the couch! :D   we finally got the power cable for the laptop in yesterday's mail.  it's nice to be able to hang out on the couch lounging on the internet. :D  It's not been used in many many months, so I am working on getting everything updated on it.  

We are watching the superbowl, of course.   seems like a pretty good game?  derek is on his computer.   oh that bruce springsteen.

so guess what?  we finally got our move date! :D  they gave derek a call on friday and he will start his new job on mar 2!  so that gives us exactly a month to get our stuff packed and get there.  a little nerve wracking.  i called like 20 apartment complexes yesterday.  i think we have narrowed them down to around 4.  amelia is going to ask around about them... i am hoping to have a place secured by the end of the week.   that's always the part i worry about the most, making sure we have a place to live. 

i am most excited about giving my notice at work.  i have really disliked my job hard core for the last 2 weeks or so.  the job isnt that bad, a little brain numbing but you know, whatever.  i can do whatever.   it's the women i work with.   sheesh.  i am very excited about the tv production job thing opening back up again... maybe i can have a fun job again!  that would be awesome.   :D  which reminds me... i need to take a look at the career section on c-span's website. :D  i think it would be so cool to work at c-span! :D

i packed a few boxes today... mostly books, movies and my yarn.  we have to find some more boxes. 

so the people who are so close to the stage on the field... where do they come from??  do they have seats in the stadium?  or are they just there as half time audience?   i wonder about that every year.

so hopefully now that we have the laptop back in action, i will blog more.  

and i should have lots to talk about now that we are moving!  i hope i can find some knitting groups in DC and there will be all new yarn shops to explore... i think the whole experience will be so fun. :)   i cant believe that we actually are lucky enough that we get to live in DC.   i can remember derek and i talking way back in the day about how we'd both love to like there some day... and here it is!  i'll be there in time for the cherry blossoms! :D

i am going to leave you all with some knitting pictures and some yarn that i got with some of my birthday money.

this is some sock yarn... the greens and blues are so springy, i think:

i also picked up this lovely sock yarn.  i am going to make stripy socks with the 2 different colors.  i love the graduated colors... i think they will be so great!

i have been teaching myself to crochet since the summer and am really starting to pick it up a little bit.   i am crocheting this blanket. it's a very soft cotton yarn.  :D  i think it's quite retro lol

oooh and here are some mitts that i reknit up for a friend.... i suck because it's taken me so long to fix them.  :(  i *still* dont even have them in the mail.  i've been carrying it around in my bag for over a week now... it's just been so cold i havent felt like going to the post office on my lunch break.  i will try my bestest to get them in the mail this week.   but here, atleast is a sneak peek! :D

pic is a little  grainy, but you get the idea.

ok, well patton is whining to go out... so i guess that means it's time to log off here.   hope to type more soon! :)

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yikes! it's been a long time since an entry here!   I seriously didnt think it's been a whole month TWO months!!

Not alot has been going on tho...so it's not like you are missing much.  :)  i'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that it's *actually* winter now.  how many times do i go outside in a tshirt before my brain remembers that it's 40* or less???  Alot, apparently. :)  We had some very light snow flurries last night. :)   I love me some snow.

Friday night I came home from work wanting german food so Derek and I trekked over to Illinois to our most favorite of german places.  While waiting for our food, the Very German Owner comes to shoot the shit with us... It was funny.  Upon learning that we werent married and had been together for 8 years, he promptly offered to marry us right then and there in the restaurant.  It was hilarious... he started naming prices... this much for a cake, 4$ per witness, etc.  LOL  If I had my camera with me, I would have probably insisted that we marry that moment.   But no way am I getting married without atleast one picture of it... gotta have proof or no one would believe us. ;)    And the food was Yummy, of course.  I will miss this place but I am sure we can find good german food in DC too.

And speaking of DC, no, we havent heard anything.  Last we heard was that they "ordered his file" and that we should hear "something" by the end of this month.   We wonder about this "file" , what file? where is it?  Is this "file" his elusive permanent record they speak so highly of in elementary school?? LOL  But yeah, some file from somewhere!  And we arent getting our hopes up that the "something" that we hear will be the move date... it might be, but chances are it might not be either.   So yeah... we are still just hanging out and patiently (yeah right) waiting for info.

