Wonderful Maggie

My husband went off to watch the football on Saturday afternoon, so I treated myself to a trip to the cinema, to see The Lady in the Van.

Maggie Smith is at her best as the rude, obstinate and selfish homeless lady who "temporarily" parks her van on Alan Bennett's drive way and ends up staying for 15 years!  And the amazing thing is, it's actually true.

Maggie Smith was clearly having the time of her life playing Mary Shepherd and Alex Jennings as Alan Bennett (both versions of him - yes there are two Alan Bennetts)  is excellent.

A fun film with plenty of laughs and humorous observations.  Definitely worth going to see.

Continuing with my small successes, I made another of my Handy Dandy Sock Yarn Bags.

The sock yarn I used was leftovers given to me by Grace and the colours are just so gorgeous.

The yarn is Rico Superba Poems in, I think, the Candy colourway.

Such fun colours.

Because of my small successes,  I'm finding that I'm also making progress on my larger projects - I'm not sure what the psychology behind that is, but there's a positive energy in the air and I'm making the most of it.

I hope positive energy finds itself your way.  Have a good week.

Fantastic Beasts in Liverpool!

I was in Liverpool city centre last week.  I'd popped in to pick up some curtain fabric for the newly decorated hall and landing.  And when passing St George's Hall, I noticed there was a lot of metal fencing surrounding it and what looked like fake snow on the steps.

Later that evening my husband and I were back in the city centre to meet a friend for a drink and there was considerable activity in and around St George's Hall.  I took a photo - just in case!

I've since found out that they are filming scenes for J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter spin-off book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".  The film stars Eddie Redmayne but unfortunately I haven't spotted him around, although one of his co-stars, Jon Voight has apparently been seen in one of the Liverpool night clubs.

Picture from Liverpool Echo

Picture from Liverpool Echo

Picture from Liverpool Echo

Picture from Liverpool Echo

Apparently, Liverpool is the only non-studio location for the film, and the city is doubling up as 1920s New York.

The film isn't being released until November next year but I shall be looking out for Liverpool when I go to see it.

Spring Greens Cushion Cover

I started making squares for a cushion cover several weeks ago, before the Tour de France and the associated KAL came long and disrupted my schedule.  I'm quickly getting back on track now and the cushion cover is complete.

I love the colour combination.  It's fresh and light and reminds me of Spring.

The squares use the Grandma's Knickknacks pattern by Laurel Runnels, which I absolutely love.  It's nice and quick to make and produces a lovely compact square and it's free.  You can see full details of this project on my Ravelry page, here.

For the back, I just made a large granny.

Now I'm busy catching up with my other CALs and KALs.  More squares and a beautifully designed shawl.  More on these another time.

To accompany my knitting and crocheting, I'm enjoying watching some classic old films with Eve.  Yesterday we watched The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy.

And previously we watched Swing Time with Fred and Ginger.

You can't beat a good old black and white film.  Pure indulgence.  I hope all goes well with you and that you're enjoying yourselves.

Far From the Madding Crowd

Out in cinemas in the UK at the moment is the latest film adaptation of Thomas Harry's Far From the Madding Crowd.

I went to see the film last night and loved it.

The star is Carey Mulligan, who plays the role of Bathsheba Everdene beautifully.

The photography of the film reminds of Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version).  It is soft and sweeping with gorgeous landscapes.  The musical score is also perfect.

And who could resist Gabriel Oak played by Matthias Schoenaerts.

I would strongly recommend  Far From the Madding Crowd (or as our cinema advertised it, Far From the Maddening Crowd) to anyone who loves a good period drama. Go see it and enjoy.

Into the Woods and Out Again to Cambridge

Eve is now back in Cambridge and so, as Saturday was her last day at home, we tootled off to the cinema together to see Into the Woods.

I must admit I hadn't realised that this was a musical.  I hadn't given much thought as to what to expect of this film, other than Meryl Streep was playing the witch!

