As the year too dies

[jennaria]

(It has been a good twenty-odd years since I read Susan Cooper's THE DARK IS RISING series, and I can still recite some of the poetry from it. Memory is weird.)

Before the year ends: I have watched some movies!

SINGLE ALL THE WAY: you know how on Tumblr, occasionally someone comes up with this super fanfic-y movie premise, and people reblog it with 'OMG PLEASE MAKE THIS SO I CAN WATCH IT'? Yeah, this is that film. Includes mutual pining, Friends To Lovers, a whole herd of wacky family (who are not irritating! or minimally irritating anyway!), Another Option who is genuinely not evil! (and actually really sweet - I was briefly tempted toward OT3), and even There Was Only One Bed. This is deeply and genuinely filmed fanfic of the Fluff genre, the fuzziest of fuzzy blankets, and I am here for it.

JUNGLE CRUISE: Another in Disney's valiant attempts to turn its story-less rides into movies. It's...fun?
Something you can turn on and embroider to? Does not achieve full THE MUMMY, despite trying its best, nor PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN or Indiana Jones. That said, I will be fascinated to see how they try to restructure the ride to evoke the movie.

I have embroidered, and also completed projects!


I technically did these last year (as you can tell), but they didn't get finished off until this year. Also made a slightly alternate version with just the word 'fuck' next to the fairy, rather than tagging it with a year, which I did not photograph, but I kept the altered pattern so I can make it again. Fairy is from a book of patterns, and is supposed to be this sweet thing for a little girl, except that is not sweet calm hair, so it got...repurposed.


Also completed last year, but didn't get turned into a pillow until this year. Pattern from a book of Star Wars counted cross stitch. Present for my brother-in-law, who declares himself a Sith on the regular, and incidentally has a bad back.


Originally started for a friend's baby shower in May! ...yeah, no, it turned into a 'baby's first Christmas' present instead. Theme for the baby was supposed to be Goblins, but mom got talked into Enchanted Forest instead. So I bought two patterns (one for the forest - which is actually based on the forests of North Georgia - and one for Baby Yoda), and spliced them together, aaaand then took six months to finish it. Whoops. On the bright side, it turned out well!


I don't think the friend who's going to get this reads my DW on the regular, but, uh, just in case: surprise, Kathleen! Goose pattern is altered from another book of patterns I have at home.

As previously posted, got through about 35K words, and also fell off my 'work on writing every day' wagon. Oh, well. Will have to try again next year - it's reassuring to my anxious little brain to be able to point and say, look, I accomplished this, even it's just a mostly full notebook rather than a published novel.

Comments

[stranger]

The cross-stitches are adorable, especially Yoda-in-the-forest. I'm reminded of the baby blanket I was going to make for a cousin-twice-removed last year, which has also become a baby's first Christmas present. At least it turned out very pretty. I hope the baby appreciates it.

Knitting is so much easier than watching movies. And: Best wishes to you for 2022.

[jennaria]

Thank you! And best wishes for your 2022 as well!

[keshwyn]

On the day of the dead, as the year too dies
Must the youngest open the oldest hills
Through the door of the birds where the breeze breaks
There fire shall fly from the raven boy
And the silver eyes that see the wind
and the light shall have the harp of gold.

By the pleasant lake the sleepers lie
On Cadfan's way where the ketrals call
Though grim from the Grey King shadows fall
Yet singing, the golden harp shall guide
to break their sleep and bid them ride.

When the light from the lost land shall return
Six sleepers shall ride, six signs shall burn
And where the midsummer tree grows tall
By Pendragon's sword, the dark shall fall.

(I also had a madly misspent youth. Classics majors may be crazy, but English majors aren't far behind. ;-)

[jennaria]

You did better than I did: I only remembered the first stanza of that! But hooray for misspent youths. :-)

[rebeccama]

I love the cross stitches. The Darth Vader one is great and made me laugh, but I think the Yoda in the forest is the most beautiful.

[jennaria]

Thank you! I am sort of plotting to make the Yoda in the forest one again at some point, just because it turned out as well as it did.