As we did a marathon shopping day yesterday, not a lot of knitting got done. I have been moseying all over the web looking for an interesting afghan/blanket pattern to make for myself, but haven’t found anything yet that floats my boat. I keep coming back to the Skipping Stones, but I have already made that recently. I don’t particularly want to make it again and I think I’d like to knit the next one - knowing, of course, that it will take me a lot longer than four says to make. I’ll probably wind up making something up - maybe using some of those cables I was so busily swatching last week? Hmmm…that’s an idea!
We did finally get to see Narnia. It was just wonderful - captivating, enchanting and beautiful. The story was well and accurately told (with the exception of a few lines being updated to be more PC) and the choice of actors and actresses was perfect. In particular, I enjoyed James MacAvoy as Tumnus the faun and I recognized that I had seen him before, but I couldn’t put my finger on where until I looked it up. He portrayed Leto Atreides II in SciFi’s Children of Dune.
This might be a bit much for very young children but is otherwise a wonderful, family film. I won’t speak to religious context. If you are familiar with C. S. Lewis’ work then you know what Lewis’ central themes are. However, familiarity with Lewis’ oeuvre isn’t required - the movie will be quite enjoyable regardless. I confess to being confused about the mild furor over the battle that comprises most of the final scenes of the movie. It was neither gratuitous nor protracted - but does contain one of the nastier bits of business - essential, but very unpleasant. The wicked queen points her wand at a griffin flying overhead and turns it to stone whereupon it falls out of the sky and shatters on the rocks below. If I had seen this at 6 or 7 I would have completely freaked out.
We’ll watch for the DVD release of this film as this is definitely one we want to add to our permanent library. And, as this is the first tale of a series of seven, I very much hope to see movies made of the other six books and I hope they are as good and are presented with as much respect and detail as this one.
Onward with the search for the perfect afghan/blanket! Have a wonderful weekend :)
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umm, you know my quest for the ideal afghan (sounds like i am looking for a dog doesn’t it?)has left me even more of a jibbering idiot than usual, so i wish you well in yours- there is a pretty one using cables at this site that might give you some ideas:
http://cache.lionbrand.com/patterns/kfw-samplerAfghan.html?noImages=0
i’m happy you got around to seeing the movie and weren’t disappointed with it- often the movie version of a beloved book is frustrating- some of the members of my family are on their 3rd viewing of ‘narnia’-
stay happy-
Aaaaah! He was Leto II? No wonder he looked familiar! I agree with you about the spot on casting (though I was disappointed, because Nicole Kidman was supposed to be the White Witch, which would have rocked my fangirl world.)
Knitting an afghan? *shudder* I’ll stick to crocheting mine - that takes me long enough.
Barb - Well, I’m wishing you luck. It seems ridiculous, that with all the imaginitive and interesting patterns out there, that I can’t settle on a single thing, doesn’t it?
I’m beginning to think about entrelac…
Colleen - Nicole Kidman? I didn’t know that - bet she’d have been pretty good. I thought Swinton did a decent job, but somehow I wanted her to be a bit more ferocious.
What about a pinwheel? http://www.knitlist.com/00gift/round-baby-blanket.htm
I liked the movie as well.
A nice website I’ve found for the movie(s) is at
http://www.narniafans.com
I hope it’s what you are looking for.
Laura - That’s certainly a nifty pattern but having just completed a round afghan, I’m looking forward to working something with angles :)
Maggie - Thanks for the link; I’ll go and have a look!
My sister and I saw Narnia before Christmas and loved it. Am I the only person who thought the White Witch looked just like Cate Blanchett?
Pam - I can see a resemblance but I have to say I don’t think Blanchette could have managed the utter coldness that Swinton did. Blanchette might have managed to be frightening, but she couldn’t have been as truly horrifying as Swinton was - in my opinion :)
Robbyn: I once made an afghan that didn’t take too long and looked way more complicated than it really was. It was crocheted though, not knit. You can find it in Leisure Arts Quick Crochet Afghans (must be the original book since it’s not labelled book 1). I’ve since discovered that there are books 2, 3 4 and I think 5. It’s item #3, Bulky Fisherman Afghan. I mention this because, 15 (or maybe it’s now 20) years later, we all cuddle up with it on the couch in winter and the once cream-coloured afghan is now turning a slight shade of gray from tons of washing and use. I’d also make one again in a hot minute if I needed another. To me that’s the sign of a great afghan!
Cheryl - Thanks for the tip and the pointer. That’s certainly a handsome afghan and would be worth looking into!
