The second Conjuring movie focuses on events that took place in Enfield, London, in the late 1970s, when Peggy Hodgson and her four kids were allegedly tormented by a poltergeist. A number of people studied the case, including Ed and Lorraine Warren, whose investigation is the central plot of Conjuring 2 (2016). The first half of the movie focuses on developing the haunting and watching the family dealing with all the events on one side of the world while Ed and Lorraine are dealing with their own challenges involving a certain pesky demon-nun who-shall-not-be-named. The Warrens travel to help the Hodgsons midway through the movie and more haunted shenanigans ensue.
Before Ed and Lorraine arrived on the scene, Maurice Grosse and Anita Gregory (played by Simon McBurney and Franka Potente, respectively) of The Society for Psychical Research (UK) were investigating the disturbances, as well as a number of others. These two are included in the film although the focus is on the Warrens' investigation. However, a mini-series called The Enfield Haunting which came out a year earlier (2015) focuses on Maurice Grosse's investigation (starring the fantastic Timothy Spall as Maurice Grosse) and is equally enGROSSing for different reasons. Guy Playfair is also portrayed in the mini-series, who wrote the 1980 book This House is Haunted: The Amazing Inside Story of the Enfield Poltergeist.
The Conjuring 2 is part of a series that focuses on Ed and Lorraine Warren, so we see a lot of their journey in this movie, whereas The Enfield Haunting is about Maurice Grosse's involvement with the case. The Conjuring 2 delivers on Hollywood scares and the Enfield Haunting focuses on slow burn story. Each offers a different explanation on the reason behind the haunting which brings a different tone to the film vs. series and each weave in the investigator's stories into the hauntings. Both are well worth the watch!
Let's get to the knit!
The knitwear in this movie should be listed in the credits--it has so much screen time. Much of it shows up in big blasts together, especially on the four kids. Ten minutes into the movie, siblings and friends cluster together wearing many a great knit (or crochet) hat (not to mention school vests).
Janet (red hat) and her friend, Camilla (white hat), are wearing a beret style hat, while older sister Margaret's features colorwork and a folded, ribbed brim. Billy's newsboy hat (right) and Johnny's beanie (left) appear to be crochet, rather than knit, and Johnny's looks like it might employ the granny stripe stitch, a simple stitch pattern where three (give or take) double crochets are crocheted into a three (or so) chain gap in the row below. Almost all feature a matching pom!
Knit (or crochet) the looks:
Top, L to R: Lazy Days Beret / photo & pattern credit: Heart Hook Home (crochet, free); Cygnus Beret / photo & pattern credit: CosyMakes (knit); Winter's Fern / photo & pattern credit: Trin-Annelie (knit);
Bottom, L to R: Tundra Toque / photo & pattern credit: The Petite Knitter (knit); Granny Square Hat / photo & pattern credit Crochet with Clare (crochet, free); Perfect Stripe Newsboy Hat / photo & pattern credit by KT and the Squid (crochet)
And now for a cascade of cardigans! The moms are cardigan lovers in the Conjuring franchise. Here we see Peggy in her "I AM being calm" cinnamon cardigan (left) and her dusty pink "Demon broke our record player" cardigan (below).
Knit the look:
L to R: Gin and Juice / photo & pattern credit: Thea Colman (knit); Hydrangea Cardigan / photo & pattern credit: Jennifer Owens (Interweave mag, knit) ; Warren / photo & pattern credit by Amy Miller (knit)
Ed and Lorraine get their cardi-snuggles on more than once, seen here contemplating the effect of demonic possession on the vocal chords (left) and cuddling post-plummet (below).
Lorraine's lace and cable cardigan is lush and cozy looking, with a hem that extends well past her hips, a generous collar, extra long sleeves and big buttons. It might be the holy grail of cardigans if it had pockets!
Ed's argyle motif is featured on the front and back of his zipper cardigan. Argyle patterns can be knit using stranded colorwork (carrying unused yarn colors behind work) or intarsia (color blocking). Modern patterns for garments knit with argyle colorwork are scarce these days but you can occasionally find vintage patterns designed with the argyle motif online. You can also work up a basic zippered cardigan and follow a separate argyle chart (such as these) to add the colorwork yourself to the front and back panels if you are clever!
If Ed's argyle ever goes out of fashion, he's covered with a spare. This low-key color-block cardi in grey and white is perfect for a snuggle with your wife after she just saved your ass from falling out a window and being impaled on a tree (in sickness and health, though, amirite?)
Conjure yourself one of these cardis:
L to R: Fleta / photo & pattern credit: Norah Gaughan (Berroco, knit); Fritillary / photo & pattern credit: Tonia Barry (knit) ; Carboy / photo & pattern credit: Jesse Loesberg (knit) ; Colorblock Zip Jacket / photo & pattern credit: Wallace Shaw (Tahki Yarns; knit)
Left: Silver Legacy Vest / photo & pattern credit: (crochet, free)
These are just the tip of the Conjuring (2) iceberg!
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