31 December, 2012
I don't usually create a list of New Year's resolutions, but, as 2012 comes to a close, I find myself thinking of fun goals I'd like to set for the next year. So perhaps I shouldn't call this a resolution list, but rather, a list of things I'd like to see done in the next 12 months.
So, without any further ado, here is my list of goals for 2013 (in no particular order):
1. Improve upon my spinning skills
2. Spin and knit a sweater
3. Prepare a fleece for spinning
4. Spin a project from prepared fleece
5. Compete in the Tour de Fleece
6. Add FO pictures to Ravelry
7. Design something knit or crocheted
8. Improve upon my weaving skills
9. Blog more often
10. Start a podcast
11. Knit more from stash
12. Eat healthier
13. Go skiing
There is my list. It focuses on more on the crafty areas of my life, but that is where my life is focused so it makes sense. I guess that leaves me with 13 goals in 2013. Personally, I think they ae fairly attainable, but will make for an exciting year all the same.
Hope everyone has a fantastic New Year's Eve and New Year!
Until next time,
Happy painting!
The Nailventuress a.k.a Melanie
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The Big Move...
December 9:
Well, it has been quite some time since I last posted. Let's say about 6 months, and it was on the eve of my graduation. Fast-forward 6 months and I am now settling into the tiny but incredibly cute town of Manlius, NY.
I am very much enjoying my new location! Moving into my own apartment has been fantastically fun. Setting up my kitchen, living room, etc. has been even more exciting. I've been able to do/cook/listen to whatever I want without disturbing anyone else.
It has also been fun to get out and explore the town for a little bit. After a grueling 12 hours drive from Bolingbrook, IL to Syracuse, NY, I managed to convince myself that I had missed my exit just before getting to my final destination. This realization prompted me to take the next exit, which, in turn, ended with a nerve-wracking 15 minute drive through the dark streets of Syracuse, all while Gangnam Style was playing on the radio (which in itself was an odd experience). It was a...memorable way to arrive in the place I plan to call home for the near future.
The next few days passed by fairly quickly. I jumped into my new job, working with yarn (a dream come true!!!), and visited a few locations that would prove to be most helpful. Specifically, supermarkets.
Friday came, and with a cup of tea to send me on my way, I made the short trek to Manlius, NY to sign the lease for my apartment. This was rather thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I am 22. I have never lived on my own, unless you count Germany. I am not from this town, or state, and I have no clue what I should and should not do when signing a lease. Fortunately, the manager was incredibly sweet and I was signed with keys in hand in no time. That was the easy part. Next came the actually moving.
Observation 1: Moving
Packing and loading up a car can be very misleading. One has time to add to a pile of goods meant for transportation to the new living location. This pile can be shifted into the transportation vehicle at the owners behest. The door to the house, through which the owner must exit and enter to move said goods, can be propped open so that the owner may easily descend, or ascend, the two steps into the house whenever needed. Simple.
Upon arrival at the new apartment, many issues with moving became apparent. There were 3 doors through which I had to pass before I could deposit my belongings on the floor of my apartment. 2 of these doors required a key. There was also a set of stairs that I needed to climb in order to get to said apartment. A plan of action had to be put in place. The apartment door would remain unlocked leaving on the entrance door to be dealt with with a key. Unpacking would occur throughout the unloading process so that my poor arms could have a break. Snacks and water would be readily available when a small burst of energy was needed. The floor was available for quick breaks before heading down for yet another load of goods. This plan worked quite well, although the well-being of my upper-left arm was sacrificed for the rest of the day.
Observation 2: Driving
Then there was the matter of driving around Manlius at night. While the town has cute holiday decorations (I say holiday because for every christmas tree, there is a menorah), they do not offer any aid when attempting to locate streets listed under your directions. The streets also prove to be more foe than friend due to the lack of a left-turn signal. Yes, one may turn left in Manlius, however, one will not receive a friendly green arrow with which to do so. Instead, one must patiently wait/creep forward, until there is enough of a break in cars, or a yellow light, that will allow you to turn left. Of course the left turn could have been avoided had the driver known where they were going the first place. Perhaps said driver will try a new method of transportation widely known as "walking" seeing as the town of Manlius has an area of only 1.78 square miles.
Fortunately, Manlius has become much more manageable in recent days.
