Just a few more weeks until the paperback edition of If Hooks Could Kill and the hardcover edition of For Better or Worsted come out. I know it’s real because my editor sent me an actual copy of each book.

There is just something about seeing the books in person.

I have updated my website to show off the new books. There is an excerpt of For Better or Worsted now and photographs of the projects. I have also added a couple of free patterns for a simple knitted scarf and a simple crocheted scarf.

Now I still have to order bookmarks and then I’ll be all set.

I went to Yarnosphere last Saturday. It was the first year of the Southern California yarn show and I hope it becomes a tradition. I have gone to yarn shows all over the country and this was the first time it was local. Nancy and Cal of Custom Handweaving gave me a prime spot in their booth to set up my books. I was surprised at how many people stopped to look at them or comment that they’d read some of them. A nice number of books went home with people, too.

I’m going to the Vogue Live Knitting Show in Chicago in a couple of weeks. I’ll give more details about when and where I’ll be signing books when it gets closer. I am really looking forward to it. I love hanging out with yarn crafters.

I’m on a crochet list and one of the members said she’d gotten in over her head by promising thirty lap blankets to a nursing home. She said she’d made ten and asked if anybody would help out. Even though I’ve never made a lapghan, I offered to make one. The only stipulations were it had to be 36 x 36. I am making up my own pattern and using some of my surplus yarn. I am really enjoying making it and knowing that somewhere in Indiana it is going to be keeping someone’s legs warm. And maybe it will make them feel good to know that someone made it for them.

I always have my characters making things to give away. It’s nice to be finally doing it myself.

The End of the World?

If you’re reading this, then the world didn’t end. If it did end, then we’ve all gone home to somewhere - heaven, another dimension, our home planet now that the earth science experiment didn’t work out, or somewhere else out of the realm of my imagination.

The best explanation of the whole Mayan calendar thing came from an astrophysicist who said it was only a cycle that was ending and then the calendar begins again - kind of like our years, but longer.

I heard people in China were selling their things in anticipation of the end of the world. Why? Did they think they could take their money with as we hurled off in space or through a wormhole into another dimension. And would it work wherever we all went?

It is cold in Southern California. So cold I have on layers of clothes and sat with a blanket over me as I crocheted. We don’t have insulation like building back east do. We also don’t have radiators chugging heat. Indoors and outdoors is much more connected. So when it’s in the thirties outside, there is a chill that won’t go away inside.

I am buried in rewriting my manuscript. But if I keep going at the speed I am, I will meet my deadline of Jan 2. One thing that helps keep me at the computer is that the little room I work in is probably the warmest room in the house.

I still have to buy Christmas cards. I am going to aim for something that doesn’t sound stupid when it arrives after Christmas, like Peace on Earth, Seasons Greetings, or something like Wishing You the Best in the New Year.

Today, Friday December 21, aside from being the day the Mayan calendar ends, is the shortest day of the year. Starting tomorrow the days get longer. Yay!

Just a note to anyone who bought If Hooks Could Kill as an e-book. My publisher made a mistake and the patterns and recipes weren’t included. I have been told the problem has been solved and the e-books have the patterns and recipes. You should be able to get the corrected version from whoever you downloaded it from. If you have trouble, let me know.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings and Peace on Earth!

Molly's New Habit

It seemed natural to have Molly ending her day with a cup of tea because I often do the same. I have always loved tea, the smell of the leaves, the scent of a freshly brewed cup, the color, and of course, the taste. My father drank tea all through the day. He would make what he called the essence in the morning, which was a strong brew of water and tea leaves he kept in a tea pot. Then he would boil water and add some of the essence when he wanted a cup. I remember having tea with him at night, though mine was a little bit of tea with lots of milk and a spoon of sugar. If I smell that combination it take me right back in time to sitting with him in the kitchen.

In those days we only Lipton’s which was orange pekoe tea. When I had Constant Comment tea at a neighbors, I though it was exotic and wonderful. I still love Constant Comment with its spicy orange scent and taste.

Both Molly’s and my tea tastes are pretty broad now. I have an overflowing basket of different kinds of tea, which oddly enough, Molly has, too. There is Earl Grey, oolong, green, darjeeling, Indian spice tea, English breakfast, and teas flavored with black currant, vanilla and more.

All tea comes from the same plant - camelia sinensis, but the leaves are handled differently which makes some white teas, oolongs, green teas and black teas. There’s something called yellow tea that I’ve never encountered. The plants grow in different places which no doubt affects the taste.

There is a real reason a cup of tea makes me feel so peaceful. Tea contains something called L-theanine which brings on a feeling of calm while at the same time, makes you feel alert and focused. There are tons of other benefits of tea from fighting tooth decay to being a cancer preventative. That’s sure a lot of power in a cup of something so good.

Matcha tea is in a class by itself. It’s a bright green powder made from ground up tea leaves and has a spinachy kind of taste, and is a super powerhouse of good for you things. It is the tea used to flavor green tea ice cream. Personally, I think it tastes best with a lot of milk and a tiny bit of sugar.

Then there are the teas that really aren’t teas. They don’t contain any tea leaves at all. The more correct title for them is tisane or herbal infusion. My favorites are peppermint, hibiscus blends and camomile.

The herbal teas have medicinal qualities, too. It is amazing to think that a ruby red, delicious tasting cup of a hibiscus blend helps regulate blood pressure and cholesterol. Peppermint is good for stomach upset and camomile can help with sleep.

All this talk of tea has made me want a cup. The only problem is what kind to choose. Do you drink tea regularly? What kind?