2017 Geek-A-Long: Thor

He’s hot. He’s sexy. He doesn’t understand your human ways. He’s…

THOR, GOD OF THUNDER!

Lightning bolts and abs aside, I never got into the Thor comics. The closest I ever got was when he made an appearance in Squirrel Girl, which honestly was delightful. Loki turned himself into Cat Thor and then stayed that way for a while just to upset Thor. Straight up charming, guys.

Squirrel Girl comics aside, most of my exposure to Thor has been through the Marvel Cinematic Universe and funny text posts on Tumblr. He’s great in Avengers, but I have to be honest… I didn’t like Thor or Thor: The Dark World. I’ve seen both of them multiple times and still couldn’t tell you what the plot was, because they’re both so gloriously unmemorable. So, when I heard Thor: Ragnarok was coming out, I had no interest in seeing it in theaters. I figured I’d catch it on Netflix or something, but my husband wouldn’t hear of it. He dragged me out to the theater a few days after it came out, and I have to say that I’m glad he did!

It was a perfectly acceptable action movie with just enough comedy to make it fun and actually memorable. Honestly, I’m surprised it took the MCU this long to realize that Thor is best when he isn’t taking himself seriously all the time. At the very least, he needed a comedic element to balance his occasional dullness, and they definitely delivered with the companions they threw at him in Ragnarok.

Also, yes, I am purposefully using the word “companions” for those who haven’t seen it yet.

I went into it with low expectations and left a happy movie-goer. If you aren’t a fan of the Thor movies, but occasionally enjoy him in Avengers, I highly recommend you give Ragnarok a chance. It’s worth it.

Designer’s Note: Turning Mjolnir into stitches was surprisingly difficult. I still remember whining about it to Megan-Anne when I was working on the design. I had thought Thor’s hammer would be an easy one to do, but it gave me soooooo much trouble, especially when I translated it from crochet to knitting. Then again, the simplest ones are often the hardest.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Thor 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 also left the theater with Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ stuck in my head and refused to stop signing that screaming aaaah-ahhhh-aaaa-ah on the way home. Honestly, I’m surprised my husband didn’t file for a divorce. I’m lucky he’s was too busy talking about how he’d like to have lightning powers. 

P.S. I apologize for this post going up late in the day. I’ve been in a haze due to this horrendous cold and legitimately thought today was Saturday until Megan-Anne texted me from PAX Unplugged to make sure I was “feeling okay,” which is our code for, “You know it was your weekend to write the post, right?” And I’m like, “Whaaaaat? Girl, I’m good. coughsnifflediesalittle I was totally just about to write the post. My uhh… My laptop was dead and you know that cord is super short. I’m sitting up in bed right now, just about to write it. Go have fun! I got this.” Then, I scrambled to find my laptop — it was underneath my sleeping cat) — and now here we all are. Luckily, she’ll never see this since she doesn’t scroll beneath the double square pic to read my sign offs.

Seriously, I could say whatever I wanted down here about her and she’d never find out. Like how I was the one who accidentally taught her toddler, Mabel, the melodramatic grunting she does when she’s cleaning up her toys or climbing into her chair or doing any tiny amount of physical effort at all. She starts grunting like she can barely pick up her block and put it back in the bin, and that was all me. It’s hilarious. Mabel knows. I know it. The American People know it. And I’m not sorry.

But, I’m totally not going to admit it was me either. #imthebestauntever

P.P.S. Honestly, I teach Mabel a lot of things that are comedy gold that Megan-Anne isn’t a fan of like the “pursed lips/slow disapproving head shake” she does instead of saying no. And I think it’s fair since I literally taught Mabel how to crawl, fall down without hurting herself, and walk. Like sure, I have this magic gift with teaching babies how to do stuff before science says they can (seriously, it’s a well documented superpower I’ve had since I was a kid myself), but it comes at a cost. They’re like hidden fees on your cell phone bill.

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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.