Saturday, February 16, 2013

Valentines with Dollish Polish and an Apartment Addition

16 February, 2013

Valentine's Day is usually pretty exciting.  Dinner with the fiance and a movie or something of the sort. This year the fiance was back in IL and I was in NY so it was a bit different.  The 13th saw me falling into a melancholy mood due to the thoughts of being alone the next day without the fiance, but it turned out to be a most marvelous day! It started with a productive day at work.  Then, I went to knit night which was really fun and uplifting.  I followed that with take out for dinner, a bottle of Shiraz and The Fellowship of the Ring.  To top that all off, I was rocking a gorgeous sparkly red polish in the holiday spirit!

Dollish Polish is one of those great indie brands that I love to wear.  Combined with the fact that the polish is named for Trueblood, I can't go wrong!  This is 5 coats of "I wanna do bad things to you."  I really should have thought to put a red base underneath so I would't need so many coats but in the end it was worth all the coats.  The red has a hint of orange to it and there are a few holographic glitters thrown in is well.  I can't stop looking at this polish and I fully intend to keep it on for another week (I haven't had any tip wear or chipping yet!).  The only thing I am worried about is removing the glitter but I think it will work out alright.

In apartment news, I decided my apartment was too boring and after 2 months of living here, it was time to add some more of me! Luckily I had a Target gift card and a vision and the next thing I knew I was lugging a ridiculously heavy box up to my apartment.  I made a second trip out to grab a hammer and screw driver because I didn't plan ahead.  After an hour or so of tinkering around the bookcase was assembled and ready to go.  I added my yarn, knitting/cooking/reading books and some tea mugs.  The final product is fantastic and I am really proud of myself for getting it all set up!

Last but not least, I finished my Watson sweater.  Since finishing the sweater, I have worn it every day. It is warm and thick and gorgeous and Watson so I am a very happy person!  Now I am working on the sleeves of the Tinder cardigan.  I hope to finish it this weekend so I can wear it to Montreal next weekend!

Until next time,
happy crafting and painting!



The Nailventuress a.k.a. Melanie

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Apparently, I still haven't gotten over The Hobbit...

5 February, 2013

I really do have his insignia
 tattooed on my leg!
I love JRR Tolkein.   I have JRR's insignia tattooed on my leg. It's safe to say I am a fan.  I've read the LoTR trilogy twice.  I've read The Hobbit 5 times.  I've see the trilogy so many times I've lost count.  I saw The Hobbit 6 times in theaters (this is what happens when you have multiple families to see it with). I thought that after the 3rd time of seeing the movie, it would start to lose it's appeal but apparently it hasn't.  Here is how I figured it out.  Since seeing The Hobbit I have watched Love Actually, North and South, BBC's Robin Hood, The Vicar of Dibley, BBC's The Office, BBC's Being Human, and Captain America (and the LoTR trilogy again...and again...).  All of these shows/movies feature at least one actor from The Hobbit.  On top of all that, I've picked up a sweater that has sat un-knit on for almost a year simple because it is a Martin Freeman sweater.  So, apparently, The Hobbit is still on my mind.  That's alright with me.  I've got to find some way of passing the days until the DVD is released, right? And, I have not been disappointed with any of these finds (except for Captain America).  But, I do believe they were the cause of the episode of ennui from last week (as I finished most of them and then felt hopelessly lost on Netflix.  Such a sad life I lead).

Speaking of ennui, my attack of Netflix ennui from last week has gone away thanks to some helpful recommendations (thanks again!) and some further research of my own.  I've started BBC's Shameless which has some great British humor and 100+ episodes...so I think I'm set for the next little while.

As for manicures, I've still got on the manicure from the last post.  It has faired so well that I haven't felt like taking it off just yet.  So, instead of a new manicure, here is an old one that I wore the first time I came to Syracuse.  It was a bunch of fun, pastel colors that are more suitable for Spring but I wore it in Autumn like the daredevil that I am.  The mint is Orly's Jealous Much and the pinky peach is Orly's Cotton Candy.  The glitter was from a Color Club mini set from a few years ago and I believe the white  is OPI's Alpine Snow.  I absolutely loved this manicure so I might have to recreate it come Spring.

Back to the aforementioned sweater... I am a huge fan of BBC's Sherlock, so, of course, I had to knit the sweater that John Watson (played by Martin Freeman) wears in the first season.  I started it last year and for some reason, put it down after the split for the front and back.  However, on Saturday, I was hit by a huge desire to pick it up again...so I knit...and knit...and knit.  By Sunday night I had finished the body and was casting on the sleeves.  Needless to say, I am glad I acted on my urges.  Now I've got just got to keep knitting away on the sleeves.  Normally, I hate sleeves.  Sleeves are not friendly.  They are awful things that taunt you endlessly.  However, I have come to the realization that the sleeves on this sweater are sleeves with a purpose (of course, all sleeves have a purpose, serving to keep our arms warm, but these are purposeful sleeves).  Specifically, the gorgeous chevron pattern and 6 stitch cabling from the sweater is also knit on the sleeves.  Therefore, I've got repeat after repeat to keep me happy.  These sleeves make me smile every time I cross off a number on my notes sheet.  I feel like I am actually making progress when I sit down and knit three rows. Why? Because the crossed off numbers on my notes sheet tell me I am! No more endless stocking knit tubes for me (on this sweater...).  Nope, I am knitting purposeful sleeves with purposeful repeats.  In all reality, these sleeves are probably going to take me longer to finish because of all of the patterning.  Do I care? No!
Image source:
http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lposq2mW2O1qhrq0j.jpg




Until next time,
happy painting and crafting!


The Nailventuress a.k.a. Melanie