waking up the bear

In the Pyrenees, legend has it that the brown bear falls asleep just before Christmas and awakens forty days later at Candlemas, le chandeleur. 

When the brown bear puts his nose out of his den, the firstly looks to the heavens. If there is a clear, full moon and the bear sees his shadow, he returns to his lair and goes back to sleep for another forty days. In that case, spring will be late. If however, the sky is darkened by the New Moon, the bear foregoes sleep and leaves his den - signalling the start of spring.

I cast on this little fellow just before the festive season and finished him last weekend, just in time for candlemas. He's a true snow bear, started with the first winter snows...and finished this snowy week-end.
 
Unlike his brown bear cousins, he didn't got looking for the moon, but rather a place beside the fire.

It has been such a joy to knit up, that I've already started another one.
The first, no doubt, in a long series of little knitted bears...