As soon as the first song started I knew this was going to be a good one.  The singing was excellent, the costumes just right.  Quite often funny, sometimes thought provoking but always interesting and enjoyable.  This Disney film is definitely worth a visit.

I can't get the songs out of my head, so I'm skipping along Into the Woods as I do my housework.

The journey down to Cambridge yesterday was uneventful but long, as always.  We only had a few hours in Cambridge before we had to drive back but we fitted in a walk along the river and a meal in our favourite pub.

So it's just the two of us again for the next nine weeks.  It'll take a few days to get used to it, but there's so much to occupy me I'm sure the time will fly.

The Imitation Game

Eve and I saw the film The Imitation Game last night.

It was amazing.  One of the best films we have seen for some time.

The acting was superb, Benedict Cumberbatch was incredible.

The story kept you engaged right from the start.

And as a bonus, there were some very interesting knitwear items.  I particularly liked Keira Knightley's cardigan.

I'll have to think about reconstructing that cardigan, it's a lovely pattern.

If you get the chance, see this film, you won't regret it.  And keep an eye out for the knitwear!

Paddington

I may have mentioned (several times) that I'm a big fan of the Paddington Bear stories.

I still have all the books from my childhood.

I even have a Latin version of the first book.

And of course I've crocheted a Paddington.

So I just had to see the new film that's out.

It's a delightful, funny, heartwarming story.

I smiled and laughed my way through the film, with the occasional tear in the eyes.

It was not the Paddington of my childhood.  This was a revised, renewed and updated version.  It was still enjoyable but just not MY Paddington.

Sally Hawkins as Mrs Brown was lovely.  I was particularly drawn to her very colourful knitwear and charmingly quirky house.

I'd recommend the film, (and not just for the knitwear)  it's great fun, you just need to put aside the original (and best) Paddington, and go with the flow!

A Lazy Afternoon

On the way to the library, the other day, Eve and I popped into some of our favourite charity shops.  It's always good fun looking for treasure.

One of the things we bought was the DVD of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - only 10p! I've wanted to see this film for a while.

So we're planning a lazy afternoon watching this film and knitting away.  The shawl is almost complete and is looking good.

With this film time, I should have it all done in no time.  What wonderful way to spend the afternoon, relaxing with my daughter and doing the things I enjoy - I am so lucky.

I hope that your day is as pleasant as mine.

The Lone Ranger

We had to go and see it - despite the reports that it had had bad reviews in America.  The Lone Ranger - I had wanted to see this as soon as I saw the trailers.  And I really enjoyed it.

The cinema was full and it was a very appreciative audience.  All good reviews from us.

I loved the part towards the end when the music from the William Tell Overture (the Lone Ranger theme tune) came on.  It was so stirring - I had to buy the Hans Zimmer version.  I'm playing it now as I bounce up and down, riding my imaginary Silver, in time to the music.

Hi-Yo Silver away!

Gatsby

On a wet, cold and miserable afternoon what better way to while away the hours than a trip to the cinema to see The Great Gatsby.

Definitely worth seeing, whether you've read the book or not - most enjoyable.

Sabrina's Dress

In my twenties I used to do quite a lot of dressmaking - I don't know why - I wasn't particularly good at it and I didn't particularly like it.  Anyway, a couple of years ago I had another go at dressmaking and made a dress.

The dress is a nice simple pattern and it's easy to wear.

So I've decided to make another one.  With this fabric - very summery.

It's cut out and I've completed the bodice.  Congratulating myself on the progress so far I relaxed with some knitting and the Audrey Hepburn film Sabrina (1954).

A lovely film once you get over 55 years old Humphrey Bogart as one of the romantic leads.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed Audrey was wearing my dress!

Her waist is just a little bit smaller than mine!!!

How wonderful, until you realise that Sabrina's dress is from the period in her life where she is young and unsophisticated.

After her return from Paris, older, wiser and definitely more sophisticated  her dress style changes significantly.

Oh well, I don't think I could ever pull off the sophisticated Parisian look so I'll keep working at the innocent young girl look!!