Samhain

by Dye Mad Yarns

$6.00

 Samhain (pronounced Sow-en) is the third harvest festival, and the beginning (or end) of the Wheel of the Year. It overlaps with Halloween, All Souls' Day, and El Dia de Los Muertos, typically celebrated November 1st. It marks the beginning of the "darker" half of the year, and is considered the time when the veil between the living and dead is thinnest.

Samhain is a Gaelic word, and the Gaelic word for November is derived from Samhain, and is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals (the other three being Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasadh). It marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of Winter (with Yule marking "Midwinter" like Litha marks "Midsummer").

Like it's "sister" festival on the opposite side of the wheel, Beltane, Samhain is celebrated with bonfires. Sometimes, these bonfires are used in divination rituals, but not always. Another way to celebrate Samhain is with a "dumb supper", or a silent dinner to dine with the dead. Food to be consumed includes apples (with their hidden pentacles), late fall vegetables (squash! pumpkin!) and game.  

Our Samhain yarn reflects the colors of late fall - warm carmine, olive, burnt orange, with black speckles. 

BASES:

Hattie Floof: 50g, 459 yards, 72% mohair/28% silk (lace weight)
Chester Sock: 100g, 437 yards, blend of 75% superwash merino/25% nylon
Gladys Shawl: 100g, 438 yards, single ply blend of 70% superwash merino/30% silk
Tortie Sport: 100g, 287 yards, 80% alpaca/20% silk
Minnie DK: 100g, 246 yards, 100% superwash merino wool 
Genny Worsted: 100g, 191 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% alpaca
Chubby Trevor: 115g, 136 yards, 100% superwash merino
Chunky Trevor: 100g, 76 yards, 80% superwash merino/20% nylon, single ply