I Just Had To!

I had to post this picture! Ab Fab is finished and I'm going to weave in the ends and make up my mind if I want to fringe it or not. So in the meantime, I had to post this picture taken of Hunter when he went for his second set of puppy shots. His Vet's son is in the Marines and is stationed in Iraq right now. She takes pictures of the pets of people who want to donate money to make a care package for a Marine. Both of my brothers have served (one was injured) in Iraq, so I know how important care packages and the like are. Of course I agreed to participate, and I'm sure this pic put a smile on someone's face!

Hey You Sneakin'!

After being told to "Drop that sock!", Hunter does his best Army crawl over to the forbidden pile of laundry. Poor Hunter, foiled again. It was really hard to keep from laughing while I was taping this. You can see why I have to watch him like a hawk on laundry day. Socks and puppies are not a good combo. If you listen carefully you can hear the movie Spartacus playing in the background. "There is no reason to expect an attack by night..." No I didn't plan that. Just one of those cute coinkydinks.

If you can't see the video on this page, here is the link.

Sharing...

I am nearly done with the Ab Fab throw! It lookst pretty much like the last picture only longer, so I'll just post a picture of it finished. I wanted to post something for my fellow hookers. I found the cutest crochet pattern on Crochetville!! It is inspired by the movie Bambi. Click here to check it out!

How am I?

Absolutely Fabulous!!!

Show N Tell: Nancy's Entry

Lucky Me! I got a new car in June and was about to leave for my vacation at the shore when I decided that I didn't feel like putting up with my seatbelt shoulder strap for the trip. It always seemed to annoy me . So I invented by Strap-Easer. It worked really well and the strap ceased to be a problem. One day I showed it to my bridge club and everyone wanted one. I decided that if I made enough of them I could start a college fund for my granddaughter. So I got my granddaughter and my sister to help me knit my shoulder pads. Needless to say it has consumed our whole summer. What a fun project! All the ladies that have them, love them. That is my daughter-in-law modeling it in the picture. I hope everyone will visit my website www.nancysknittingnook.com.

Nancy Fries

Why Why Why!!??

doesn't my bloglines feed show my pictures! Can anyone tell me this? Is there way to make this happen? Am I just bloglines ignorant? And how come some of you out there have cute little pictures by your blog name? I want a cute little picture by my blog name!

Get It Together

I think everything is starting to come together here, and it is actually starting to look like people live here now. We got the living room painted and the art and tapestries up on the walls. Now I have decided that I want an accent wall which caused a little eye rolling by Rob, but I'm used to that ;) We painted the den Dignified Purple and hung some stuff on the walls. We still have some blank spaces that need filling, and I have an Ab Fab throw to knit that will look...absolutely fabulous in there! Today we will paint my craft room! You read right. I get a craft room all to myself! The furniture is all painted except for one desk, and the yarn has been organized and stored. Here is a little shot of most of my stash. I did not include yarn that has been bagged and set aside for projects.

Zoe couldn't resist climbing to the top of the pile. I think it is safe to say that I have a bunch of yarn, and I think it goes without saying that I should really start knitting more!! Eventually, Rob is going to build shelves for my yarn wall! Yay! They will go above the dresser that is holding the majority of my yarn now. The rest is in plastic bins in the closet. I would love to have the yarn more out in the open to inspire more knitting. Out of sight out of mind seems to be a very true statement when your yarn is all packed away. I think that the guilt of having so much yarn will end up prompting a lot of knitting or a stash sale haha! In my defense, it has been quite a while since I have purchased any yarn. I'll show you the last purchases next time. They are quite yummy :) Just for fun, before I get Rob off the couch (wow he snores loud) and start painting, here is a close up of something that makes Zoe all the more special...




Is that not the cutest thing ever!! Her spot is in the shape of a heart. There was no photoshopping done to this picture. She's really that cool!

Yay!

My blog is back! It's been down and I haven't been able to post. Now it's back but it's nearly 1am, and I need to get in bed. I'll post soon though. G'night!

I Wish You Better Mornings (Updated)

