Geek-A-Long

2015 Geek-A-Long: Ellie Sattler

week 45 Ellie Sattler (2)

“Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.”~Dr. Ellie Sattler

I didn’t wind up seeing Jurassic World until it was well out of theaters, but I wish that I had seen it on the big screen. Ellie Sattler wasn’t in it, of course, but Chris Pratt filled the void nicely. ;) As much as I liked it though, I’ll never be able to capture the way the first movie made me feel. I saw the original movie at the tender age of 9, and I can’t tell you how much I wish that adult-me had the same capacity to be in awe of something that kid-me did. Overall, my memories sort of gloss over late-elementary through middle school, it wasn’t an exceptional time in my life. But Jurassic Park stands out. I went with my babysitter, Beth, and we were NOT supposed to see that movie. I wasn’t permitted to see movies like that (and by “that” I mean rated more than G, or generally anything in the science fiction genre), so it was a big deal that I conned her into taking me.

I seriously nearly peed my pants, I was so scared of that T-Rex. I imagine that if you are here, reading GAL posts, you’ll probably understand what I mean when I say that being that scared of that dinosaur is probably one of the best afternoons I’ve ever had. Plus, two of the main characters were girls and one was only a little older than me, and basically there was no looking back. I read the book. I saw the sequels. I saw dog poop on the ground and briefly imagined that I was Ellie and it was stegosaurus poop. Worth noting that I didn’t take the fantasy so far as to actually dig through the droppings.

I think one of the things that really stood out for me with Ellie’s character is that she was one of the first female scientists in popular media that was gorgeous, brilliant, brave, and willing to just dig into giant piles of Stegosaurus poop if that’s what needed to be done. Generally, women scientists in media were (and often still are) portrayed as pin-up caricatures lusting after the male protagonist that happen to have a knack for science that will somehow help the “real” main character. That’s just not how Ellie Sattler rolls. She didn’t need to give up any of her feminine traits to be kick-ass, and she didn’t have anything to prove either. I love her for that.

week 45 Ellie Sattler (1)

Ellie is a Paleobotanist and I really wanted that to be the focus of her square. I loved the interaction between her and the Stegosaurus, so I combined my favorite mohawked dinosaur with oak leaves. I think that Ellie would appreciate that Oaks and Stegosauruses were both around in the Cretaceous Period, so unlike the planners of the Jurassic theme park I wasn’t just throwing animals and plants together willy-nilly.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Ellie Sattler pattern here. Instructions for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. 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!

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.

~ Megan-Anne
I look great in a khaki safari vest.

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6 thoughts on “2015 Geek-A-Long: Ellie Sattler”

  1. Vix says:

    Um, I love you guys and this post is great but wasn’t it a triceratops? Now I need to re-watch the movie but my hubby doesn’t like it (bad husband, right?)

    Reply
    • Jacquline Cappuccino says:

      OMG, You’re right! I just looked it up. See, this is what we get for not re-watching the source material.

      Reply
  2. Viki says:

    :D Love it! (Even if I would have chosen a Diplodocus.) And hey, earth sciences rock! (I even took some palaontology classes, dated a palaeontologist and ended up marrying a geologist… I think I’m really into it…) The only problem now is my time. I’m afraid I’ll become a fossil myself until I’ve finished my blanket…

    Reply
  4. amanda says:

    I don’t understand how this pattern works for knitting. If the pattern is 59st by 59rows, won’t the final piece be oblong when it is knit? Maybe I missed this somewhere else, but after working on some of the 2014 patterns (which turned out very nicely square) I don’t see how this one will turn out square.

    Reply
    • Megan-Anne Llama says:

      This year’s squares are charted as perfect squares to be compatible for crocheters as well. By adjusting needle size you can active a square gauge, however, many knitters found it easier this year to simply add solid colored rows at the top and bottom rather than adjusting their gauge. Most people added between 5-7 rows at the top and bottom.

      Reply

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