Crochet Afghans in Movies

I recently started noticing that practically any set design on TV or in movies featuring a present-day home always has a crochet blanket draped over the couch. Is it really that common in America? None of the people I visit have afghans prominently displayed except my grandmother – and in her case, she has one on every single upholstered piece of furniture, plus crochet doilies on her china cabinet shelves.

Anyway, from now on if I catch another crochet blanket in a show I'm watching, I'm going to snap a picture and post it here. This first movie I haven't seen yet, but it was by far the most prominent find on Google when I was searching for famous afghans in the media... the Smurfs!

There's this whole article talking about the set design of their "retro-boho" East Village apartment in New York City, and at the very end of the post, they prominently feature this colorful, multi-square afghan on the couch (of course), as well as a circular, striped crochet tablecloth. Pretty neat, huh?

If you want to make the famous blanket, the closest pattern I've seen is the Babette Blanket from the Interweave Store, but for more details, you can follow a whole discussion on Crochetville from people trying to reverse engineer the pattern. Will let you know when I catch another crocheted or knitted piece in the media... the last movie I saw was Star Trek Into Darkness, and apparently all fabrics have been replaced by neoprene and other futuristic fibers. ;)

Question:
Have you seen any famous or noteworthy crochet or knit creations on TV or film?

A Little Romantic Puzzle Game for You

TIGF! To help you celebrate the upcoming three-day weekend, here's a fun little indie game called One and One Story made by an 18-year-old on a very sweet subject matter. In this simple browser-based puzzle game, you try to get the little boy to meet up with his true love in each level.

The whole thing only took me about 15 minutes, with another 10 for the bonus mode (extra levels that unlock once you've finished it). Totally worth your time, so take a little break today and find out what makes the ending so sweet. :) Happy Memorial Day, all!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Lightning Wolf?

When I first started playing Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (before Dexter was born), I found that the game threw out easy quests at first so that new players can get used to the gameplay. Given that it was my second Monster Hunter game, I confidently sped through those tutorial hunts like a longtime skier returning to the slopes. So, on some banal mission to kill 10 slow-moving sea-cows, I'm casually gathering some honey in a scenic little pasture... when all of a sudden, a giant, super-fast lightning wolf-beast barges in!!! K was peacefully sitting on the couch next to me watching TV, and witnessed firsthand my reaction: shrieking at the top of my lungs, jumping out of my seat, and frantically bashing buttons in a witless manner. He then proceeded to laugh his head off because, come on, who actually gets frightened by a pretend monster in a video game? In contrast, when K sees a new baddie enter the screen, he thinks "Cool!" and charges at it full steam. Me? I both figuratively and literally run in terror because, even in a digital world, I don't want to die!

OMG WTH FLEEEEEE!!!!

The horrible creature that paid me this surprise visit, I later learned, is called a Zinogre, and eventually my character got strong enough to kill one. But every time I hear the Zinogre's musical theme, a part of me still shudders a little in apprehension. Which is why a few days later, blissfully enjoying a nice long shower with my eyes closed, I heard some familiar music slowly crescendo in the background...

"Watch out, honey! There's a Zinogre in the bathroom!!"

Yup, that's right. While I was defenseless and naked, the love of my life decided to prey on my fears and play the Zinogre battle music from his smart phone. Luckily for him, I was laughing too hard to give him the sound beating he deserved. Thank God I have a husband who will forever keep me young. :P Anyway, if you'd like to hear/see a 2-minute clip of the oh-so-cool Zinogre, check it out below.


Question:
What's the funniest prank someone has ever played on you, and how did you end up getting back at them?

My New URL agamerswife.com is Live!

For years, K has been encouraging me to get a more official URL for my blog (besides the default Blogger one), and I always brushed him off with "This is just a little hobby of mine and no one cares." So for Mother's Day this year, he went ahead and got me the domain name agamerswife.com! My mom-in-law was like "What, no jewelry?" but this kind of geeky gift is totally up my alley. K certainly knows his wife well. :)

In other news, remember those video game onesies that my friends made for my baby shower a long time ago? Well, little Dexter is almost one years old, and he's starting to wear the final batch of onesies sized for 18 months. I'll have to make new stenciled clothing once he outgrows these. Here's a pic of him decked out in Mario wear (and stingy with his smiles as usual). Anyway, just wanted to wish a happy belated Mother's Day to all you mommas out there!

Question:
If your kids are too young to understand what Mother's Day is, should your husband still buy you a gift or do something special for you?

