2017 Geek-A-Long: Jessica Jones

Megan-Anne and I are back from our week-long craziness. First, we drove from Philadelphia to Columbus, Ohio to check out the summer TNNA show. We caught up with people and found some cool new stuff to put into our SOCK Club and GAL Guild boxes. Then, we drove up to Indiana to visit family and spent a few days helping our baby sister pack for her move to Philadelphia. I’m so excited to officially have her here! She’ll be living with my husband and me until she gets on her feet. Our respective cats aren’t exactly happy with the situation at the moment, and neither was my husband when he helped me clear my stuff out of the guest bedroom and discovered just how much yarn I had hidden in there. Oops! Regardless, I’m ready to spend knitting/crochet time by the pool with my baby sister as soon as these thunderstorms finally roll out. We’re starting to work on the 2018 Geek-A-Long, and it’s great to have her here in time to help us plan the fifth year anniversary.

Yes, you read that right. Next year will be the fifth year anniversary of the Geek-A-Long. It feels like we’ve both been doing this forever and just started. I don’t think the counter has been updated lately, but we’ve raised over $8,000 for Child’s Play Charity since the beginning of the GAL!

Yeah, I’m right there with you, Professor McGonagall.

I know talking about next year’s GAL when we’re actively knitting or crocheting this one freaks some of you out. Heck, I know a few of you are still on Year One, which is perfectly cool with me. Take a deep breath and try to remember that there isn’t a deadline. Unless, of course, you’re making a GAL blanket as a gift. In that case, my the knitting gods have mercy on your soul. If you are freaking out, I have some good news for you: Jessica Jones is the 25th square, which mean we are now closer to the end than we are the beginning!

Jessica Jones is like Veronica Mars with a superhero hangover. She began her superhero career as Jewel after Spider-Man’s battle with Sandman in her high school inspired her to use the gifts.

Origin Story Side Note: Jessica Campbell went to school with Peter Park and was actually present when he was bitten. Later, her dad’s boss — also known as Tony Stark — gave her dad tickets to Disney World, but they never made it. Instead, her family died in a car accident when they collided with a military convoy carrying radioactive chemicals. As the only living survivor, Jessica walked away an orphan with superpowers and was adopted by the Jones family.

Jessica’s superhero career as Jewel was uneventful until she met Killgrave. If you’ve seen the Netflix show, then you know he messed her up big time with psychological torture. What you probably don’t know is that in the comics she went missing for eight months and almost no one noticed. In the comics, Killgrave sends her to kill Daredevil and she’s rescued by the only Avenger that knows her, Carol Danvers AKA Ms. Marvel. Afterwards, she was placed in the care of Jean Grey, who tried to unsqueeze her mind-grapes and placed a special command in her subconscious to help protect her from mind control. It’s no wonder that she left the life of capes and tights behind to be a hard-boiled private investigator.

If you’d like to read the comics for yourself, Alias ran from 2001 to 2004 and was the basis for the Netflix series. The Pulse ran from 2004-2006 and is fun. Objectively, I think Alias was better, but if you want to see Luke Cage marry Jessica and have an adorable baby, this one is for you. Also, Hawkeye and Carol Danvers make an appearance. The third comic book series, which continues the first two is still currently being published and is titled Jessica Jones. I haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve heard it’s just as good as Alias, if not more so. Someone pick this up and tell me how it stands up! I won’t be able to get to it for a while. My to-be-read pile is the Leaning Tower of Pisa right now.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Jessica Jones 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
I haven’t read the New Avengers, but I heard that Jessica hires Squirrel Girl to be her daughter’s nanny. I wish Squirrel Girl had been my babysitter growing up! Clearly, Jessica Jones has great taste.

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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.