The same can be said about the originally terrifying drive to The Best Job Ever. The Best Job Ever is 15 minutes away from my apartment in Manlius. The drive is basically a straight shot west on 173 (Seneca). Simple, check. Terrifying, check. For a girl living in the region famous for its rolling hills and jagged, death-defying mountain roads, otherwise known as the Midwest, for the past 15 years, the change to driving in actually hills with actual fast speed limits was a different experience. Yes, I was born in Pennsylvania...but I never drove there. I left when I was 6. Driving from Manlius to Syracuse was, therefore, an incredibly uncomfortable experience.
The wonderful state of New York has these things called hills. These hills have roads upon which people drive. These roads have a habit of going up-up-up before stopping and seeming to drop off. Yes, the before cresting a hill, it looks like one will simply continue on only to plummet to their deaths far below. Of course, this is not the case and the road continues on down the hill before it starts to climb again. The first 3 times on 173 resulted in sore hands and white knuckles. After that, it became increasingly obvious that if there was going to be a sudden drop to one's death, or an s-curve, that state of New York would place these brilliant, blinking, bright, yellow signs that would at least alert the driver. This is made the commute to The Best Job Ever much easier.
Observation 3: Free Time Activities
So that brings us to the matter of things to do when alone in Manlius. One may drive around town for 30 minutes attempting to locate the grocery store. One may locate the other entrance/exit to the apartment complex. One may cook dinner for one's self while singing at a level just loud enough to echo but not disturb the neighbors. One may also find time to partake in activities such as hand-washing dishes. As it turns out, the last activity can make one feel quite accomplished. Of course, there are classic activities to fall back on, such as knitting. In fact, one can be quite accomplished in this area as well. There is also the matter of painting one's nails, which I intend to do after I leave the library.
One may also contemplate what to do with the amount of free time in the new location. This was the activity I chose to partake in for a good part of last night and this morning. The options were: walk to the library; drive to the library so that a stop can be made to buy cheese; drive to the small mall; drive to the large mall. Driving to the library won out, of course.
That brings me just about to the end of my entry pertaining to the first days in the new location. They have been fun, scary and always quite the adventure. After leaving the library, I intend to go make myself a delicious lunch and curl up with some knitting, manicuring or Lord of the Rings...we shall see.
Well, it has been quite some time since I last posted. Let's say about 6 months, and it was on the eve of my graduation. Fast-forward 6 months and I am now settling into the tiny but incredibly cute town of Manlius, NY.
I am very much enjoying my new location! Moving into my own apartment has been fantastically fun. Setting up my kitchen, living room, etc. has been even more exciting. I've been able to do/cook/listen to whatever I want without disturbing anyone else.
It has also been fun to get out and explore the town for a little bit. After a grueling 12 hours drive from Bolingbrook, IL to Syracuse, NY, I managed to convince myself that I had missed my exit just before getting to my final destination. This realization prompted me to take the next exit, which, in turn, ended with a nerve-wracking 15 minute drive through the dark streets of Syracuse, all while Gangnam Style was playing on the radio (which in itself was an odd experience). It was a...memorable way to arrive in the place I plan to call home for the near future.
The next few days passed by fairly quickly. I jumped into my new job, working with yarn (a dream come true!!!), and visited a few locations that would prove to be most helpful. Specifically, supermarkets.
Friday came, and with a cup of tea to send me on my way, I made the short trek to Manlius, NY to sign the lease for my apartment. This was rather thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I am 22. I have never lived on my own, unless you count Germany. I am not from this town, or state, and I have no clue what I should and should not do when signing a lease. Fortunately, the manager was incredibly sweet and I was signed with keys in hand in no time. That was the easy part. Next came the actually moving.
Observation 1: Moving
Packing and loading up a car can be very misleading. One has time to add to a pile of goods meant for transportation to the new living location. This pile can be shifted into the transportation vehicle at the owners behest. The door to the house, through which the owner must exit and enter to move said goods, can be propped open so that the owner may easily descend, or ascend, the two steps into the house whenever needed. Simple.
Upon arrival at the new apartment, many issues with moving became apparent. There were 3 doors through which I had to pass before I could deposit my belongings on the floor of my apartment. 2 of these doors required a key. There was also a set of stairs that I needed to climb in order to get to said apartment. A plan of action had to be put in place. The apartment door would remain unlocked leaving on the entrance door to be dealt with with a key. Unpacking would occur throughout the unloading process so that my poor arms could have a break. Snacks and water would be readily available when a small burst of energy was needed. The floor was available for quick breaks before heading down for yet another load of goods. This plan worked quite well, although the well-being of my upper-left arm was sacrificed for the rest of the day.
