One of my favorite films to rent as a kid was Labyrinth. I have no idea how many times I've seen it, but no doubt was I partially responsible for wearing out the VHS tape at my local Blockbuster.
If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this movie, Wikipedia tells us, "Labyrinth is a 1986 British-American adventure musical dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, executive-produced by George Lucas, and based upon conceptual designs by Brian Froud. The film revolves around 15-year-old Sarah's (Jennifer Connelly) quest to reach the center of an enormous otherworldly maze to rescue her infant brother Toby, who Sarah wished away to Jareth, the Goblin King (David Bowie). With the exception of Connelly and Bowie, most of the film's significant characters are played by puppets produced by Jim Henson's Creature Shop."
Puppets, a giant maze, and David Bowie? Sign me up. I love this movie.
One of my favorite songs from the film was "Magic Dance," which starts off with the lyric, "You remind me of the babe." What surprises me when watching the clip (aside from how terrified that baby must have been filming this scene), was how this song pops into my head from time to time for no reason at all, then remains on replay for days. Watch the clip below to see what I'm talking about (email subscribers, this will not show up in your email, so click anywhere on the post to see it)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvyNOg4jSRg
As a lifelong HUGE puzzle geek, I always wanted to get in the maze from the movie and have a go at it. My parents had a wooden tabletop version with a marble you could try to maneuver around holes and sharp turns that was another childhood favorite. Since running the maze can't happen, I decided to knit an ode to this wonderful film from my childhood. Meet You Remind Me of the Babe, a geometric Fair Isle cowl flanked by an I-cord cast on and bind off! This is the second of over a dozen new patterns I'll be rolling out this fall and winter, all compact, simple knits for busy knitters on the go.
Using 1 hank of each color of The Fiberists Audubon Worsted, this yarn is squishy, soft, lovely to knit with, has excellent drape, and can be thrown in the wash if it gets dirty as you run away from goblins in pursuit. The nature of Fair Isle and stranding both colors across each round makes this a double-thick fabric. While the I-cord cast on is not a quick one, it provides the perfect edge to a cowl, giving it both weight and a crisp, rolled edge. Knit up on US 8s, this colorwork pattern is easy enough to memorize and would look stunning in any sort of highly contrasting color combination. It's designed to be a "pick up and go" project, meaning it's easy to drop and pick up where you were quickly, without pouring over a pattern trying to figure out where you left off. While I love some hardcore brain-bending Fair Isle, this is a simple and elegant pattern that gives you a lot of wow for not a lot of brain power.
With autumn at our doorstep, I find myself reaching for a light jacket when I bring my son to school in the mornings. Soon enough I'll be reaching for a cowl as well and this boldly patterned double-thick cowl will be at the top of my pile.
Download the You Remind Me of the Babe cowl here and watch Labyrinth here.