2014 Geek-A-Long: Lord of the Rings

Welcome to week 33 of the 2014 Geek-A-Long, a mystery blanket knit-along (or crochet-along for you rebels out there)! Can you believe there are only 15 more squares to go after this? If you’re new to the GAL craziness, check out the Geek-A-Long FAQ page for more details and information. For the seasoned pros, let’s talk about LotR.

The Lord of the Rings is one of those book series that just about every literate adult has heard of. First published in 1954, Tolkien’s series has sold over 150 million copies worldwide. There are college courses devoted entirely to analyzing the books and when the movies came out, the books enjoyed a new surge of popularity.

Teenage me was every so slightly into the series…

http://instagram.com/p/qkpa7dCZkB/?modal=true

I actually really like that picture. It was taken right before going to see the midnight showing of Fellowship, but what you aren’t getting to see is how far I was taking the LotR cosplay in those days. I went to my junior year semi-formal as Galadriel and wore a flowing white costume shop gown. I made my date (who’s main attraction to me was his long blond hair) go as Legolas. I know, right? I was super cool. ;)

I had originally thought to put the golden ring on this square, but no matter how hard I tried it kept looking lame. In a burst of genius, Jac suggested I put the elvish word for “friend” on. I love how it turned out, plus, now this blanket will get you into Moria.

Lord of the Rings

© Megan-Anne of Lattes & Llamas, 2014

Needles: Size US6

Yarn: Cascade 220 in 2 sharply contrasting colors.

Gauge: 10 sts over 13 rows = 2″ x 2″ square. Final square is 45 sts by 57 rows.  Please note that in the written pattern I instruct you to knit the rows above and below the active color chart.  These rows are shown on the chart as solid color rows above and below the design.

Download PDF of the color chart LOTR. Cast on 45 sts for each side of knitting (with two strands held together CO 45, for a total of 90 sts on needle).

Work 9 rows of double-sided knitting (knit the facing sts and purl the back sts across). Note that the first row is a wrong side row.  You may choose to work the opposite color for the first stitch of each row (I do this), which will keep the edges closed. Alternately, you may choose to knit them without doing this and seam the sides when putting the blanket together. There is no “right” way to do this. It is really just what you are more comfortable with.

Follow color chart over next 40 rows in double-sided knitting.

Work 8 rows of double-sided knitting. BO.

Don’t forget to tweet or instagram them at me @Doctor_Llama or Jac @jac_attacking with the hashtag geekalong, so we can all oooh and ah together. We even have a fancy new GAL Participation Button you can put on your blog or your Geek-A-Long posts. You can grab the html out of the side bar or find it here.

If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here and you can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here. We’re even raffling off some sweet prizes for our members at the end of the year! You can learn more about it in the group or on the GAL Benefactors page.

~ Megan-Anne
Ú-bedin edhellen

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