Observation 2: Driving
Then there was the matter of driving around Manlius at night. While the town has cute holiday decorations (I say holiday because for every christmas tree, there is a menorah), they do not offer any aid when attempting to locate streets listed under your directions. The streets also prove to be more foe than friend due to the lack of a left-turn signal. Yes, one may turn left in Manlius, however, one will not receive a friendly green arrow with which to do so. Instead, one must patiently wait/creep forward, until there is enough of a break in cars, or a yellow light, that will allow you to turn left. Of course the left turn could have been avoided had the driver known where they were going the first place. Perhaps said driver will try a new method of transportation widely known as "walking" seeing as the town of Manlius has an area of only 1.78 square miles.
Fortunately, Manlius has become much more manageable in recent days.
The same can be said about the originally terrifying drive to The Best Job Ever. The Best Job Ever is 15 minutes away from my apartment in Manlius. The drive is basically a straight shot west on 173 (Seneca). Simple, check. Terrifying, check. For a girl living in the region famous for its rolling hills and jagged, death-defying mountain roads, otherwise known as the Midwest, for the past 15 years, the change to driving in actually hills with actual fast speed limits was a different experience. Yes, I was born in Pennsylvania...but I never drove there. I left when I was 6. Driving from Manlius to Syracuse was, therefore, an incredibly uncomfortable experience.
The wonderful state of New York has these things called hills. These hills have roads upon which people drive. These roads have a habit of going up-up-up before stopping and seeming to drop off. Yes, the before cresting a hill, it looks like one will simply continue on only to plummet to their deaths far below. Of course, this is not the case and the road continues on down the hill before it starts to climb again. The first 3 times on 173 resulted in sore hands and white knuckles. After that, it became increasingly obvious that if there was going to be a sudden drop to one's death, or an s-curve, that state of New York would place these brilliant, blinking, bright, yellow signs that would at least alert the driver. This is made the commute to The Best Job Ever much easier.
Observation 3: Free Time Activities
So that brings us to the matter of things to do when alone in Manlius. One may drive around town for 30 minutes attempting to locate the grocery store. One may locate the other entrance/exit to the apartment complex. One may cook dinner for one's self while singing at a level just loud enough to echo but not disturb the neighbors. One may also find time to partake in activities such as hand-washing dishes. As it turns out, the last activity can make one feel quite accomplished. Of course, there are classic activities to fall back on, such as knitting. In fact, one can be quite accomplished in this area as well. There is also the matter of painting one's nails, which I intend to do after I leave the library.
One may also contemplate what to do with the amount of free time in the new location. This was the activity I chose to partake in for a good part of last night and this morning. The options were: walk to the library; drive to the library so that a stop can be made to buy cheese; drive to the small mall; drive to the large mall. Driving to the library won out, of course.
That brings me just about to the end of my entry pertaining to the first days in the new location. They have been fun, scary and always quite the adventure. After leaving the library, I intend to go make myself a delicious lunch and curl up with some knitting, manicuring or Lord of the Rings...we shall see.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Graduation Nails!
So I meant to have some knitting to attach to this post as well but I finished my nails at 2:00 am and my graduation is at 9:00 am. After four fast years of college, I am graduating with a B. A. Of German!
This is my first ruffian manicure and I chose the colors to match my dress. I think there will be many more ruffians in my future but I need to watch the thickness of the coats I use to avoid bubbles. This is one coat of China Glaze Refresh Mint and two coats of The Face Shop BR80.
Until next time,
Happy painting!
The Nailventuress
This is my first ruffian manicure and I chose the colors to match my dress. I think there will be many more ruffians in my future but I need to watch the thickness of the coats I use to avoid bubbles. This is one coat of China Glaze Refresh Mint and two coats of The Face Shop BR80.
Until next time,
Happy painting!
The Nailventuress
Thursday, May 3, 2012
New Blog Title!
Time has yet again escaped me. I blame school, as always, but I have found a solution to kick start my blogging again. Combining pictures of my knitting and polish.
First up:
The Hemlock Ring Blanket Which I have turned into a shawl. Knit with size 10 Needles, 1 skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Natural Brown, using steel colored glass beads.
Polish: Butter London's No More Waity Katie in celebration of the royal anniversary! 3 coats.
