Knitting for Me

I’ve always wanted to be the type of person who wears scarves like Rory in Gilmore girls. Not just because it’s winter, but also a stylish accessory. Despite this desire, I don’t actually own a single scarf and I decided that should change. Knitting a scarf may seem like a simple thing, but I actually find them to be some of the biggest projects to take on, second only to a blanket. They take FOREVER, they’re often boring so it’s easy to get side tracked, but I can’t deny that once they’re completed they’re beautiful. I made a cable scarf for my MIL a few years ago out of bulky yarn (a faster knit) so why I decided that my second scarf should be done in fingering, I’m not sure.

Pictured above is the scarf I have been working on for myself. It’s knit with Knitpicks chroma yarn which slowly changes colours as you go along. The end effect is beautiful, and it is keeping me interested because I love seeing the colours change. The pattern itself is incredibly simple:

  • Row 1: [knit, purl], repeat [] to end
  • Row 2: Slip first stitch purl wise with yarn in front, [knit, purl], repeat [] to end

That’s it. The end result is a beautiful ribbed pattern that makes a SUPER stretchy soft reversible scarf. No, mine isn’t perfect. When I was first starting the pattern I wasn’t convinced I was doing it properly and instead of frogging it back to the start I just carried on, and there’s a dropped stitch that I ignored for 9 rows that I had to pick up and carry through and fix – but the scarf is still beautiful (to me at least), and I can’t wait to finish it. I’m about 40% done knitting it so far. I heard some where that scarves should be as long as you are tall, so I’m aiming for this scarf to be at least five feet long. I imagine I’ll finish it some time in October which will give me plenty of time to get some good use out of it this winter.

That gives me time before Christmas to get some smaller projects done as gifts (more about that another time). I spend a lot of time knitting for other people, and it feels nice to be making something just for me.

Changes at MmoQuests

In the 11 years that I’ve been writing on this blog I would say about 99% of the posts have been about video games in some way shape or form. I love games, I love the friends I’ve made through gaming and games are large part of my life. That’s not going to change.

The thing is they’re not the only part of my life. I have two other blogs, one for knitting and one for book reviews. Neither site gets very much attention (lets face it, these days I rarely post here as it is) and having multiple blogs for all of my little hobbies is getting… annoying.

I don’t want to change the site name from MmoQuests because I’ve had it for so long now and it would just feel awkward – but I do want to change things up and include more posts that talk about whatever happens to be holding my attention. I’d also like to change up the look of the blog, but that will take some time because I’m pretty particular about what I want (and what I don’t want).

For those who enjoy only reading about the gaming – don’t fear. I’ll add a gaming category along with the individual game categories, and you can subscribe to an RSS of just that. I’ll also be adding a few new categories like knitting, cross stitch, and cooking. I understand that readers may go down because you’re pretty used to me writing about specific things here, but I really feel that my blog should be able to incorporate ALL of me, and not just the side that enjoys video games.

These changes should be seen as good things. It gives me a bigger incentive to write and not feel lost that I don’t have a video game to write about. It expands the audience (hopefully), and broadens topic searches. I’ll be keeping my book review site because I pay for that one, but my knitting site I’ll be taking down and merging into MmoQuests. I haven’t written there since August 2016 and I doubt it will be missed.

If you’re absolutely against me merging non game related topics into MmoQuests let me know, either in comments or by email, and be sure to include why you think it’s a bad idea. I can’t promise I’ll act on your advice, but I will listen to it.

Off to Harathi Hinterlands

From Lion’s Arch, to Grndarran Fields, to Harathi Hinterlands – which is one of my least favourite zones. I’ve been making my way through the zone and completing hearts and events as I go, but for some reason the place just doesn’t appeal to me at all.

I did get enough mastery points to unlock legendary craft even though I have zero idea what that means. Apparently there are new recipes available, so I need to figure out where the NPC I need to visit is for that. I imagine in one of the cities.

Aside from that I’m still just taking my time and exploring. I’m really excited about mounts with the new expansion, and I’m content to take my time and meander around while we’re waiting for PoF to release. What is everyone else up to in game? Finishing personal stories? Living Seasons? HoT quest lines? Let me know in comments!

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

Thoughts on Visual Novels

I love my 3DS, but I have noticed over the years that there’s one game category that’s sorely lacking from the games presented, and it’s a genre that I not only enjoy a great deal but one that lends itself very well to hand held devices.

Of course I’m talking about visual novels.

These types of games are still sort of new to mainstream Western gamers, sure they’ve been around but in very limited spurts as we wait for translations and development. It wasn’t until recently that Steam started carrying a greater selection, and even then a lot of the more popular ones are either created just for Playstation (think Vita), or stand alone on the PC. Even if you speak Japanese and don’t need to wait for a translation getting your hands on a copy here in Canada can prove difficult.

I’m sure Nintendo has a good reason for avoiding the genre, it’s not exactly “family friendly” which is what I typically associate with Nintendo games (I know there are exceptions) but I really think there’s a market for them that is being missed.

In the meantime I just live vicariously through my friends who own a Vita and the few titles that trickle down to steam – if you enjoy VN games don’t forget to support developers and let them know that you want to keep seeing them! I realize they’re not everyone’s favourite, but it’s important to support development so that we continue to get the content that does make its way to this part of the world.

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

Legacy Family Happenings

It’s been a long time since I peeked in on my Sims 4 legacy family (we’re only on the third generation and the goal is to get to the tenth) but they were still there, waiting. I’m not really sure what I was doing with their current home, but when I started up the game I didn’t like it at all, so the first thing I did was bulldoze the lot and start their home over again. Not a big deal as they were not moving and they still kept their important things, even though I’m only three generations in they’ve accumulated quite a bit of ‘stuff’.

EA has also revamped the purchase screen so I had a clear idea of what I own (and what I don’t). I’m missing a lot of the smaller game components these days, and it’s no wonder because they seem to publish them quite frequently. I never picked up vampires because there’s no easy way to deny them from your sim world – and I don’t have Parenthood, or a lot of the stuff packs like toddler stuff, fitness stuff, bowling night stuff. All of these packs add up, and to “catch up” as it were would be quite expensive.

That being said, I AM very excited about Cats & Dogs which releases November 10th. Pets?! Yes please! This was one of my favourite things in Sims 3, along with seasons which I’m still waiting for. Included in the game is not only pets and items that cater to the animals, but the veterinary career and the ability to create your own vet practice.

Yes please.

Have you kept up with the Sims 4 game packs, expansions, and stuff packs? Which one is your favourite? Are you looking forward to pets being released? Let me know in comments and as always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!