A little bear for my grandniece, who will be born in March

I just finished making this little bear with handspun yarns. It's for my little grandniece who will be born in March.

Let's just say that I'm a better spinner than I am a knitter. At least she and her mother will be able to tell that it was handmade, and with love in every stitch, if not a terrible amount of skill ;-)

The bear's body and sweater are made with alpaca yarn, the scarf is Bluefaced Leicester wool, and the face was stitched with yak yarn.

The New Year is approaching

And it's a big one - 2012. Anyone out there think the world will end on Dec. 21, 2012? If it does, my cat, Freki, will be one of the forces of destruction. It will all start at my house, probably at 6:00 AM eastern time - that's when she's most mischievous.

Back from our trip...

which was wonderful! Now we're getting ready for Christmas!

Just a small part of the wonderful things we saw in the Christkindlesmarkt in Nurnberg!

Going on a little trip

I'm so excited! Tomorrow I'll be leaving for a two-week trip. I'll be tagging along with my hubby, who'll be working part of the time. But I get to enjoy the sights while he's slaving away! One of the sights we'll get to see is the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany:

picture from this site

I'm so looking forward to the lebkuchen! We'll also see the Christmas market in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval, walled city, and the holiday decorations in Paris.

I'll post pictures when I'm able. We'll be back mid-December.

Gaa!

How exciting was it to see this, this morning? (click on it to see it larger):

Let's just say it did a better job at jolting me awake than my cup of coffee did. I know the #1 position won't last, but I never ever thought I'd be there. Many, many thanks to everyone out there who've put My Twelfth Christmas at the top of the list!

Me with my book in The Learned Owl Bookshop

My husband and I went out to eat in our quaint little downtown the other night. After our meal we strolled down Main Street to The Learned Owl Bookshop where we found my Christmas book on display in their holiday section. I was so excited, I had hubby snap a photo with his phone:

In other news, I planted 26 cloves of garlic yesterday in hopes of a good garlic crop next spring and summer. I bought the bulbs of garlic from an organic garlic grower at the farmer's market this past summer. Last year I planted about nine cloves, only to have six of them dug up that same night by some animal because I forgot to put a thick layer of mulch over top. I mulched them really good this time!

Making caramel a little early

I usually don't make caramel until December so that I can send it off to friends and family far away. Today as the warm, sweet caramel smell filled my kitchen, I had to keep reminding myself that it's not December. This batch of caramels won't be tucked in with Christmas gifts, though. I'll be selling it at my booth at the upcoming Art and Crafts fair I'll be attending this Sunday.

Who wants to lick the pot?

 I'll also be selling my homemade herbal products, handspun yarn, and some of my husband's photos.

Caramel poured out and cooling.

And, of course, I'll have copies of my books on hand. I usually sell a few at these types of things, and with Christmas looming closer, some people might be interested in my Christmas book, My Twelfth Christmas. It certainly smells like Christmas in my kitchen right now!