First up:
The Hemlock Ring Blanket Which I have turned into a shawl. Knit with size 10 Needles, 1 skein of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Natural Brown, using steel colored glass beads.
Until next time,
happy painting...and knitting!
The Nailventuress
Friday, January 20, 2012
New Knitting Pattern Posted!
20.1.2012
The Never Ending Scarf.....
The Never Ending Scarf.....
When I was younger, one of my favorite movies was The Never Ending Story. Rowan’s Romance reminded me of that film and I knew it was the perfect yarn to knit myself an infinity scarf. This scarf is a simple knit that is great for mindless knitting at the end of the day. The instructions require no memorization and can be altered to fit a variety of yarns, textures and gauges. And I promise it is not a never ending knit!
Materials:
Size 15 Needles
3 Balls of Rowan Romance approx. 180 Yards. (Supplement with any super bulky yarn. When using a different weight of yarn, cast on more stitches to account for smaller gauge).
2 yards of scrap yarn (for the provisional cast-on)
Crochet hook (any size for provisional cast-on)
Instructions:
Using a provisional cast-on, chain 30 stitches with crochet hook. Pick up and knit 25 stitches with knitting needles. There should be left over stitches on the provisional cast-on, it is easier to rip out at the end.
Row 1: Slip1 at the beginning of the row; K1P1* repeat till the end of the row.
Row 2: Slip1 at the beginning of the row; P1K1* repeat till the end of the row.
Knit until scarf is desired length. Remember, the scarf should not be the same length as an actual scarf if you want it snug against your neck. Mine is about 3.5 feet long.
Taking the needle currently not in use, pick out the provisional cast-on as you pick up the now live stitches. There should be 25 stitches on each needle.
Make sure scarf is not twisted before starting the kitchener stitch bind-off.
Sew in ends and enjoy!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Christmas 2011 Nails
This is an old manicure but I never posted it and absolutely loved it!
I used Illamasqua's Base Coat and then applied China Glaze's "Holly-day" for the green and OPI "Thrill of Brazil" for the red. Then I added a line of China Glaze's "Twinkle Lights" to add some sparkle and topped it all off with some Seche Vite. This was so much fun to wear for the holidays :D
Until next time,
Happy painting!
The Nailventuress
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Finger Paints Flecked
Imagine my surprise when I walked into my local Sally's and actually found the new flakie effect collection from Finger Paints. I had gone in so many times before and never found it that it wasn't expecting it to be waiting for me, practically untouched. I grabbed Motley, Flecked and Twisted, three flakie combinations that I do not own. Asylum and Flashy were to similar or boring for me to justify picking them up.
Although I already had Orly's Androgynie on my nails, I topped it with a coat of Motley and then a coat of Flecked. Motley was a bit hard to see at first, but Flecked is absolutely perfect! M is a gorgeous blue gree duochrome shift that is so intense it does not require much movement to see.
To add to the excitement of this manicure, I took pictures with my new camera (a Canon Rebel T3)! I still have to play around with the setting when taking nail pictures but I am pleased with these first pictures!
Until next time,
Happy painting!
The Nailventuress
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Revlon Facets of Fuchsia
Any time I see a dupe for a pricier polish I end up hunting it down. Luckily Revlon's "Facets of Fuchsia" was easy enough to get a hold of. This polish is similar to China Glaze's "Mummy May I" from the Halloween 2010 collection, however, I think it is a dead on dupe for Deborah Lippmann's "Bad Romance." Unfortunately I do not own BR, but looking at pictures confirms it for me.
FoF took three coats for full coverage. Next time I would layer it over a creme black to save polish. It dried relatively smooth and was absolutely gorgeous on my nails (I was sad to take it off!).
Until next time,
happy painting!
The Nailventuress
Update!
3.1.2012
It has been really hard to keep up with my blog these past few months. Between travel and school I have had barely any time to read, let alone write, blogs. This week is my first week back at school and it looks as if I may have a bit more free time than last term (knock on wood) so I will try to do a weekly update with manicures of the week! I guess I am making a new years resolution to do so, lets hope it works :)
In other news, I have bought a lot of nail polish recently. Three weeks ago I got back from a school trip to Germany and ended up with more polish than I thought, then I bought some Christmas collections and other odds and ends. Plus I got a new camera for Christmas that is asking to be tried out with my manicures.
Look for some posts in the near future!
Happy painting,
The Nailventuress
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