the eclipse.  I think these past few days have been a waiting period, anticipating the full moon, Yule, Winter Solstice and the return of the light.

It is very cold here and we do have snow and lots of ice but nothing like many of our friends across the country so we are very lucky.

At this time I reflect on the past year, the successes and the failures in things I've done. I think of what I've learned from both. I look forward to the return of energy with each lengthening day.

I give thanks for all the things I have in my life and the people who mean so much to me.

I thank the Goddess and the Holly King for who I am and where I am. For the creativity they inspire within me and for the joy it brings.

I wish you all a merry Midwinter, Yule, Winter solstice or what ever celebration has meaning for you. May the return of the light bring you joy.

Yule/winter solstice

As the Winter Solstice grows ever near I feel an anticipation within. A yearning for the shortest day. I've been quite reflective this past couple of months and not really felt like blogging much as you have probably noticed. The inward half of the year always  slows me down but this year even more so for some reason.
I think that health stuff hasn't helped much either.

But:-
Yule beckons and a very auspicious Yule it will be. A lunar eclipse and a blood moon all for Winter Solstice. A magical powerful time. I can feel the stirrings as the moon becomes ever fuller. Tonight with all the snow and ice she is stunning and her light bathes the garden as I write.

Swatching

I want to make a hat for the Winter and decided to try Woolly Wormheads Marina pattern. As it is sideways knit I thought I better swatch:( Tried 2 yarns up to now and think I may have just got gauge. I'm still obsessed with shawl knitting and lace at that.
 I've been quiet because the cold and damp are affecting my health and making me generally feel yuck. More later

A challenging project

 This latest shawl is called Morlynn and was a challenge for me.

 As you can see it is very large

 It took 150gm of Jitterbug velvet Bilberry and approx 100gm of Alpaca silk.

 It was a challenge and I had to tink a few rows here and there on the final section:(

 I almost gave up and counting the stitches in each section of pattern got a little monotonous

 But now it is finished I am glad I carried on. I used my new set of blocking wires that I swapped for one of Mr Mog's latest projects(hackles for blending fibre). I was so pleased I had the wires as it really helped.

And before you ask no it isn't for me. Not sure what to do with it now it is finished. May swap for something?

Happy birthday P/hop

link

Les femmes de Samhain the beginning

 The Femmes are beginning to take shape, it seemed appropriate to use these colours at this time of the year

There is something about the colours that reflects night time, veils and winter

T'is Samhain draw back the veil

 It is Samhain today and I hope you all have a wonderful, magic day . It is a day for remembering those who have passed, both recent and long gone family and friends.

 A time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. A time to reflect and to let go of things we do not want to take with us into the new year.

 I haven't made any femmes for a long while but the urge to do so came suddenly and you have to obey the Muse when she calls. There will be a few of them but as this one was finished I thought she could appear on the blog. Notice her funky boots:)

 It isn't easy to take pictures when mohair and felt are involved but more pictures at a later date when her sisters are ready.

 Her name is Hecca, a tribute to the Goddess of this festival, Hecate. The Goddess of boundaries and death and rebirth which is quite apt for this season.

There has been knitting, apparently shawls remain an obsession with me:) This is Pamuya made with Colinette Jitterbug and I thought a great colour for Samhain.

 This is Garden pond made with my own handspun yarn. A mix of merino/silk/ glitter and the like.
 


Fibre from Ashford and from Southern Cross fibres.

 One of my Samhain altars.

 Hope this day and night reflect within your heart and mind.

 Draw back the veil if you dare to and honour the ancestors.

This femme is a Samhain gift from me to one of you. Please leave a comment I'll draw the winner tomorrow evening

Samhain approaches

 I hate this new Blogger editor and its way of putting pictures on the blog

Guess what these will be being used for?

These words came into my morning pages today;_

They wrapped midnight around them and made it theirs.

The shadows and the twilight also they wore as if it were made for them.


Colours were visible within the velvet black  but overlaid by the shimmer of the night skies.

The dark enhanced their otherworldlyness. It made of it an eerie yet beautiful sense of dreams.


It is a dark time here but with hope.