Yesterday was spent in a tizzy.  I set an alarm for 7:20 so I could be the first person thru the door at the tire place.  I needed 4 new tires and an alignment... oh it feels like i am driving on a big puffy cloud now. :)  I was getting antsy because it took them 3 HOURS, all the while my lazy boyfriend was home sleeping. grr.  But the man was nice enough to trade my 10$ off alignment coupon for a 1/2 off alignment coupon... good man.  I'm going to go ahead and tell you how much I paid for 4 tires + an alignment.  237.00$.    I feel that I have to brag a little... that's cheapshit and you are probably paying that much almost per tire, huh?  Just another good reason to drive a little puddle jumper.  :)   But 13 inch tires arent very popular with all the SUVs and stuff on the road so I usually have to have them ordered. 

After the tires, Derek and I drove to beyond freaking N. STL (aka way far from our house) and met up with my friend, Jackie, at a spinning shop.  I am getting the spinning itch.  Jackie ended up buying a wheel (her itch is worse than mine) and it was alot of fun.  We were there for 2 hours and even Derek enjoyed himself.  He said it was very interesting to see how it all works.   However, spinning wheels are expensive (quite a bit more than my 4 new tires + alignment) so I think I will trying to look around to see if I can find something used and maybe can find a deal for my budget.

After that it was a flury of cabela's, sam's club, dinner and grocery shopping.  Speaking of cabela's, I will show you what we got... if you have a candle lover on your christmas list, this is an awesome thing:

There is no flame... the heat from the lamp causes the wax to melt and it gets all pretty and glowy.  Derek's mom is all into some candles so we thought she'd like this.  :)   Funny story:  We saw this at some point in the last month... thought it was a good idea for Derek's mom but then promptly forgot where we saw it at.  We went thru 3 malls before we wandered thru Cabela's and saw it again. LOL   The one at cabela's comes with a candle...some of the others online dont.

Ok I guess I dont have much else to say, so I will post my current knitting endeavors and class will be dismissed. :)

This is a scarf I have been working on.  It's about half done and it's made from alpaca yarn so it's so so so soft.

Here is another scarf I am working on (crocheted) but it may be ripped out.  There is alot of mohair in there and I think it might just be too itchy for me.  I'm still thinking on it tho.

I am making one last pair of socks for Jackie (the one that is knitting me a sweater) and I am actually at the toe decreases on this one....so it's almost done.   I greatly dislike the colors in this yarn but feel free to tell me that you love it... everyone does. :)  (well except aya doesnt...she's the only one with some taste ;))

And I made a cowl.  It's really pretty...definitely some mistakes.  But I dunno about it.  It's pretty and soft, but am I a cowl person?  I am not so sure.  It feels funny.  I have been trying to wear it at home so that I can get used to it.  LOL  So I dont know how often i will wear it... which is sad because I was gung ho and wanted to knit more cowls.  I love the idea.  Maybe I'll get used to it?

Here is what it looks like.  I still need a take a picture of it on.  Hopefully soon.  (Ignore the shadow, it was 6:30 in the morning when I took this)

And a detail shot:

And finally, amy asked me for a picture of this finished sock... still need to knit the 2nd one.

Ok, my poops... that's all i have for now! :)   I designate *you* to remind me in one week to write in here. :) kthxbai!

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you have been using a website for the last 6 months... EVERY DAY.  then all of a sudden it doesnt work anymore... for me.  it works for everyone else... just not me.  or derek's computer.  or charter, who pinged the site earlier for me and says it's inaccessable.   for me.  they do not care it's working for everyone else in the world. 

i dont even know what to do.  or how to fix this.  if it's still not working tomorrow, i will call and yell at charter.  i do not know what to say to make them listen to me.   they will deny that it's them. i know it. :(

le suck!

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1.  What is your name?  tammy
What is your quest? to sleep as much as possible? :D
What is your favorite color? purple/blue (and red) (and green)

2.  When is your birthdate (year optional)? jan 23 1979

3.  Do you have any special birthday traditions?  i always go to outback for dinner...always. but i never tell them it's my bday.

4.  What is your favorite birthday memory? when i was sixteen, my parents gave me surprise birthday party and it was so awesome, all my friends/family were there and yelled "surprise"  it was so fun!

5.  Any allergies we should know about? bees!  not that anyone would send me a box full of bees... well, atleast i hope not!