My Baby's First Afghan

When I first got into crocheting, I was on this huge baby blanket kick. Invite after invite for baby showers were coming in, and making afghans seemed like the classic, heirloom type of gift.

Through the process I discovered that I dislike making afghans because of the huge scope of the project and the monotony. Also, it seemed like everyone's aunt, grandmother, or sister-in-law had the same thought as me because my time-consuming labor of love was just one in a stack of many handmade blankets. It just wasn't worth the effort. Therefore I turned to making baby booties, little beanies, and adorable amgurumi plushies.

However, because of my many baby gifts over the years, I think most of my friends thought, "Oh, no need to make A anything because she already knows how to knit and crochet." And it's true; I did make a bunch of wearable accessories for Dexter but really it was just the bare necessities (excluding the six-piece Link costume).

Even the bare necessities should have a little twist. :)

6 months after Dexter was born, I suddenly realized... he doesn't have a single crochet afghan! We did receive two heirloom quilts and a baby lovey blanket, but not something warm and hearty you can just throw in the car or bring on a long stroller walk in the winter. Gah, am I willing to take on another dreadfully long afghan pattern for my own son? You betcha. :)

As shocking as it may be, I did not choose to make a geeky baby blanket (at least not yet). I really did want to make something classic and timeless, not too old-fashioned or kiddish like the rainbow and shamrock green afghan K's grandmother made him. So I settled on the simple but pleasing Streamwave Throw from Caron Yarns and got color inspiration from other people's projects. I think it turned out pretty well and the size is big enough to be used during the toddler years.

Baby bear cocooned in a sea of blue Red Heart yarn

K is a big fan of the color selection :)

The pattern is attention-grabbing enough with all the stitch and color changes, while repetitive enough to be a good TV watching project. I think I may break my usual habit of only using a pattern once and create another variation of this blanket for an upcoming (you guessed it) baby shower. :)

Playing the Video Game Career Counselor

Being a video game developer is like being a mini-celebrity. The first question people ask you at social events is "What do you do for a living?" - and once they hear K's reply, he gets swarmed like the last human alive in a sea of zombies. And if the audience consists of teenagers or their parents, the immediate next question is "How do you get into the games industry?"

Kinda feels like a scene from one of K's fav Threadless shirts, The Horde

Over the years, K estimates he's had to answer that question, oh, a little less than the number of stars in the galaxy. And the number of starry-eyed young'uns who have actually become video game developers? Well actually, only one that he knows of. So here's the story of the little game developer wannabe who could.

Once upon a time (aka 2004), K was on the forums for a newly-released game that everyone was raving about. It had originally gained popularity as a PC-only game, but this latest addition to the series was the first time they'd gotten a console release. The problem was this: die-hard PC fans were complaining that the "console tards ruined it" because the new game seemed to have longer loading waits and each level was divided into 2 zones. K set the record straight by explaining the latest version of the Unreal Engine had a visual node limit (it could only render so much object complexity in a given scene), so designing the game for PC only wouldn't have made much of a difference. Apparently his explanation was a little too knowledgeable-sounding, because one of the forum readers soon sent him a private message (PM) and asked "How do I get into the games industry?? :)"

Who knew K would be helping out people across the globe? O_o

The guy was a college freshman, in a country on the opposite hemisphere of the world, and he had no idea what he wanted to do besides the fact that he liked playing video games. K started with the fundamentals of what the different roles are – artists, programmers, designers, producers, etc. – and some basic advice how to get in. But the questions kept coming. So rather than type out 10 giant follow-up messages, K suggested doing a phone call. So the freshman purchased a phone card, and asked away to his heart's delight for the next hour. And that was that.

Six years later in 2010, the guy emailed K back out of nowhere and said he had done it! He had finished a degree in computer science, gotten a job as a video programmer, and now ironically, was getting out of the industry because he was sick of the long work hours. But he wanted to thank K for all that he had done. How cool is that! Even more interesting, last week that same guy just emailed again and said that he's tired of working for the government. Apparently, he plans on returning to his first love after all: programming for the game industry. :)

Anyway, I just thought this was a cool little story since I've witnessed K answer the "how to become a game designer" inquiry over and over again and this is the first time I've ever heard of a payoff for his efforts. Best of luck to ya, former-freshman-turned-programmer!

OT: Post-Pregnancy Fitness for the Lazy

As wonderful as pregnancy is... how do I reverse the damage?!

