The scarf is very straight forward…

Cast on 8 sts
Continue in garter stitch for 266 rows
Cast off

If memory serves, I knitted this on 4mm needles using both the red and white wool (Palette yarns 018/219 series). The tassles are simple loops tied on through the stitches. Depending on how you want your sackboy to look, you can adjust the length… as you can see from the photo, I went for the contemporary look so I made the scarf nice and long.

The hat is also fairly straight forward. This time I knitted with Palette yarns 018/219 series on 2.25mm/13 gauge needles using the following pattern:-

Cast on 94 stitches (thumb method)

* K2P2 x 23, K2
* P2k2 x 23, P2
* Sets pattern for first 6 rows

Continue in STST.  If required, change colour to seperate ribbed band.

STST for 6 rows.
  If you are adding a letter, then start it on the next
  row (should be a knit row) and work as required.
STST for a further 6 rows

Now, on each knit row, work the first and last 10 stitches like this:-

* K2 K2Tog K2 K2Tog K2

Continue until there are 10 stitches, then on the next knit row:-

* K2Tog to end

Break yarn, tie off stitches.

Make a pompom, sew up the hat and there you have it

It’s a PDF, so simply download it, print it out and get busy knitting

I pre-ordered my copy of LBP for the PSP from Amazon. It arrived on the day of release and that was it, I was set Prior to release I had read that they’d had to seriously chop the game down in order to squeeze it onto the PSP. The chops were apparently, a reduction in the number of depth levels from 3 to 1 and a lack of multiplayer facilities in game (understandable really when you consider there is only one set of controls and a comparatively slow processor in comparison to the PS3), so I was, to say the least, a little concerned about the game and how it would play out when compared to the PS3 version which I love so much.

But, I’m glad to say, I’ve not been disappointed.

I’ve lost count of how many hours I’ve been playing. Playing through levels, then going back and replaying them to get all the prizes and ace them and I still have a whole bunch to do. I’ve not tried creating anything yet, but I can say this…

The lack of multiplayer facilities hasn’t damaged the game, it’s still a great fun game to play, on your own (I play it in my downtime at work – I’m using the Pomodoro Technique so I play a while during the post-focus cooldown period) and the supposed reduction from 3 levels of depth to 1 hasn’t materialised… yes, the number of levels has been reduced… to 2. But to be honest, I haven’t really noticed it.

The levels themselves are pretty challenging, organised in the same way as the original game (as groups of levels created by various story characters), I’ve played my way through 31 (20 main and 11 mini) levels and I believe I still have one or two to go.

Graphically, it’s obviously not going to be up to PS3 standard, but it still looks great. Customising your character is a little more limited than the PS3, and creating levels is a little different since there is the concept of static and dynamic objects. Static objects stay where they are placed and cannot move during game play (a bit like stick something with a blob of dark matter) while dynamic objects can move (this is simply a mechanism to reduce the physics processing required to manage the level). There are no global options to control lighting (or at least if there are, I couldn’t find them) and sound effects are organised as individual items instead of being grouped into different speakers as they are in LBP.

Despite these changes though (which were to be expected given the massive gaping void that exists in terms of pure processing power between the PS3 and the PSP), it is a great game. So, if like me, you’d like to get a dose of LBP on the move, it’s well worth the investment.

Released on the 22nd December 2009, this is the first themed creators pack since the excellent Metal Gear Solid pack which of course provided the most excellent paint ball gun. This time around the theme is water.

Yes, thats right… Sackboy can swim

The pack contains some new creators tools in the form of new global options to control the water in the level, a global water object (similar to the global lighting object), a water switch and a scuba backpack allowing Sackboy to breath indefinitely underwater.

And to show off these new toys, a collection of 6 excellent levels based on Pirates of the Carribean.

All in all, an excellent addition to LBP. The new creator tools are great, and the themed levels are great fun, providing some new engaging game play and some good examples of what you can do.

My only complaint, I should point out that I’m not sure when these came in, is that some of the creators tools are now a pain in the butt. For example, setting the length of pistons etc. These used to be done using steps of 0.5. Now, they are done in steps of 1.0. You can still fine adjust things, but if, like me you work on logic using the medium grid, 2.5 and 7.5 are pretty common values and now setting them up takes a while longer than it used to.

