Last weekend, my husband John and I got our nerd on and paid a visit to The Compleat Strategist, a gaming store in midtown.

We’re talking about games of the role-playing or board variety, not the video kind. However, throughout our visit we were privy to an ongoing HEATED discussion about the ins and outs of the World or Warcraft role-playing game, which is the offline version of the popular online game. Because online games are just a little too cool for this crowd.

Here’s a photo of the store from their website—it perfectly captures the dankness that is a prerequisite for a hardcore nerd hangout:

John and I decided to forgo the RPG bizarreness, and instead picked up a special 1993 edition of Trivial Pursuit (the only year they had, which somehow makes it awesomer) and a board game called Carcassonne, which is my new favorite game that I mentioned in the title of this post.

Carcassonne isn’t so new, apparently, but it’s new to me. It’s basically a strategy game in which you and the other player(s) build a French colony out of little squares of cardboard and try to sort of take over as much of it as you can as you go. It’s kind of like chess, I suppose, except less abstract and a little more cute. My kind of game!

It’s really nice to just sit down and play a non-flashing, non-beeping game made of cardboard and wood for a change. Our French colonies quickly grew too big for our coffee table, though, and we both have sore bottoms and backs from sitting hunched over on our hardwood floor for every night of the past few days. But I’m determined not to quit until I finally beat John. (I’ve come close!)

On Saturday I went to the New York Book Off, a used book store chain that’s all over Japan. Entering the store was eerily like stepping into Japan itself—it was dead quiet inside, the customers all standing with good posture and silently thumbing through paperbacks.

The eeriness of it all made me not want to stick around for long, but I did manage a fantastic knitting-related find before making a break for it.

Yes, from the same people who brought you the 1998 John Lennon Sweater Book, it’s the 1999 James Dean Reminiscent Sweater Story! Yes, that’s really what it’s titled.

As with the Lennon sweater pattern book, I don’t presume to know the knitwear preferences of Mr. Dean, but I think he was just a bit too cool for some of these sweaters.

I guess this is one he might have worn to his orienteering club.

But this book had some savvy editors – notice the subtle placement of the matches and cigarettes in the lower right corner—yes, now I can totally see James Dean wearing this very rebellious sweater.

Here, though, I think they went a little too far with the suggestive props:

At least it’s a really fake-looking knife. And I guess the sweaters are better this time too.

This one is a bit more atmospheric:

It’s like, “hey, baby—hows about we share a Coke-a-Cola, then go for a spin on my tractor?” (Sure, James Dean, as long as those are cigarettes in your pocket, and not knives!)

OK, just one more—here is a sweater James Dean might have worn if he were… um, invited to tea with John Lennon?

(Notice the pastel tea set.)

And of course, no dead celebrity-inspired sweater pattern book would be complete without an ad for the dead celebrity-inspired special-edition yarn.

What a tribute.

This thought-provoking book will go to my mother-in-law, or maybe to the highest bidder.

I haven’t knitted a sweater in a long time, but my recent discovery of Danish knitwear designer Iben Høj has made it a tempting endeavor again.

Actually, I guess I’m more tempted to just run out and buy one of these impossibly delicate knit tops. They’re carried in stores in several major cities in the U.S., including New York.

The textures and drape of fabric conjure up images of spider webs and spun sugar—could a dreamier combination exist?

At last, the pattern for Luvgun has been added to the Mochimochi Shop!

This much-anticipated pattern features a hollow barrel that can be loaded with three little knitted hearts.

He’s a modern-day cupid who aims to bring love to everyone in his sight!