For those of you wondering

what a "spenorah" looks like, this is the one we made.


From my maternal grandmother's sewing basket, which I inherited, came wooden thread spools. She had rewound some kind of awful thick stuff around them (not sure if it was thick thread or some kind of weird embroidery floss) but I kept the spools and they are perfect candle holders. We glued them onto two blocks leftover from the building block days, and spraypainted it all gold.



In other news, just updated the BBF website with more Silk Sock -- 50% silk, 50% superwash merino, 100% luscious!

Night Owl (has deep green and purple tones, very subtle)

Green Day

Grackle

Foreplay

Carrot Juice (even brighter in real life, Jen H!)

It's that time of year again

Once again, it's time to celebrate Speranza'a. For those of you new to the blog, here's the original explanation that I wrote a few years ago:

A couple of years ago, my kids got a Sesame Street DVD called Elmo's Happy Holidays. It's very cute, and covers Christmas, Hannukah, Eid and Kwanza'a, explaining the basic idea behind the holidays and showing real kids and their families celebrating them. My kids have watched this DVD over and over (and over). Somehow they got the idea that we should create and celebrate our own family holiday. Since their last name, like my husband's, is "Speranza," the obscure festival of Speranza'a was born.

Each winter, when the days are gray and cold and it seems like spring will never come, it is time for Speranza'a. (Technically speaking, it begins on the first Monday after Valentine's Day.) Each person in the family gets their own day. Monday is Tom's, mine is Tuesday, and so on, and the sixth and final day is for Charcoal [-- and any guests fortunate enough to be invited.] The person whose day it is gets to pick what we are having for dinner. Candles are lit and the person whose day it is gets to make a wish and blow out the candles. After dinner, we dance in the living room.

We are still working out some of the finer details; for example, someday I will have to take the kids to one of those paint-your-own pottery places so we can make special candleholders (a spenorah?). We still need to work on the Six Principles of Speranza'a: so far we've got the Principles of Irony, Gluttony and Magnetism, but I think they need tweaking.

But all silliness aside, it is sweet and surprising to see how much this family tradition means to my kids. They've been talking about it for weeks. They talk about what they are going to pick for their dinner (Elvis picked turkey breast; N. is opting for shells in tomato sauce; G. will probably ask for bacon and popcorn) and they are thrilled when it's their turn to make a wish and blow out the candles. From the parents' perspective, it is heartwarming to feel like we are making some special memories with our kids. I have little daydreams about them coming over when they are grownups, still celebrating this made-up holiday with us as we all grow older.

So from my family to yours, we wish you a happy Speranza'a!


This weekend's project: making a spenorah (a Speranza'a candleholder). Pix when the spray-paint dries.

Once again...

it's time to celebrate Speranza'a. For those of you new to the blog, here's the original explanation that I wrote a few years ago:

A couple of years ago, my kids got a Sesame Street DVD called Elmo's Happy Holidays. It's very cute, and covers Christmas, Hannukah, Eid and Kwanzaa, explaining the basic idea behind the holidays and showing real kids and their families celebrating them. My kids have watched this DVD over and over (and over). Somehow they got the idea that we should create and celebrate our own family holiday. Since their last name, like my husband's, is "Speranza," the obscure festival of Speranza'a was born.

Each winter, when the days are gray and cold and it seems like spring will never come, it is time for Speranza'a. (Technically speaking, it begins on the first Monday after Valentine's Day.) Each person in the family gets their own day. Monday is Tom's, mine is Tuesday, and so on, and the sixth and final day is for Charcoal [-- and any guests fortunate enough to be invited.] The person whose day it is gets to pick what we are having for dinner. Candles are lit and the person whose day it is gets to make a wish and blow out the candles. After dinner, we dance in the living room.

We are still working out some of the finer details; for example, someday I will have to take the kids to one of those paint-your-own pottery places so we can make special candleholders (a spenorah?). We still need to work on the Six Principles of Speranza'a: so far we've got the Principles of Irony, Gluttony and Magnetism, but I think they need tweaking.

But all silliness aside, it is sweet and surprising to see how much this family tradition means to my kids. They've been talking about it for weeks. They talk about what they are going to pick for their dinner (Elvis picked turkey breast; N. is opting for shells in tomato sauce; G. will probably ask for bacon and popcorn) and they are thrilled when it's their turn to make a wish and blow out the candles. From the parents' perspective, it is heartwarming to feel like we are making some special memories with our kids. I have little daydreams about them coming over when they are grownups, still celebrating this made-up holiday with us as we all grow older.

So from my family to yours, we wish you a happy Speranza'a!

Another week flies by

Last summer, when making casual chit-chat with people, it would often be mentioned that the twins were entering first grade in the fall. It never ceased to crack me up how many people greeted this news by saying something along the lines of "Well, with all the kids in school all day, what are you going with all that free time?"

And most of them meant it in a non-ironical way, too.

Well, you can plainly see that I have not been spending all that free time updating my blog. My husband can assure you that I have not been spending all that free time cleaning up the house. My ass can assure you that I have not been spending all that free time at the gym. So what have I been doing lately?

Dyeing, swatching, photographing, writing, and bailing water against the oncoming tide of emails which never seem to all be answered. I'm not really complaining, mind you (except about the email.... since when did spam start getting sent in Greek? you know, in a whole different alphabet?). I feel lucky to be doing the things that I'm doing.

One of the things I was doing last week was meeting some deadlines. I had some articles to write, including a review that will appear in the new Knotions spring issue, which will go live in about a week. I also will have two sock patterns in the new Knotions, so look for them.

In the meantime, allow me to wish you all a happy Speranza'a. New readers: you can learn about the obscure yet delightful festival of Speranza'a here. Details about tonight's celebration, the first night of Speranza'a, tomorrow. Hint: I think we are celebrating the Principle of Irony tonight.