2018

Getting my RTS on

stargrace May 2, 2018 No Comments

Progressing through my pregnancy has left me just as I remember from the last one – little desire to actually sit at my computer chair, and fingers too swollen and sore to do much elaborate movements. Still, I love to game, so I’ve found other ways to combat these issues. This week, I dove into some RTS games (real time strategy) and got my gaming fix that way.

I started off playing a game of Civilization, as Brazil. I lost, horribly. I started out strong and was taking over the cities of my closest neighbours but then had a change of heart and wanted to play nice, except everyone already hated me and I lost due to some diplomatic something or other (I also had the game set to 500 turns which ran out, so maybe technically I didn’t lose so much as I wasn’t the winner). It was still a lot of fun, I love Civilization (I’m playing 6, the latest version, with Aztec DLC and none of the others because I don’t own them).

Next I downloaded and loaded up Age of Empires II, a game I’ve owned for a while but had not played in a very long time. Of course I had completely forgotten what the goal was and what I was supposed to be doing, so my farmers, lumberjacks, and builders were no match for the mounted cavalry that came charging in to wipe us out. Hey just because I like playing RTS games doesn’t mean I’m any GOOD at them.

Third up – Warcraft III. I’ve actually NEVER played Warcraft III before. Ever. Thanks to having a bunch of bnet balance I picked up the game for $12 (CAD) and jumped right in. Having been an avid player of WoW, it’s neat to see the story lines presented from the Warcraft III perspective (which came first, after all) and thrall and his grunts are happily smushing things. Unfortunately I forgot to run the game in comparability mode so I missed out on all of the opening cutscenes, but it should be fixed for future campaigns.

Finding games that I can still play with my particular issues of late has been fantastic. It’s nice not to have to give absolutely everything up, and RTS games allow me to quickly step away and tend to life.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Knitting Yarn

Socks and some Progress

stargrace April 29, 2018 No Comments

My hands have been too sore and swollen lately to do much gaming (or blogging) but I’ve still been trying to get some knitting in here and there. After four days I’ve got the cuff and leg done, and I started the heel flap. I have a few more rounds to do on the heel flap and then I will turn the heel and start the gusset. Then it’s onto the foot, and toe, and done!

Socks are a nice quick knit, relaxing once you know what works for your foot size and are confident with the pattern. I still have goals though. I want to learn TAAT (two at a time) to try to prevent second sock syndrome, and I want to learn the fish lips heel which I bought off of ravelry for $1 ages ago and have just been too intimidated to learn. The booklet that comes with it is huge, though a lot of that is back story and not about the actual pattern. I want to learn it properly, so I want to follow the directions which include making a cardboard version of your foot with markings so you know what is going on. I’ll get to that eventually, I hope.

I find it satisfying to wear socks that I’ve knit, not to mention their comfort and durability if you take care of them. I know I’ve mentioned in other posts that they’re some of my favourite things to knit for multiple reasons. After I made my last post I actually ended up ruining my favourite pair of socks by having them go through the dryer. They shrunk to a children’s sized sock, and felted so badly that there was no longer any lace work. I don’t have enough of the yarn to knit another pair, and it has been discontinued, so you can imagine my pain. It’s a harsh reminder that knit articles of clothing should be hand washed and hung to dry in order to keep them optimal.

After this pair of socks I’m currently working on I’ve got another pattern lined up – kitty cat socks. I’m eager to see how those ones go. I think I’ll try knitting them TAAT so I can stave off that second sock syndrome (where you get bored after knitting one of them). Plus it would be nice to finish an entire pair at a time instead of having to knit one and then start a second one. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

Happy knitting!

Gaming

A weekend in ESO

I’m not really sure how it started. A few members of combat wombat were talking about Teso (or ESO as I prefer to call it) and then the next thing I knew there were about 10 of us all playing, including myself. I’ve had my account since the game released, having done some freelance work for MetaVerse back in the day, but I had never played beyond the tutorial and my character was only level 3. I can’t even say WHY that was the case. I was probably distracted by some other shiny.

I have been having a lot of fun in World of Warcraft, but I’ve also been playing it steadily as my main game of choice for almost a year and I wanted a little break before BfA releases, and now seems like a good time. My account is still active since I’ve paid for it using gold (how I wish more games would go the rout of FFXIV where you can PAUSE your subscription and pick it up again not wasting any game time) but I’m going to enjoy a bit of a break and go back refreshed.

In ESO my character is level 11 and wandering around Stonefalls. I picked up all the crafting certification quests and now I have dailies for those, and I also started some research which is apparently very time consuming and involved. I participated in my first public quest, also called anchor quest, also called dolmen, and it was a lot of fun! Got a good chunk of xp and a nice chest of goods at the end. It’s nice and just a bit odd to be playing a game that a good chunk of my friends are actually playing, too. We haven’t done anything together (yet) but it’s nice to have the opportunity if it arose.