After the initial joy/shock of finding we were pregnant with Dexter, all those first-time-mom fears began to creep in. Will my boobs totally sag? Will I get cankles? Will I ever get my abs back? (Least you think I'm entirely vain, yes I was also anxious about being a good parent, etc. but for the purposes of this story, hang in there with me. ^_~) The worries in my mind must have eventually overflowed because I found myself confessing some of these thoughts to my boss in the hotel room we shared during a business trip. She proceeded to comfort me by lifting up her shirt and show me these huge, 1-cm wide stretch marks from giving birth to her 10 lb. son. Yeah, great way to calm a 8-week pregnant woman. O_O

It's got fruit in it so it's gotta be healthy, right?

Scared stiff by visions of my torso looking like crinkled foil, I was careful not to go overboard with the ice cream and I diligently practiced squats, pelvis tilts, and transverse ab vacuum exercises while brushing my teeth. By the end of the pregnancy, I had gained a respectable 30 lbs. and promptly dropped 20 lbs. within 1 month just from giving birth (obviously) and breastfeeding (big calorie burn).

About 3 months after Dexter's birth, I lost 5 more lbs. from simple portion control, and therefore was within +5 lbs. of my original pre-pregnancy weight. I started adding light exercise by going on 15-30 minute walks about 2x a week around the neighborhood with baby and dog, even in the snowy winter, and got down to my pre-pregnancy weight by the time Dexter was 6 months old. (Man, those last few pounds are always the hardest to shed.)

I think my makeshift baby ski mask makes him look like a ninja...

However, even though I was at my goal weight, I felt like my abs and arms were still completely flabby and un-toned. (You would think all that baby lifting would count for something.) I could never get the motivation or time to workout at home, much less at a gym. Evenings after work and the kids are asleep are for cuddling up with your significant other on the couch, amirite? :P Then I saw an article on Pinterest called Sexy Toned Arms in 6 Weeks, and I thought to myself, "I can do these 4 simple exercises for only 6 weeks." But when to fit it in... how about when K makes me watch Deep Space 9? :) So yeah, for 1.5 months, I would watch Jadzia Dax and Commander Worf get it on (eww!) while working out my guns. And so that I wouldn't tire out my arms, I also added a basic ab workout to alternate every other day.

In summary, the keys to getting my pre-pregnancy weight back were:

• Eat a normal amount; no need to gorge yourself during pregnancy or breastfeeding. 
• Don't starve yourself either; eat if you're hungry. Keep fruit and other healthy foods around the house so that you can grab something quick if you need a snack to last till the next meal. Don't buy candy, chips, etc. because if it's not around the house, you can't eat it.
• Don't feel like you have to do a ton of exercises each time you workout. According to recent studies, exercising even 10-15 minutes every day is better than one 2-hour workout once a week. (I tend to work out right before I shower so it gives me a "deadline" to complete it each day.)
• Write down what you did on a wall calendar, so you have the satisfaction of visually tracking how far you've come (or how many days you've missed).
• To save time, I try to use the heaviest weights I can per exercise. Do each set of exercises 2 times, with about 8-20 reps per set. If you can do 15-20 reps for a set, it's probably time to increase the weight amount.
• Don't just do cardio or weight training; you need a healthy mix of both to shed fat and tone muscle.

Anyway, hope my story helps someone out there. Even though I've only been weight-training my arms and abs specifically right now, my butt and thighs have also gotten smaller just from the calorie loss. Now that spring has arrived, I may even take up some light jogging or biking. I dunno, the sight of me running is like shaking a bag of meat up and down... it's not pretty. >_<

When I see women who run like this, I want to check to see if they're wearing magical shoes with wings. (source: Women's Health)

Question:
How do you keep in shape? I feel like I have no time in the day and consider exercise to be waaay boring. :P

Bun-Bun Plushie Baby Blanket

I don't think I ever showed you this, but Lisa is an amazing seamstress (who also helped me sew my first tailor-made skirt), and for Dexter's baby shower, she made him a switchblade-welding bunny named Bun-Bun. (If you're a fan of the comic Sluggy Freelance, you may be slightly familiar with him.) Anyway, I could not believe how incredibly well-crafted this baby lovey blanket is and promptly declared that it would forever be stored on a shelf high out of Dexter's reach, but Lisa made me promise that I would actually let him chew gnaw destroy play with it.

Sooo cute! One day I'll learn how to sew plushies and make adorable whatchamacallits to my heart's delight. :)