6.  What crafts do you do - knit, crochet, spin, dye, bead, quilt, etc. etc. ? just knitting.

7.  Any sorts of fibers you particularly love or hate or are dying to work with? pink fibers... not a fan of pink fibers. :D

8.  What weight of yarn do you prefer? fingering (sock)

9.  What are your favorite knitting accessories? (i.e.: stitch markers, row counters…)  i could use a row counter.  i dont really count alot of rows but they are cute and clicky! :D  otherwise, i am constantly vacuuming up my tiny (sock) stichmarkers.

10.  Do you subscribe to any crafty magazines? nope!

11.  What do collect aside from fiber-related things? totes, purses, eco friendly bags, if it's got a strap and can hold stuff, i pretty much need it. :)

12.  Favorite candy, chocolate (dark, white, or milk), tea, coffee, other treats? i love gummys, twizzlers, starburst, caramel corn... no chocolate, please!  coffee? nah, i dont even own a coffee maker!

13.  Do you enjoy handmade soap and body products? heck yes!

14.  Are there any scents you love or hate? i dont like flowery scents...much prefer fruits or spice sents.

15.  What is your favorite: flavor, flower, letter, number, film, artist? flavor: cherry or mandarin... flower: gerbera daisies....letter: t... number: 23..... film: garden state.... artist: ?

16.  Anything we should *not* get for you? as i said before... i'd prefer not to get a box of bees, but other than that, i'm open to anything :D

17.  Do you have a blog and or wishlist that are not linked on Ravery or listed in the GoogleDoc? it's on there!

18.  Anything special you would like your partner to know? i dont think so!

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Finally able to sit down and do nothing tonight.   I'm on the couch with the laptop and it's nice.   Last week and this past weekend was pretty busy!  It was pretty fun times tho... a couple of knit groups, a sheep festival, and a knit meetup/swap.  Pretty crafty weekend!  I picked up some yarn too!   Might post some pictures....

Right now the dish washer is running and then every dish in the house will officially be clean.  It's an amazing thing.  But I actually came home today in the mood to clean the kitchen.  Next step:  be in the mood to mop the floors. :D  We even went to the grocery store today... even though we picked up mostly snacks/sweets.  Oh well.  Derek starts his mandatory OT tomorrow so I guess I'm eating cereal the rest of the week for dinner. :) 

Speaking of cereal.  I wanted a box of Frosted Flakes, as they are my favorites.  At Schnuck's, the big box was 4.98$!  That is outrageous!  5$ for CEREAL!  The small box was 4.48$. Still ridiculous.  So I went to a different store.... Shop n' Save had the big box for 5.58$!!!11!  Insanity!   I went to WalMart and got the dang Huge Box for 3.74$!  It makes me so mad that they think they can charge me 2$ more for the SAME THING!   But at least there is a bowl of Frosted Flakes in my future.

My job is still going good.  I started to feel a little sorry for myself today tho.  My cube is right across the "hall" from a lawyer....and she is the same age as I am.  I want to use my degree too! lol  Oh well... at least I have a job!   I love that it's dayshift, but man, i hate getting up early!  I am not a morning person! :D

On Saturday I went to a new yarn shop that opened really close to my house.  The owner is really nice, the only minor downfall is that it's inside a religious bookstore.  But maybe some of their goodness will rub off on me. :D    She was very willing to listen to what me and my friend had to say about her store too!   We offered up some suggestions and she talked me into teaching a sock class in June! HA!  I think it will be fun tho...I hope people actually sign up! :D  I'm knitting some store sample things for her too.    So that was an exciting day. :)   The owner has the Moolah to throw at the yarn shop but doesn't know much about ..... well, anything.  She can knit basic things... I was teaching her how to knit a sock last night.   That just amazes me.... a LYS owner that can't knit a sock.  *shakes head*   I think that is the dream job for anyone tho... and to just have the money to do it without having to worry about making a profit, or heck, even making ends meet.  Must be nice! 

Nothing much else has been going on... Derek is racing online, so I actually have control of the tv tonight and nothing is on.  SAD.   There has been nothing but hockey on in our household for the last  months.  I am so tired of it!  lol, but it's finally playoffs so it's almost over.    And some of the playoff games have been realllllly good.  Have seen some really good hits and some awesome black eyes! :)    And we have the NHL network now... so if there isnt a current game on, then there is a game from lord only knows what year on. 

