rRRRhwwrr, a girl can't stay down forever, rwwhrsheesh...
Not much knittin' gettin' done when your busy doctorin'...
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and fixes! I ended up having to do a complete System Restore because of a particularly heinous file that would not allow itself to be deleted.
AND that's fabulous! Because now my laptop is running like a fine racecar! So this was actually the thing that booted me into some Spring Cleaning of the Geek sort. WHAT FUN!
But just as the computer was getting better, I actually got wasted by some kind of stomach flu. So far this winter, I've dodged that bullet but hey! on the 2nd day of Spring, what's more merrier than a *personal, internal* overhaul by Mother Nature!
In the midst of all this MAL, arrives two friendly, happy things! A Fuzzy Scooby Doo pet from my friend Amy, and her son, Ben - thanks guys - I love scoob! AND, from the little bad Muse, 
a couple of bags of really cheap Rowan All Seasons Cotton in the discontinued Safari color. WOOT! I'm feeling better already!