Dear Cathy, Naomi, and Sharon - It's a pirate's life for me, my hearties! This hat makes me feel like singing all the great pirate songs from A Three-Penny Opera and Pirates of Penzance. It will be even better when it is lined and blocked. My first fair-isle experience hasn't been too bad, unless you count the part where I was over half finished and decided it was too tight and the strands were a mess so I frogged it and started over. Well, not totally frogged; I left the provisional cast on and the first couple rounds, which were solid colors. Fair-isle may not have been the best choice for Olympic knitting if I had intended to actually watch the games and not just listen to them, but I have looked up for an occasional replay!

These are valentine socks that got delayed by the Olympic challenge, but they should be done by the end of February, which will put them in the right month!

Cathy, you are so right about the wool sock comments! Haven't these people ever worn wool socks? I wear them myself until the weather reaches the 80's, and then I give up on socks entirely. Mostly I wear commercially made wool socks, since I give away most of the socks I make (that's gotta stop) and I am discouraged by how quickly they wear out at the heels and toes.

I just found out that the baby I'm making a blanket for in due April 21, so that project has to jump back into the queue. It has reached what the Yarn Harlot calls the knitting black hole: yarn goes in but nothing comes out! Must focus, must focus.

I have a little garden experiment set up in my family room: tomato plants from seed in 5 little peat pots under a grow light! I got seeds of 2 varieties that are supposed to grow well in containers, and since that is all the space I'm willing to devote to vegetables I decided to try these varieties. I started the pots on a heating pad under plastic, and as soon as they sprouted I moved them off the heat and under a light with no plastic. As of now there are 4 sprouts and one still on the heat. I'll keep you posted!

The Norway trip is taking shape. We reserved a cabin on the 7-day coastal cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes. On the fourth day we cross the artic circle, so at that time of year (late June) we have three chances of seeing the midnight sun. I am getting very excited about this trip and plan to go ashore at all 34 stops, even though some of them are only 45 minutes and may be in the middle of the night. There will be sleep enough in the grave; I don't need regular sleep on this trip.

Keep up all the good work, and keep those posts and e-mails coming.

Aargh!

Ellen