The game is absolutely beautiful. I went through and snagged some QoL addons yesterday and they have already made a HUGE difference in my game play. Especially the crafting / harvesting addons. I play in 10-15 minute chunks (minus when kiddo goes down for a nap or is asleep for the evening) so being able to focus is something I really need help with, especially in a game like ESO where wandering is heavily encouraged. If I have time to wander I love it, but I would never get anything done if I couldn’t also focus a bit.

I’ve pre-ordered Summerset which gave me Morrowind, and I decided to go ahead and pay for ESO Plus for the crafting space along with the other perks (crowns, so I can buy a fancy house, xp bonus, and other goodies like that) plus the ESO celebration week starts today which will grant me even more goodies while I have ESO Plus and log in daily.

It’s exciting to play a “new to me” MMO that I haven’t really delved into before. The quests and stories are interesting, the landscape new, and I’m discovering points of interest that are both disturbing and fascinating. I may only be level 11, but I’m eager to see how this goes.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself! You can find me in ESO as @stargrace if you want to add me to your friends list.

Gaming

Events as I recall them

stargrace April 22, 2018 No Comments

I’ve started playing a little ESO, having never gotten beyond level 3 before, and having neglected my account for the better part of.. well, all the years the game has been active. Below is my Nord Dragonknight’s tale of a latest adventure..

“Quickly!” the apothecary screamed at me. “Use the salve you just collected for me, and apply it to the injured. We need them cured.”

I admit, I panicked. I looked at the men in the burnt down house, ran up to the closest one, and .. well. Decapitated him in one swoop of my 2 handed axe. It was like swinging through butter.

The apothecary just stared at me, mouth wide.

“What… Why.. wh… You know the guards will be after you for this now!” He screeched at me, pointing to the fellows head that was still in my hands. “You’ll have a bounty on you, and you won’t be able to enter the cities without recognition.”

I stood there not quite comprehending how things went down.

“I wanted you to heal the men OUTSIDE. OUTSIDE!” The apothecary continued to yell at me and point, obviously we were both having a bad day, but I couldn’t tell at this point which was worse. Probably the guy whose head I had in my hands. I dropped the head on the floor, kicked the body over to the side so no one would trip on it, and ran out the door with my bundle of salves, looking frantically for whoever the apothecary meant for me to heal. It didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the ash covered scenery and spot prone bodies laying all over the place. Realization dawned on me.

THESE were the guys I was meant to heal, not the ones inside the burned down house that were probably perfectly healthy before I .. well. Solved that.

I sighed. It was going to be a long day.

Knitting Yarn

Why Knit Socks?

stargrace April 17, 2018 1 Comment

I’m a completely self taught knitter of 2 years now, picking up what I know from various YouTube videos and Craftsy classes. One of my goals from the start was to learn to knit socks, and I attempted that 3 months into my knitting adventure. They weren’t perfect, I had to re-do the toes numerous times, but I was so proud of them.

Knitting socks quickly became my preferred project. I absolutely love it. They’re small enough to take along with me in my purse where ever I go and living up in Northern Canada like I do, they’re functional and required.

Socks may seem intimidating, but once you learn the parts to a sock you gain an understanding of how simple they are. Since they’re also sized to your own feet (or the feet of your recipient) they’re also going to be the most comfortable socks you’ve ever worn – as long as you take care of them they’ll last years that way, too.

Taking care of hand knit socks is a bit of a pain. You’re best off hand washing them and hanging them to dry, don’t put them in the dryer or they may shrink and the size may change or they may felt. There are superwash types of yarn you can use to help prevent this, but my suggestion is still to hand wash and take care of these precious knitted garments. You’ll also want them stored properly so bugs don’t eat them, nothing worse than finding moths gnawing away at your most comfortable pair! I keep mine in a wooden box along with some lavender in a satchel.

I’ve knit four pairs of socks for myself so far, along with a pair of my son (who promptly outgrew them) – and I have every intention of knitting a pair for my more than deserving husband, though I admit I have been lax on this. Socks are a fairly quick knit depending on the time you can dedicate to them – one more reason I love these projects, if you’re the type that thrives on instant gratification, I simply can’t suggest trying to learn them enough.

Once you get over the initial complexities you realize that every single sock is made exactly the same, with a few variations here and there – but the sock parts remain constant. This allows you to branch out from creating very basic socks to more complex socks like the lace one I’ve knit above (hard to see the holes from the lace work in that picture, but they’re there)! You can switch up the heels, the toes, the leg, and create so many different types of combinations. You’re sure to find a pair that suit your creative mood.

Socks. That’s what I am happiest knitting. What about you? Let me know in comments, and happy knitting!

Getting my RTS on

Socks and some Progress

A weekend in ESO

Events as I recall them

Why Knit Socks?

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