Tomorrow night I am going to make Oreo Balls.... MMMmmm!  Like we need more snacks here... Derek got honey buns, iced lemon cookies, a package of brownies.... of course Oreos, I picked up some butterscotch pudding.  I stared at the ice cream for a while.... but that is another thing that I can't bring myself to pay 5$ for a pint (or quart) of.   We also got some veggies and peaches for snacking on too... so it was ALL bad, just mostly bad.

Well I thought there was more I wanted to say... but I cant think of what it is now.  *shrugs*

you want to see the yarn pics??

ok this is the yarn that i waited for a month and a half to be delivered.  I think it was hung up in customs. 

the beautiful blue:

i heart it:

and the other skein is this ugly green... and while it's pretty in it's own way...it's not what i was expecting. :( boo.

this is the sock i am knitting right now, for that new LYS:

and some sock yarn that i bought... love the color:

and my finished purple socks...

there is more yarn, but i am tired of posting the pics... if you are on rav, you can see them there if you want! :D

now it's time for some cereal!! :D

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i have decided to grace vox with my presence.  *grins*  i never think about updating here when i finish something!  But here I am... I will post some pictures of some FO's.  I guess I just assume everyone could just look at my stuff on ravelry if they realllly wanted too.  but alas, i like reading about everyone else's FOs on their blogs too... and ya'll are just like me i bet!   so how about some pictures?

i did a test knit for a yarnie... she sent me the yarn and i knitted her some socks.  i'll get free yarn when i decide what i want from her store.  which reminds me: *stalks etsy store*   I was aggravated with all the patterns I came up with for this sock, and finally Amy came to my rescue (AGAIN!) and I went with the cables, yo pattern.  it's a really speedy pattern, i do recommend it for everyone!  It's in Sensational Knitted Socks book. 

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and some in progress shots:

sock1

bottom of sock

the yarn didnt really do what i wanted, but eh, what can ya do? yarn has a mind of it's own sometimes!  I will knit this pattern again for myself sometime.

Hmmm, what else have I finished lately?  I made Derek some thick wool socks to wear when he hunts... they took me all winter to make.  Ha, oh well!  I knitted them toe up so that they'd fit him.

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you can see, especially in that second photo, that they are definitely 2 different dyelots.  Which the yarn is Arcuiania or however you spell that, and the labels say that they dont do dyelots... but yeah, definite difference there... but it's ok... as i said, only going to be stuffed into hiking boots. hopefully he likes them and hopefully they dont felt too badly when he wears them.

let me see if there is anything else in the flickr album...

shoes 1

oh those are my new shoes... i LOVE them!

shoes 2

And it snowed here the other week or so...and I finally got a good snow picture after messing around with all the settings on my camera... it was snowing soooo much when i took this.

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and here is some individual snowflakes that I grabbed on macro with my cam:

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oh my goodness!  I DIDNT POST HERE ABOUT MY MARIGOLDS!  yikes!  and I did the first one in january when aya came to visit!   I am working on the second one right now.

marigolds pattern

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it's Hill Country yarns and I love it... i love the colors and it's soft and fuffy.  it's just great to work with! I cant wait to have the 2nd one done too!

i also have this lacy scarf dealio on the needles.... i saw this pattern (omo scarf) on ravelry and it was so pretty in some cashmere yarn.... but the only DK wgt yarn I had is this pink berroco (cotton) so I went with it...it's not my favorite thing... but it's not for me anyways.  I have quite a bit more done on it since this picture was taking...almost thru the first skein.  i really suggest you look at the patter in other yarns.  maybe blocking this will help some too.  HAHA, and if you notice, I was using pretty bamboo needles, that I got for free, on it... but dang! SO SLOW!  I have since switched to my knitpicks circs and it's zooming along now.

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the color is more darker pink than a purple pink.  i couldnt get it right.

here is a funky picture of me and derek at the arch, while amy was here.  i think at this angle, everyone has several chins! LOL

the arch, STL

Hmmm... the purple Hill Country yarn up there, Amy got me for my bday/xmas... but she also got me this beautiful STR yarn too... it's so pretty!  Hopefully I can find a pattern to do it justice!

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STR SpaceDust

GEEZ I'm posting tons of pictures today!

me and my aya, while she was here visiting!  I MISS YOU COME BACK RIGHT NOW!