I can say with all honesty that I have had better mornings. A sleepless night (toothache from Hell) followed by a 4:30 am wake up to take Rob to the airport equals a good old fashioned grouchy morning. It's still dark, and my body is playing tug of war between the car and the bed. The car wins, and off we go to the airport. Rob and I, we are not morning people, are yawning and whining about the early hour when see the typically dark road all lit up ahead. As we get closer we see that a house is on fire. We stop the car and we both run towards the house. Rob kicks the door in and begins screaming, "Hello, hello!! Is anyone in there." I'm frantically screaming and banging on the windows and doors of the neighbors houses. The fire is starting to spread to the trees, their houses will be next. I run back to the blazing house screaming, "Rob it's too far gone please don't go in!" There is truly nothing we can do. The fire has taken it over and even if anyone was in there, we could not save them at this point. I wake one set of neighbors, and they tell me that there isn't anyone home in the burning house. I hope to God they are right, and the absence of cars seems to confirm it. Even though I'm pretty sure they aren't home I continue to try and wake the neighbors to the right, when a truck pulls up. Rob tells them the fire department is on the way, and we ask if they could stay until they make it there. We had no choice but to leave, Rob had to be on a plane in less than 15 minutes which means the flight was already going to be delayed at this point. While Rob is giving our information to the two men in case anyone needed to talk to us, I stand there and watch someone's home become completely engulfed in flames. It was one of the most horrible things I have ever witnessed in my life. The men promise to keep trying the house on the right just in case they might be home, until the fire department arrives. We get in our car reeking of smoke, Rob starts the engine, and I watch the flames rise up to the sky as we pull away. Thankfully, the fire department arrives just as we are leaving and eases the pang of guilt I feel for not staying. We wouldn't have left if those men had not shown up, you can believe that. Even as I type this, I am still shaking. Go hug your kids, your cat, your dog, your significant other, heck go hug your house and be thankful. I have to take a shower. I have to get this smoke off of me...

**Update**

One of the owners of the home called Rob today to thank him for breaking in the door. They had a cat in the home, and so far they have not found it in what's left of the house. They think that it was able to get out of the living room after he kicked the door in. Let's hope that this is true and also be thankful for the fact that both owners are completely unharmed. They own a campground and decided to stay there over night. I have no doubt that decision saved their lives! I drove by the house this afternoon, and it was completely destroyed by the fire. The neighbors' homes were untouched by the fire! That makes me very happy. Rob said that they want to meet us in person, so that they can shake our hands. I can finally relax knowing that no one was killed. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the poor kitty.

PS. Thank you for the wonderful comments. Hugs to you all!

Videos and Slideshows

If you look on my sidebar, I have added links to the videos and slideshows that I have posted in the past. I don't know why I haven't done this before! Duh! And Speaking of videos, here are a couple of my babies. This one is from my visit with Hunter when he was four weeks old. I think this is take number eleventeen million. Let's just say it is a little hard to get a video of a very busy puppy.

This one was taken this evening of Hunter and Z doing what they do best. Believe it or not this was taking it easy. Usually the whole house is shaking. Sorry it's a little dark.




And lest you think I have forgotten this is Faery Crafty and not Faery Doggy (oh boy that was corny), here is a picture of the the tablecloth I am working on. You can find the pattern here, but please write me if you are going to crochet this because I have found a ton of errors. This picture isn't the greatest, but it's kinda late and I get a lot less picky after midnight.

Don't You Hate It When

You are halfway finished with let's say your second lampshade cover, and a couple of dogs, let's say their names are Hunter and Z, decide it would be much prettier if it had soda spilled all over it. I hate to break it to them, but it was not the look I was going for.

Gone To The Dogs

It's been a really long day, so I'm going to make this one short. Hunter's father has officially joined our family. Rob's real happy because now we are even, 3 boys and 3 girls. Hunter is beyond happy and barely gives Z a chance to take a breath. Z doesn't seem to mind at all. I think he's gonna love his retirement! I thought I would get a chance to crochet the other lampshade cover in the car, but I was a little preoccupied with the dogs. We are going to bust booty tomorrow to get some more stuff done on the house so we can relax. I'm going to start on my ab fab throw pretty soon. I have a lot of stuff that I need to crochet for my bedroom, but I want to have a knitting project as well. Right now I'm heading for bed. The only knitting I'm going to do is in my dreams. Until next time, here are some pics for ya :)

Get Your Own! View Slideshow

This Is A First

You know you're not in Orlando anymore when this happens while you are sitting at the stoplight waiting to get on the interstate...

While You Were Out (Of Your Mind)

You ever watch that show? Besides the fact that Andrew is so good looking I am quite often distracted, I love the show! I watch it every time I come across it while channel flipping. Rob and I have been starring in our own version of the show, and I think the modified title suits us a little better. I managed to beat off the plague in time for his return home, and in one day we painted the entire living room with it's cathedral ceiling, a huge dresser, book shelf, and mirror. We also hung the art work and tapestries in the newly painted room, and now I can unpack the eleventy million boxes of books stacked in there. Oh I almost forgot, I did a distressed finish on the frame of a Monet print for our bedroom. We have 4 rooms and 3 peices of furniture left to paint, a table to build, cushions to sew, more pictures to hang, and a whole lotta clean up. In my free time (hahahahaha), I have been working on some of the finishing touches for our bedroom. Here is a sneak peak...

Stay tuned for the next episode coming to a blog near you!

You Got Some Splaining To Do!!!

