2018 Geek-A-Long: Labyrinth

When I watched Labyrinth as a child, I identified with Sarah on a visceral level. I had annoying younger siblings I didn’t want to babysit either. They were whiny babies, who wouldn’t leave my stuff alone. The first time I heard Sarah speak the words to call the goblins to take her baby brother, I was like:

“Dang, girl. You’re right. That brat deserves it. Now, excuse me while I pause this VHS and try to summon the Goblin King myself.”

And I did. I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to summon David Bowie to come take them off my hands, so I could read The Baby-Sitters Club and Goosebumps in peace.

Labyrinth is a cult classic right up there with Princess Bride. Unlike Princess Bride, however, not all of it aged well. David Bowie and Jim Henson’s work is still 100%, but Sarah… Oh man. As an adult, I can’t stand Sarah, and I’m ashamed that I ever related to her. She spends most of her time in the Labyrinth talking about how unfair everything is even though she’s usually the one who had put herself in that situation to begin with.

But that’s okay, because the true star of the show – other than the beautifully majestic Goblin King and his codpiece – is the little blue worm. He was my absolute favorite when I was a kid. I used to imagine how wonderful it would be to go inside and have that cup of tea with him.

The Labyrinth was nominated by fromthehightower1 with five bullet points explaining why it deserved to be on the 2018 Geek-A-Long blanket:

• The intro scene with the owl is one of the first CGI animals in a feature film and was a milestone in CGI. As I child, I always spent the entire intro trying to figure out if it was real or not.
• It is an amazing work of Jim Henson’s puppetry, which seems to be a lost art in moviemaking. So much of the movie would be CG now.
• The Bog of Eternal Stench.
• Its (apparently) legit canonical sequel is only in manga form, Return to Labyrinth. (which is nerdy if nothing else)
• It talks a lot about not taking things for granted, which seems to be a much needed lesson these days.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Labyrinth pattern here. Instructions and charts for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to Instagram your squares at us @lattesandllamasyarn with the hashtag #geekalong!

If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here and a tutorial on crochet here. Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.

~ Jac

Jareth: You remind me of the babe.
Goblin: What babe?
Jareth: The babe with the power.
Goblin: What power?
Jareth: The power of voodoo.
Goblin: Who do?
Jareth: You do.
Goblin: Do what?
Jareth: Remind me of the babe.

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If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to Child’s Play Charity. Here is a direct link to our official donation widget benefiting the charity. Please help us raise $1,000 this year. No contribution is too small! Wanna make your donation go even further? Lattes & Llamas will donate $1 for every skein of Geek-A-Long Yarn purchased. Ask your local yarn store to carry GAL Yarn or get it through our website.