Tag Archives: game

Inspiration: Games!

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I’m so excited, guys!  It’s vacation time!

Every year, for the last 5 or 6 years (I’ve lost count), a big group of friends from college (plus some spouses, siblings, and childhood friends) and I have been getting together around Labor Day weekend for good food, good beer, and lots and lots of board games and video games.  It started as a yearly visit to Seattle’s big gaming convention, PAX, but starting last year, we now go on a real vacation!  Last year was Yellowstone, and this year is Tybee Island, Georgia (yay, beach!)

It’s always a blast- everyone lives so far apart these days that it’s great to make a point to get together each year.

And we always get to play a bunch of great games.

Carcassone was one of the first “cool” board games I remember playing, starting in high school (OK, “Cool” might not be the right word, but it’s certainly better than Monopoly.)  The little “Meeple” pieces included with the game are totally iconic… maybe I should make a set of these coasters to keep our games dry while we play.

Meeple Coasters by Ambie ValdesSometimes we even have a “quick” game of D&D (or something similar).  Usually that starts after I go to bed, though… I need my beauty sleep, and everybody else drinks way too much Diet Coke.

I love these dice bags- the Hobbit-inspired monograms are a perfect detail!

Good, Good Dice Bags by Jinger RoyAnd, while we’ve never played checkers at one of our get-togethers, I bet if I brought a set that was this cute, I could find someone to play a round or two.

Sheepy Draughts… and a Wolf Too by Aurelie ColasDo you like playing board games?  What’s your favorite?

Game Knitting

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Last weekend I went to a fun little knitting convention in Seattle, and I did something awesome that I’ve never one before!

Game Knitting!

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Game Knitting was originally developed by Lee Meredith of Leethal Knits, and it’s a super fun, goofy way to knit.

You pop on a favorite movie (or TV show, or podcast, or audio book), and get ready to knit.  Then, decide what “thing” you’re going to watch for.  Maybe you’re watching Law and Order and you listen for each time the soundtrack goes “chung chung!” Or, if you’re listening to a Harry Potter book, you could look for each time they say the word “magic.”  Basically, think about it like you’re doing a drinking game, but if you were actually drinking, you would end up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning in about fifteen minutes.

Anyway, we watched Clueless (one of my favorites)! And we had a whole list of “things:”  90s slang, crazy hats, baggy pants, Paul Rudd, giant cell phones etc.11168928_800[1]So, once you’ve picked your “thing” and you’ve got your yarn and needles, start knitting something small and simple.  There were folks making hats, mitts, coffee cozies, and washcloths.  I decided to make a simple garter stitch scarf with my hand-spun multi-color yarn.

Then, every time you come across your “thing” you do something to change your knitting.  I switched from knitting to purling.  Some people added a yo/k2tog eyelet, some people knit a bobble or switched colors.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy scarf (or at least the first 6 inches of it) is super cute and squishy.  The random knit/purl pattern is great with my less-than-perfect handspun, and is going to be an adorable winter accessory.  (And a great excuse to watch more movies!)

Basically, it’s a simple knitting recipe for when you want to make something silly and fun!  I love it!

Would you ever try Game Knitting?  What movie would you watch?  What would your “thing” be?

Inspiration: Yoshi’s Wooly World

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At E3 this year (the big video game conference, where all the big names in video games get together and show off their new products) a new game in the Mario franchise was released: Yoshi’s Woolly World!

Yoshi2015game[1]It’s a Mario game, with Yoshi the dinosaur (dragon?  I’m not sure) as the protagonist.  And for some reason everything in the game is knit, crocheted or otherwise made out of stuff you’d find at Micheal’s.  I’ve tried to figure out why they picked wool as their decorative medium, and I cant’ figure it out.  It does look cool though.

Yoshis_Woolly_World_screenshot[1]Look!  The clouds are made of felt, the big flower is crocheted, the grass is knitted, and even Yoshi himself is made of wool.

WiiU_Yoshi'sWW_scrn09_E3[1]I don’t quite understand it, but I don’t really care.  It’s cute and funny (and fuzzy).  I might even have to go buy a WiiU when this game comes out next year.

Celebrate Yoshi’s Woolly World with a woolly Yoshi of your own:

Yoshi by Jessica Kneffel

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