2015 Geek-A-Long: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Many of my favorite squares from the 2014 Geek-A-Long were inspired by the books that influenced my childhood. We’re keeping that tradition strong this year. Although, one could argue that most of the 2015 literature squares are inspired by the books that terrified me as a kid.

I am not too proud to say that The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde scared the pants off 10-year-old me. There’s something about classic villains like Hyde that is just so much scarier than a lot of the horror genre I’ve seen as an adult. I realize, of course, that this is due in large part to how kid-me reacted vs. adult me, but still… I feel confident that if I read it for the first time today, it would still be scary. I think part of the reason for that is the eloquence of the language in classic lit. The authors didn’t fall back on graphically gruesome death scenes, and instead were content to remind us how much darkness lurks within ourselves at any given moment:

The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones, deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death. Then these agonies began swiftly to subside, and I came to myself as if out of a great sickness. There was something strange in my sensations, something indescribably sweet. I felt younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady recklessness, a current of disordered sensual images running like a millrace in my fancy, a solution of the bonds of obligation, an unknown but innocent freedom of the soul. I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil and the thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine. -Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

For this square I toyed with several designs, but wound up loving the side by side imagery of the two personalities. When I did the sketches I thought my Jekyll looked like my husband. Now that it’s knitted up, I think he looks like the Nazi from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I watch A LOT of Netflix, so I think I was subconsciously influenced on this one.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Dr Jekyll pattern here. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to tweet or instagram your squares at me @Doctor_Llama or Jac @jac_attacking with the hashtag #geekalong, so we can all oooh and ah at it together.

If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here, and if you would like to learn to crochet, Jac has a fabulous tutorial here.  You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.

~ Megan-Anne
“If he be Mr. Hyde” he had thought, “I shall be Mr. Seek.”

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