TODAY WAS ONE OF THOSE GOOD DAYS

YUP today would be considered a good day all around. A very good day indeed.

First I wasn't nauseated as I was yesterday. I paid my VISA for the month and if I pay more it is extra. So all my bills are paid even if I have no money left or have not put any away for my co-op fees this month. LOL

AND AND AND I now have a new monitor. New for me but you couldn't tell by looking at it that it is about three years old. Thanks to my good friend Shelagh who bought herself a larger one I got to inherit her old one. YES!! Even though this monitor is a 15" it looks as large as my old style 17". I even took its measurements to check the two and they are very close in numbers. OH and my new monitor has a flat screen too.

THANK-YOU SHELAGH

I didn't even remember my blog had dark wine writing, pink headlines and pink edging. On my old monitor the screen was pink!!! What a difference! Shelagh and I though it would be fun to try and replace the plug from the old monitor (which is eight years old) to the computer with the new one and see if that was the problem but the plug didn't come out of the monitor. So even if it is the plug the monitor is useless. If it was only the plug I would have liked to donate it somewhere but now I don't know what to do with it. It is sitting in the middle of my living room floor. So what do you do with an old monitor?

I can't wait to try a DVD on my computer now. My DVD player doesn't work properly either. It could be just a loose connection. The sound is fine but the screen goes all blue and I have to go and wiggle the cords in the back. I have even unplugged some cords and when it works it still works even with these plugs unplugged???? Knowing me I may have just attached all the plugs incorrectly. I am just electrically challenged.

Now on to some knitting goodness

I didn't get to tell you about the final package (#4 of 4) from Sharon in weluvknitting as I hadn't taken a photo of it yet but I have now.
I received a lovely flying Santa only it will have to wait for display until next year as it arrived on NYE. Also, in the package was some stickers (one package was epoxy stickers however those are different from regular stickers I don't really know), candy (caramel chocolate and some chocolate in lovely little gingerbread boy and girl molds), yarn and some treats for Solara.

AND here is the yarn. The top one which looks dark blue is actually black. I am waiting to hear from Sharon to tell me what this yarn is as it came without labels.

I also can put a photo here of the finished sunflower tea cozy I knit for a friend for Christmas. I am pleased with how it came out and so is my friend. I think she has my blog address but don't know if she reads it. AND yes I gave her the teapot also as it was a perfect fit for the cozy.Ram Wools is having it's sale now and I was there on the first day. AND of course, I purchased some goodies for myself, I got more Noro Silk Garden to finish my "Cavendish" serape blanket shawl. I also got a Rowan magazine (The Kasbah Collection) I have wanted. I found a lovely pattern in it (actually I found two I would like to make for myself); page 21 Twilight and page 19 Dusk. BUT maybe not the bottom part.I won't knit it with Rowan's Summer Tweed which it calls for but instead get some Tweedy Silk in the Provence Blue, Denim Blues or Granite from Elann and still at a much better price especially when I will need more than the nine called for as Elann's yarn's has a slight bit less yardage and I seem to knit looser than tension. HMMM AND upon looking through this magazine again I think there may be a couple nice tanks in this issue too.
I bought another Addi Lace needle which in the end I am not using but instead I am using a Denise US #7 as on the 3 1/4mm Addi some of the knitting looked too dense. I also purchased some Estelle Watercolors at $2.07/skein; four skeins of a variegated multi teal to knit yet another shawl and one skein of a solid color fuchsia to knit the inside of a pair of mitts but I will need to get the yarn for the outer part of the mitt still as there was none in stock when I was there. My other purchases included two Fiber Trend patterns, the new Great American Afghan booklet which as nice as it is I feel is done in just awful colors.

Now not to forget about Mona at Woseley Wardrobe and her sale I purchased some lovely Freedom Wool 100% wool by Twilley's of Stamford to go with my Bernat Felting Natural Wool I bought back in 2007 at Wal Mart. The Bernat Yarn was for the Andrea Bag I wanted to make myself. I made one for a swap and I really liked it. I changed it a bit by adding a slip stitch bottom and I made it a little bigger (wider). The Bernat being an unspun type of wool was hard to find a match for and I was excited when I finally found the Freedom yarn but I decided to take a chance and wait until Mona had a sale on her yarn hoping it would still be available when I got to the shop.

As for all the swaps of the past two months I am still waiting to receive my whoduknit holiday swap which could have gotten caught in the pile of mail being delivered over the holidays. I have heard some people are still getting packages sent in December so there is hope yet and if not an angel will be assigned. Also, I heard from my monkey swap angel and she has mailed my socks. I am so excited and looking forward to receiving them. Boy did she knit them quickly. Just a few days ago she wrote and told me she had turned the heel of the first sock.

As for my participation in swaps I did join the Sockamaniac Pedicure Swap as I had been saving goodies for it for a while. Of course, I can't say what I have, what sock yarn I found or what pattern will be sent. I don't want to spoil it for my partner who checks my blog but lets just say I think she will be well spoiled and quite pleased with her package when it arrives. HEEE HEEE HEEE The next few swaps I join will most likely be just dishcloth swaps as they can fit in an envelope for just a couple of stamps and I have lots of nice cotton yarn to knit them with. AND I do have a Valentines gift to mail to my friend in Florida as well as a gift for another friend in Florida who is not expecting it. Once I put the plastic canvas in the bottom to firm it up and sew the lining in it will be ready to be mailed.

What is Solara doing while I am writing this? What do you think? She is napping.