Click To Enlarge

That GORGEOUS Dane up there is Hunter's father. He is now retiring as Stud Dog Extraordinaire, and will be residing with us towards the end of the month! I got the call today that he has "relinquished his tools" of the trade <snort> and is handling it pretty well considering. Hunter is bouncing with joy as you can see...

Could It Be True?

I knit something!! Yay! It's nothing special. Just a small felted purse made as a sample for my Beginner's Knitting class. I'll put a picture up once it's out of the machine.

Painting has completely consumed my life. I am happy to say that all of the furniture for the bedroom is painted and once it is completely put together, I'll take some pictures of them room. Actually, I have a before picture that I can show you right now.

This is one of the pictures posted on the MLS listing. When we bought the house, it was my first priority to paint this room. It took THREE coats of primer and then two coats of paint to cover this green. Next all of my furniture had to be painted to match the bedding I bought for the room. We have saved a lot of money by painting the furniture instead of buying new stuff. I'm dying to show pictures, but I want it all be a little more put together first. I still have to work on getting pictures for the walls, knick knacks, and such. Right now I am sick and Rob is going on a trip, so there won't be much done over the next couple of days.

Now that all of the bedroom furniture is out of the living room, we can get it painted. Once it is painted we can put all the books in the bookshelf and unpack all the rest of the stuff that goes in the living room. That will take care of a mess load of boxes that are stacked all around the room. Then we still have to paint the bathroom, kitchen, the guest/craft room, the den, another dresser, a cabinet, a desk, and a book shelf. (After looking at that picture I was just reminded that we still have to paint the ceiling fan) We aren't going to bother painting the smaller bedroom because that is going to be the dogs' room. Yes that is dogs plural and not a typo. I'll tell you more about that in my next post, but for now I need to get to bed and sweat out this fever.

A Conversation

Me: "I really want to do some kind of Faux finish painting in the guest room."

Rob: "Well faux-get it."

God help me...

So What Have I Been Up To?

I have been on what I fondly call "Pee Patrol". That means running out the door in a second's notice with a very heavy Great Dane puppy held in outstretched arms. I forgot how much work (and how messy) puppies are!! I think I had puppy amnesia. My husband spread out a blue plastic camping tarp in our den and placed boxes and suitcases strategically to create the "puppy corral". Let me tell you, that is a real good look. Ha ha! Thankfully, it saves the carpet, and I credit him with an awesome idea.

So between Pee Patrol, working on the house and work, I stay pretty busy. I haven't even picked up my needles since we moved here except when teaching a class. No wait, I did pick up the crochet hook to make those tutorials. Soooo that means the only thing I have to show you are pictures of Hunter! Surprise surprise! And because I'm a sucker for slide shows, here ya go...

Chip 'N For Dale

This is a letter I recently received from members of my knitting group back in Orlando regarding one of our members, Dale. I can honestly tell you that Dale is one of the nicest women I have ever met in my life. She is kind, considerate, and an incredible Wife and Mother. I plan to donate, and I will try to knit her a pair of socks by the time she is released. I have the yarn picked out already, so now I will attempt to actually knit them between chasing after a new puppy. (Yes he is home! I will post pictures very soon. As you can imagine, things have been crazy)

On June 23, 2006, Orlando area resident, knitter and spinner, Dale Jarrett, left for Houston, Texas to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Read about her journey here! http://www.jarrett.ws/dale/

In an effort to help Dale with the expenses she will incur, we, as members of the Orlando Area Knitters and Spinners, have started a fundraiser. Beginning July 3, 2006 through August 2, 2006, a knitting or spinning related prize will be offered on our blog: http://chip-n--for-dale.blogspot.com/. The day after the fundraiser closes, those who have made a donation will be eligible to win those daily prizes. For every $5 (US) donated, you will be eligible for one chance at terrific prizes! The first name drawn will receive the prize from Day 1, etc. Please check the blog daily for a picture and description of the prize offered and to check the daily tally!

When Dale is released from the hospital, a gift basket chock full of socks, hats and slippers knit with prayers and good wishes from the Orlando Area Knitters and Spinners, along with the Pay Pal check card, will be sent to her in Houston.

The knitting community is a giving one; a perk of their generosity, is the prizes.

Thank you.
Jackie & Janette

To add Dale's button to your site just copy and past this code...

<a href="http://chip-n--for-dale.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/6301/chipn0ce.jpg" border="0" width="132" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" /></a>

Lover's Knot Tutorial

Rember this shawl?


Click Images To Enlarge

As promised here is the tutorial for making the Lover's Knot. It is in three parts so that it is easier to replay each step. If you have any questions you can email me at faerycrafty at gmail dot com.








I hope everyone has a great July 4th! Don't go blowing your crochetin' hand off with a firecracker! This goes for you too knitters!