But, minor gripe aside, this new content pack is well worth the small investment.

I actually only started knitting earlier this year, so at the most, 2 months ago… the reason… Sackboy. I found a knitting pattern by Alan Dart to make your own Sackboy, so after demanding my mum teach me how to knit, I got busy and knitted a Sackboy, who now lives with Spirit. But he was getting cold at night so she demanded I knit him some winter warmers.

So, I’ve knitted him a little body warmer (or gillet if you’re posh) and a little bobble hat, complete with pompom. I used 4mm needles and some Palette Collection yarn Series 019/219 (www.paletteyarn.com available from Hobbycraft in the UK, although it does look like the exact wool I used is now discountinued).

Cast on 60 stitches (thumb method)

1st Row: K2P2 to end
2nd Row: K2P2 to end
3rd Row: Repeat 1st
4th Row: Repeat 2nd

5th to 7th Rows: Knit

6th to 13th Rows: Stocking stitch beginning with knit

14th Row: (K2 K2Tog K2) Repeat to end (50 stitches)
15th Row: Purl
16th Row: Knit
17th Row: Purl
18th Row: (K2 K2Tog K1) Repeat to end (40 stitches)
19th Row: Purl
20th Row: (K1 K2Tog K1) Repeat to end (30 stitches)
21st Row: (P1 P2Tog) Repeat to end (20 stitches)
22nd Row: (K2Tog) Repeat to end (10 stitches)

Thread yarn through stiches and tie off, stitch up to make a beanie hat.

There you have it,a nice little beanie hat… pompom is optional And in a Blue Peter stylee, here’s one I made earlier…

Beanie with pompom for Sackboy

I should just add… the gillet… went slightly wrong, so I’m working on another one.

Enjoy!

If you download costumes from the PlaystationStore and they aren’t available for your character, make sure you have logged in to your PS3 account and fired up LBP. You must do this to ‘activate’ the content for your character.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be stated anywhere (at least I couldn’t find it) and as a consequence, I ended up purchasing another copy of one of the custome sets when all I really needed to do was login as me and start up LBP.

So, if your content isn’t available immediately, make sure you have logged in and have fired up LBP with you your character.

LittleBigPlanet (LBP), is a physics based platformer, you control ‘Sackboy’. A loveable little rogue made out of cloth. As you progress through the game, you get stickers you can stick all over the place and outfits and stuff that allow you to customise Sackboy’s appearance. The controls are simple… walk or run, jump and grab. There’s really not much else too it.

But thats one of it’s good points… it’s simple to play… simple to understand… its just simple.

Or is it?

One of the things that sets LBP apart from practically every other game out there is that it’s designed to be extendable… easily, no programming required. It’s also designed to encourage community play.

And this is where it comes to life.

As I’ve already mentioned, as you progress, you collect stuff… some you wear, some you stick around… and some, you build with. Ready made contraptions, materials (wood, metal, stone for example), switches, motors, bolts, springs… practically everything you encounter in the story mode levels can be collected and used, by you, to create your own levels. When you’re happy with them, you can publish them, at which point, anyone with LBP can play them.

Besides sharing your own creations, some levels postively encourage multiplayer cooperation by way of special sections that require two, three or four players to help each other reach certain areas. Up to four people can play at once on a single PS3, and if you don’t have that many people to play with, you can go on-line and play with other people.

The graphics are sweet, the music is catchy, the levels are challenging and Sackboy is cute!

What more could you want from a game. I’ve given LBP a 10 because it is, quite simply, one of the best games I’ve ever played. If you don’t own a PS3, get one and play this game. It’s fantastic… fun for all the family.

As a footnote to Sony… I would have included one of the logo’s from the fansite kit, until I read the terms. Why be so restrictive? Do you want people to promote your products or not? The fact is, I love LBP and would love to have included one of the logos, but since this isn’t a fan site, I can’t. Kudos to the lawyers and bods at Sony who thought up such restrictive terms… what were you thinking? Guess I’ll just have to get some screen grabs of my PS3.