Here's another nice thing to do if you're a knitter- The Merchant Marines need lots of stuff to keep them warm all winter, so people from all over are hand knitting scarves & hats for people who work lonely and dangerous jobs on the oceans and rivers. How nice is that? Apparently, the tradition started during the Spanish American war and is still going on. How nice is that?  Here's a page of free patterns for the knit donations.