Wizard of Earthsea

I made good on my resolution to abort the novel, although I suspect I'll check it out again one day because I'm basically among the 38.1% at the bottom of this infographic.

In the meantime, I've started Ursula K. Le Guin's The Wizard of Earthsea because it was sitting on the coffee table, where it had been relocated from my son's bookcase several months ago for reasons involving Matthew McConaughey.

OK, I know I have to explain that one.

At some point this past winter, undoubtedly due to sunlight deprivation, I got it into my head that a character played by Matthew McConaughey advised reading Le Guin as an introduction to science fiction for someone who may ordinarily prefer, say, Jane Austen.

I remembered McConaughey's character in The Jane Austen Book Club giving this advice to Maria Bello's character.

Wait, you say: Matthew McConaughey wasn't in that movie! Yeah, I know: Grigg was actually played by Hugh Dancy. But for some reason, I thought at the time that Matthew McConaughey was telling me to read a Le Guin book, so of course I fetched the only Le Guin I could find in the house. And there on the coffee table I let it sit for months because I had other things I'd rather read.

I'm not loving this wizard book either, but I'm halfway through, and it's fairly short, so I'll finish it and hope to discover the magic before the end. Also, this is fantasy, not science fiction, but maybe that's what Hugh Dancy's character was recommending anyway. I can't remember. I suppose I could look it up in the book, which I own. Or I could read it again; I liked that one.

However, the wizard did get me to thinking about knitting. It made me recall the fabulous knits in the film version of The Golden Compass, probably because that was also based on a fantasy novel, and as the film was released several years ago, I wondered if any knitting patterns from the costumes had become available. So I googled, and I found my next project.

My teen daughter, who will never wear a hat even on the coldest winter days, was looking over my shoulder and let me know that she would consent to wearing this if I knit it for her:

I found the pattern at Ravelry, and I probably have equivalent yarn in my stash, so as soon as the sweater is finished, this will be a go.