From Autumn to Winter

How an entire month can go by with little notice is beyond me, but here we are - the end of November.  Michigan experienced an incredibly long autumn this year, and now the weather has changed and the mercury has dipped. Ice sits at the edges of my driveway and when I take the kitchen compost bin outside I can feel the frozen-heaved soil crunch and settle beneath my feet.

Christmas knitting has begun in earnest now, really at the last possible moment for the amount of Christmas knitting I feel needs to be done. Some projects will get done this year. Some may need to be saved for next year, and I am trying to knit out of my stash.  I have one Brother-in-law with very long feet who apparently dreams of handknit socks.  Not this year I am afraid.  I have yarn for him, but not the time to get the socks done.  That project will be a labor of love.

Snow has started to fly, and we are restocked on firewood and birdseed, both essential items for my winter happiness.

I have bombed out of NaNoSweMo with flying colors.  But I will keep plugging away at my sweater, because what is better than an alpaca sweater in the depth of winter?  It is heaven to knit, but it is time to think of others.

One of my new guilty pleasures is introducing my Knit Night friends to my guilty pleasures - beautiful films (I hate chick flicks, but the term is almost applicable in this context) with escapist plots.  Cold Comfort Farm, Pride & Prejudice (BBC/A&E), and A Room with a View (surprising amounts of full frontal male nudity) (hi dad!).

If you have an recommendations for films to add to my list, please let me know.  My loose requirements are:

1. must be beautiful to watch, but not require constant attention. (I love Amelie, but it is hard to work on deadline knitting while reading subtitles).

2. escapist plot.

3. readily available.  I have access to Netflix and their instant downloads, plus a kick-ass library system.

I also deploy countermeasures to make sure we don't overdose on happy endings.  Ab Fab provides some vicious comic relief.  And I am debating over Out of Africa - is syphilis and the death of a main character too much for light and fluffy Knit Night?

Ideas? Suggestions? Please pass them on!