Yarn Aboard! Port of Call: Exit 151

After Marco Polo was hijacked twice in the course of his Yarn Aboard! travels, Amanda retired the unlucky Venetian in favor of a formidable Welshman: Captain Sir Henry Morgan. Soldier, privateer, sometime governor of Jamaica, namesake of the spiced rum, and inspiration for John Steinbeck's first published novel, Cup of Gold, as well as Captain Blood, Sir Henry always delivered the plunder goods. This time was no exception. He arrived roundabout Exit 151 on Friday with a lavish cargo, having made excellent speed from Lisa to me.

And what a cargo! Thank you, Lisa – it's like Christmas came early. I love everything. I love the lime-in-the-coconut colors of the Rhode Island postcard, polka-dot notebook, elegant WPI tool, coconut-lime-verbena shimmer lotion, and change purse made of a teeny sock. I'd been using whatever was handy to measure wraps per inch – how wonderful to have a proper gadget that combines beauty and functionality.



I love all the fibery goodness: highly covetable Crown Mountain Farms Sock Hop roving in colorway Blue Suede Shoes, Woolgatherings rainbow Blue Face Leicester roving, and orange mohair. Now that I've dipped a toe, so to speak, into the art and craft of dyeing, I really appreciate the work of master colorists. I've got many happy spinning hours ahead.



And I love the yummy treats. The Fair Trade chocolate vanished immediately, culprits unknown. I was intrigued with the all-natural, not too sweet Del's lemonade mix. So good! DH is a Newport Creamery awful awful fanatic, but next time we're in Rhode Island, we must stop at Del's.

One doesn't like to leave houseguests unattended, particularly guests with this one's propensity to pillage, but holiday commitments intervened. I suggested Sir Henry might enjoy an outing to see the exhibition of a magnificent autograph copy (ie, a book manuscript written in the author's own hand) of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, on display at the Morgan Library. (Knit the Classics is reading the book this month.) Despite his literary leanings and the possibility of a distant family connection, Sir Henry indicated he preferred a quiet night in. So we left him home alone. We returned to find the old boozehound had enjoyed a wee drappie but was still standing, albeit with the assistance of a clipboard.



The next day Sir Henry showed no extra sensitivity to light or noise and sailed promptly with the tide on a southerly heading to his next port of call. But not without first offering a raucous three cheers and 21-gun salute to clever Amanda for organizing (and re-organizing) this very excellent swap. I've enjoyed following the peregrinations of the several explorers and look forward to seeing all of them return safely to their home port. Hip, hip, hooray Amanda!!