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does anyone even remember the never ending pinwheel blanket?  did i ever post this picture?  this little baby was about a week old when the picture was taken...he's 3 months old now! 

pinwheel blanket

OK!  that's it... that's enough!   See ya in another month! ;)

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i'm sleepy.  every day i try to sleep in and every day something wakes me up.  yesterday the dog, today a wrong number on my phone.   this whole working late thing is kicking my ass... after about 10 pm, my eyes just want to shut.  they changed my hours again!  so instead of 4.30 to 1am, now it's 3 to 11.30pm.  so a little bit better but not great by no means. i have seen derek for a total of 30 minutes this week! :(

last night 2 of the people i work with got into it.  the guy is new and the other girl is just a bitch.  i hope he comes back today... other than me, he's the only other normal person in the office.  i would have never let her berate me like that tho, hopefully he gets some stones after the "new person" thing wears off.    but after all that, my mind would just not shut down last night when i was trying to sleep. i dont think i fell into real sleep until probably 5 am.

there is a severe weather alert going on here.  ya'll, i know i talk about the weather alot... it might be a side effect of getting old.  i'm not sure.  lol, i just keep thinking about how my dad watches the Weather Channel 8 hours a day.  But anyways, it's supposed to snow.  I guess we are supposed to accumulate 1 to THREE inches this afternoon.... THEN another FOUR TO SIX tonight.   so get your toes out, that's a maximum of NINE INCHES OF SNOW that could be on the ground before tomorrow morning!  they are already pretreating the roads.

dont get me wrong.  i want it to snow, snow, snow!  but i do not want to have to drive in it.  i'm trying to decide at what point that i leave work tonight before it gets too bad.  i do not have much experience driving in snow... nor is my car a good candidate to be driving in snow.   Luckily, if it does get really bad, the will shut down the factory that my office is associated with and no one will be required to go in.  It takes no less than 200 people to operate said factory, so if 195 people show up, everyone goes home.   Hopefully they call me before I try to drive there... but no worries, I have a strict personal policy that I do not risk my life for employment, especially menial employment with crappy salaries.   If I think it is too bad, I wont go in period whether the plant is up or not.

but yeah, so i keep looking out the window watching for snow, just like a little kid.  2 things i am very excited about:  one is trying my new camera out on the "snow" mode and the second is Snow Freaking Angels!   there will be snow angels in my future.  and i am also dying to play in the snow with my dog! :D

nothing else is really going on.  my job is so slow that i actually got to knit some at work.  there is a positive spin on this job finally!   unless the supervisors walking in and out last night didnt like that i was doing it... then i will find out today that i cant anymore.  everyone else was reading, i dont know why i wouldnt be able to knit.   i casted on for something new last night but i cant decide if i think it's ugly or not.   actually i dont think it's ugly at all... i just dont think it's my color and it's really throwing me off.   i dont think i am going to rip it out tho.

well i am going to go apply to more jobs and then maybe knit on the couch for a few minutes.  hopefully there will be snow pictures in everyone's future! :D

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ok here's some pictures of this past weekend! 

on saturday, we spent some time at the arch!  it was a really pretty day, we were lucky!  amy and i spent most of the time trying to get just the right angle for our pictures.

walking to the arch




i was practically on my tummy in geese shit taking this one.  it's 633 feet tall.  hard to photograph from up close.




amy liked the arch!



and this is what happens when i ask derek to take a picture of me and amy with the arch.  but we are in the pic and so is the arch. *rolls eyes*



luckily he was able to get it together before we left




this is me and derek playing around right under the middle of the arch.  i think everyone has several chins at this angle.









here is a church in st. louis, i love the lights on it!



amy brought me yarn for christmas and my birthday!  it's so pretty! and soft and squishy!




which i started to turn into this sock:





and this yarn too!   look at those colors!

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writing this entry from the mental institution? :D  it was very stressful.  Very Stressful.  I got mad several times... heck, I even got sick feeling a few times.  my tummy was in knots for practically 24 hours.  i threw my sock down no less than 5 times.  I stopped to take deep breaths.  To calm myself. 

I'm not even playing... it's probably the most stressful thing I have ever done.   I did it right before my knit group yesterday... I worked on picking up all the stitches that i thought I already had picked up.  Knitted fabric after it as already been knitted is a odd thing... it's very frustrating.   It probably took me 3 hours of working on it constantly to pick up all the stitches and get them oriented correctly. 

but yeah, it worked. :D

can you tell which one i cut???

i really like them... they are very comfy!  and finished!! :D

yay socks!!

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