2021

Down Goes Boss #1

stargrace February 15, 2021 0Comment

The Combat Wombats managed to get together in the morning so that we were mostly all at the same place at the same time – to take down the very first big bad boss in Valheim. It was a giant elk, and we actually managed it without too much trouble aside from the one time that I was just casually sitting on the ground during combat because my kids needed something (I was subsequently smushed) and then that other time where immediately following the kill we were ambushed by the weird creatures that live in the dark woods. You know the glowing eyes I’m talking about. I think Arislyn, Scopique, and myself were the victims of that attack.

We had to kill the boss a number of times so that we each had a component to make a fancy new pickaxe, and now we can upgrade a few things. Like maybe our base, it still looks like we’ve put that together with toothpicks. I know Arkenor has been doing some exploration, I think he’s searching for the merchant that should be .. somewhere. I looted some coins, so I’m anxious to see what I can purchase.

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

Knitting Yarn

Shawl Update – 30%

stargrace February 14, 2021 0Comment

My goal for February is to knit 50% of Stillness – a shawl pattern I picked up on Ravelry. I planned it all out and assigned each week to approximately 10% of the shawl, and so far that is working out very well for me. Yesterday I reached 30% which is exactly where I should be. If I knit 3-4 rows each day, I’ll have no issues hitting 50%. There’s 262 stitches per row right now so it takes a bit of time to get through them all, but three rows a day is pretty reasonable. You can see the gradient starting to take shape, too. I expect the next drastic colour change should happen around 40%.

I’m also well into the lace work on this shawl which makes it difficult to photograph and I’m very eager to get it completed and blocked. It will probably take me at least another month to finish, but I’m not feeling daunted by the work at least.

Gaming

Valheim? Valheim!

stargrace February 13, 2021 0Comment

This game came out of no where – and I’m loving it so far. Valheim is an exploration / survival game, but the theme is viking culture. You can play single player or co-op with up to 10 friends. The Combat Wombats have a server set up and we’ve been working towards getting geared to defeat the first boss so we can unlock the next tier of items. We have a small base that we’ve been trying to set up. Right now there’s a lovely camp fire for roasting meat, some beds (not too close to that fire now) and a bit away I’ve set up some bees.

The game has a lot to do and there are a lot of skills to work on if you want. I haven’t played for that long (yet) but I expect I’ll explore it fully over the next few weeks. It’s also early access right now, so I expect some great things for the future. It also is up to over 30,000 reviews at Overwhelmingly Positive – not bad, for a game that just released February 2nd.

Bring on the adventures!

Knitting Yarn

TAAT Sock Club Socks..

stargrace February 12, 2021 0Comment

One of my goals for 2021 was to learn how to knit socks two at a time. There’s a few reasons for this, but for me personally it’s because Second Sock Syndrome is a real thing. My husband asked me if knitting two socks at the same time would be any faster than knitting one – and the truth is, no. It’s not faster. In fact it might even be slower because of all the adjusting I have to do. That doesn’t mean that TAAT socks don’t benefit me though. See, when I complete a project, it gives me an adrenaline rush. I feel good. I feel happy. The problem is in my case that’s typically only ONE sock, and I still have an entire other sock to knit. My mind, doesn’t want to. It wants to bask in the euphoric feeling I got when I finished the first one. So I procrastinate starting that second sock. Sometimes I even wait a few months before casting the second one on. The one sock I’ve completed is left lonely wondering if they’ll ever have a partner. One sock I knit doesn’t even have a partner. Casting on two socks at the same time means it’s one project even though it’s two items. Until one is done, none is done, and when one is done they will both be done. A mental game against myself.

So no, knitting TAAT is not really faster – except that it is. It’s also a great way to keep even tension and to remember the pattern and all that good stuff. I’m knitting my socks using The Blue Brick’s sock club yarn which is starting to grow on me. It’s a gradient, so we’ll see how it goes once the colours start changing. I don’t have a pattern and I’m just winging it. I cast on 32 stitches using Judy’s Magic Loop (16 per ‘side’) and then increased every 2nd row until I reached 72. I’m using a 4 row repeat pattern for the sock itself, the bottom is just plain knit. I am thinking I’ll do a fish lip heel, but we’ll see when I get there. If it all works out, I’ll post the pattern up later.

Gaming

Valentione’s & Little Ladies’ Day

stargrace February 11, 2021 0Comment

I know some folks are not fans of in-game events that replicate real world events – but me? I enjoy them. FFXIV is a bit of an odd duck in that they have these events each year with rewards, but if you want the rewards from previous years, you have to purchase them (with real money) from their shop. It’s one of the few games I’ve seen that manages to carry off a full subscription as well as a robust store and paid for game features (extra retainers, level boosts, class unlocks).

I was actually playing last year at this exact time so I had the previous rewards but nothing prior to that. I decided to splurge and I picked up 5 rewards from the shop, then I also completed this years quests and picked up the Lovely Moogle Cap, and a house item (Stuffed Kupka Kupp). My glamour chest is starting to fill up nicely with a collection of outfits to wear and my tiny apartment is filling with moogle related items. I still have big dreams of being able to afford an actual house, but for now I’m still raising money for that.

Short term plan? I’ve settled on paladin & astrologian as my next focus, that will leave me with a tank/healer/dps class at least and more choices to swap between. Once I’ve got those leveled up we’ll see where I want to head. I never planned on leveling everything to 80 in the DoW/DoM category, but I DO want to try to level everything up as a crafter (DoH/DoL). I also need to complete a bunch of class quests still – on everyone, even my 80 dancer hasn’t completed all of her quests yet. I know, I know. There’s just SO much to do. I love it.

Down Goes Boss #1

Shawl Update – 30%

Valheim? Valheim!

TAAT Sock Club Socks..

Valentione’s & Little Ladies’ Day

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