#distaff day

[bookshelfdreams]

There are a lot of superstitions around doing housework during Christmas; most of them boil down to "Do not do it, or the Wild Hunt will come get you (guess I'll have to put up my feet and rest. Against my will. What a shame!)"

One of them is that Perchta/Frau Holle will come and get lazy women who did not finish all the fibre on their distaff before Christmas. Of course that means that women needed to keep their distaff empty during Christmas (because how was she to know the fibre is freshly put on? Better be safe).

But today is the 7th January, Christmas is over, the Wild Hunt and Perchta are safely back in their cave atop the Hörselberg, and we can start spinning again.

Hence, Distaff Day.

I pulled this fiery braid of Corrie from my stash. Perfect colours to chase away the winter gloom.

Happy new spinning year! What are your first projects?

[disgruntled-lifeform]

Have you prepped your fibre for Distaff Day?

Yup!

Nup!

Oh shit, it's that time already?

The fuck is Distaff Day?

Voting ended onJan 1, 2025

I'm spending the day with my guild and hoping to get through some more of my sproingy Merino-X brown wool I got at Woolstock this year

[eddon-the-spider]

Every time I start a new spin project I save a pinch of floof from that project and put it in a container. On January 7th (Distaff Day) I card up all the fibers into a batt and spin up a yarn that is representative of all the spins in the last year. This is my yarn for the year 2024.

[cottagecore-zenith]

I'm a few days late to the party (and I don't actually own a distaff) but HAPPY DISTAFF DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE.

Spinning is back on the hobby menu 2026.

I haven't used my drop spindle in about 5 years and I'm THRILLED with how this turned out. For those who are curious this was a 30 minute session. Wool is BFL from Jakira Farms, purchased through Etsy. It'll be a beanie when it grows up.

[ofchaosgoddess]

Happy distaff day

[murderousink23]

01/07/2026 is Distaff Day 🧵🌏, Flag Day 🇮🇹, National Bobblehead Day 🇺🇸, National Tempura Day 🍤🇺🇸, Harlem Globetrotter's Day 🏀🇺🇸

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Back to work on the eve of Distaff day, I took the 12 days off stitching.

Saint Distaff's Day, Or The Morrow After Twelfth Day—Robert Herrick (1591-1674)

Partly work and partly play

Ye must on S. Distaff's day:

From the plough soon free your team,

Then come home and fodder them.

If the maids a-spinning go,

Burn the flax and fire the tow;

Scorch their plackets, but beware

That ye singe no maidenhair.

Bring in pails of water, then,

Let the maids bewash the men.

Give S. Distaff all the right,

Then bid Christmas sport good-night;

And next morrow everyone

To his own vocation.

From Wikipedia (cuz I’m too lazy tonight to write my own notes)

The distaff, or roc, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women's work. In many European cultural traditions, women resumed their household work after the twelve days of Christmas. Women of all classes would spend their evenings spinning on the wheel. During the day, they would carry a drop spindle with them. Spinning was the only means of turning raw wool, cotton or flax into thread, which could then be woven into cloth.

[amimere]

with this much snow on the ground its a good time to sit inside and spin, luckily for me today is st. distaffs day - the day to start spinning again after christmas!

im celebrating by testing out my handmade drop spindle and distaff, both hopefully historically correct enough for me to use at market this summer