Latest Projects!

I recently finished a small throw made with Bernat Blanket yarn and I love it. My Grandnuggets love it too. Bernat Blanket is just so quishy delicious. It’s harder for me to work with physically due to my hands and previous surgeries but it’s definitely worth it the constant breaks. I crocheted 9 squares and then attached them using a single crochet stitch which creates a raised edging.  To finish it off I created a border using single crochet. The finished throw is 48″x48″. It’s the perfect cuddle size when they curl up to watch a movie or it can be used as a lap blanket. I plan to make a larger throw with the blanket yarn  but won’t be creating individual squares again. Possibly a C2C graphgan is in my future.

My yarn order from Herrschner’s arrived 2 days early so I was able to start making gifts on my Christmas 2017 list. And no, it’s never too early to get the Christmas projects started. The first on the list is a blanket for my oldest son. He’s been a Green Bay Packers fan for 22 of his 30 years. I did some surfing on the net and on Pinterest and found this amazing graph from Kendra’s Crochet. All I had to do was email her and request. She responded quickly and I just had to shop for my yarn. Kendra made her blanket with Redheart yarn but I decided to go with Caron Simply Soft because it’s one of my favorites. I got it on sale for $2.99 a skein from Herrschner’s.

I decided to carry the yarn colors through instead of dealing with ends or smaller balls of yarn. This means ordering additional yarn but I’m okay with that. It’s working up quickly and my goal is to have 40 rows completed by Saturday. I set the goal low because I never know what’s going to happen during my week. Sometimes I have to take a whole day off from crocheting or knitting if my hands are bothering me a lot. Weekends mean one day dedicated to hanging out with the family. Everyone comes over for a big family dinner and we then dive into a tabletop game or watch movies together. Two weeks ago we decided to start our own Dungeons and Dragons group because everyone’s schedules were working out for once. We’re all looking forward to our first campaign with my husband as our DM.

Now that Thursday is winding down I’m going to get a few rows done on the Packers blanket and watch Chicago Med. I love all of the “Chicago” shows and I’m looking forward to the premier of Chicago Justice on March 1st.

Season 9 and Me | Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls

This by far has been my best season in Diablo 3 for a couple reasons. I’ve always relied heavily on having my hubs research a build for me but those days are gone. Prior to the start of season 9 I started watching Rhykker’s YouTube channel for all things Diablo 3.  It helped because things just seemed to “click” for me and I’m understanding the why behind skills, enchants, gear etc. After reaching 70 and getting some paragon levels under my butt I decided to use the Invoker’s set of armor that my crusader received in Haedrig’s Gift. I’m currently running a Thorns build and enjoying it a lot. I’ve also managed to surpass my paragon level of past for any given season. As of this blog post I’m at 533 and still climbing.

During today’s session I finally cleared a level 62 GR with about a minute to spare. My 3rd gem needs to hit level 60 which I hope will make things a bit easier but a few more ancients wouldn’t hurt. The pieces I have aren’t perfect but in Diablo 3, you roll with what drops. There’s still a part of me that wants to run a Hammerdin build but I’m waiting for the Patch 2.5 drop that includes the new Armory.

Patch 2.5 is currently on the PTR and going through even more changes after Blizzard has analyzed a chunk of feedback from the community. As with all patches I’m looking forward to the changes but have to add that I’m not a fan of the “Primal” path they’re taking for drops. With that said, Blizzard has changed Primals on the PTR and only time and testing will tell if the community welcomes those changes. I haven’t copied my Crusader to the PTR but have tossed the idea around in my head.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to start a Barbarian on the path to 70. She’s also a seasonal character and while she won’t receive Haedrig’s Gift (one per customer per season folks) I have been stashing gear, mats and gold so she’ll have a 6 pc set at 70.

Season 9 is the first time I’ve completed the Champion seasonal objectives. I’m now 4/8 completed objectives for Destroyer and if I can drag my other half back into the game I’ll be able to complete an additional 3 leaving only “Complete 1 Conquest”. Whether I managed to pull that one off is yet to be seen but I’m still happy with my progression this season. During the downtime between S9 and S10 I’ll bang out a bunch of story driven achievements that I’ve let go. This is the most addicted I’ve been to Diablo 3 since buying it and honestly I’d jump ship into Diablo 4 if Blizzard ever announces it. For now, this is what they’re giving us and I’ll happily grind along.

Five Dubyas

decided to start this blog with a post that answers the 5Ws: who, what, where, when and why.

WHO is writing this blog?

Qwyxi Styx

Hi there, I’m Bet the knitter, crafter, photographer, DIY-errrr, gamer, daydreamer that writes this blog.  I live with my amazing husband, our youngest son, a Boxer and a Tabby cat. The two older sons are out on their own and forging lives for themselves. There are two grandchildren that I refer to as “The Grandnuggets” or just “Nuggets”.

WHAT content will I be creating here on the blog?

Most tutorials instruct beginner bloggers to focus on a single topic. The folks that write those tutorials have never met me. I’m not a “one topic” kinda’ gal. My list of interests is long. I’ll be sharing my creative side:

• crochet, knitting
• creating chainmaille jewelry and accessories
• photography & graphic design
• anything crafty creative that piques my interest

Toss in a healthy portion of my love of baking and my fandom for movies, TV series, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter and Marvel.

I’m also a gamer and have been actively gaming since I bought my first console back in 1986. Three sons were raised on console, PC and tabletop gaming content and we’re all fans. The family gets together regularly to play Dungeons & Dragons 5e and an assortment of tabletop games. We’re nerds and fly our freak flags proudly.

WHERE are you from? Do I detect a Soprano’s accent? 

No, no you don’t. I’m from southern NJ which is a huge distinction. New Jerseyans from the north sound vastly different from those in the southern portion of the state. You’ll hear “cawfee”, “jawg” and “awn” when I’m saying the words coffee, jog and on. My husband, originally from Kansas, tells me that I say the word “toast” weird. How exactly does one say toast differently? *insert a big shrug here*

I’ve been a Phillies and Flyers fan all of my life but when it comes to football my heart belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ll half-heartedly cheer for the Eagles but for years I was a Chargers fan because I was a Junior Seau fan. But with his departure from the Chargers in 2002 I decided to join Chiefs Nation. Since my beloved is a lifelong Chiefs fan it works perfectly

For me Jersey is family, the shore, the best blueberries, home grown tomatoes and small town living.

 

 

 

WHEN … hmm when will this post end? When will I blog? When is dinner? 

Good questions. Hoping to blog a few times a week depending upon my schedule.

WHY are you blogging?

Well the internet isn’t going away anytime soon so I thought it would be a great way to chronicle all the things I make, games I play and random thoughts that roll around inside my brain thingy.

Perhaps one day my Grandnuggets will read it and laugh or learn more about me. If I could leave my family with anything in this world it would be eleventy billion dollars but since neither the hubby or I were born with silver spoons in our mouths…

I’ll leave them with the thought that their Gramma lived her life just the way she wanted: surrounded by family and doing the things she loves most. You get one shot at life. You might as well have fun and enjoy it. Screw keeping up with the Jones’ or climbing the corporate ladder.