2017 Geek-A-Long: Hawkeye

Hiya, knitting and crochet nerds! Megan-Anne and I are at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival today. I am literally typing this at our cash register during the lunch lull! So, Megan-Anne’s husband emailed me some cool things about Hawkeye for you.

Take it away, Mr. Llama:

In the movies, Hawkeye is a sharpshooter and a family man who tries to keep his lives separate. He’s okay, but only when playing off of other characters. People say things like, “He’s doesn’t belong. He doesn’t have any super powers.” Well, neither does Batman. Hawkeye has immense skill and the will to come out alive.

In the comic books, Hawkeye is so much better. He was raised in a circus of crime by The Swordsman to be the greatest sharpshooter and thief in the world. After he is stopped by Captain America, he joins the Avengers and takes on the role of the angry young troublemaker trying to turn his life around. He later married Mocking Bird, founded the West Coast Avengers. Then, he took Pym Particles and the name Goliath just so people would stop complaining about him not having superpowers. He eventually ends up losing everything every couple of years because comics are comics. He’s died, made out with most of the female avengers, led multiple teams of former supervillains, taken over as Captain America briefly, pretended to be a ninja, and had a teen sidekick who went by the name Hawkeye when she thought Clint Barton was dead.

But the best part of Hawkeye is that he knows who he is. He’s a guy with a bow who has to stand next to Iron Man and Wolverine and prove himself to everyone.

The best Hawkeye series was written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by David Aja and is just Hawkeye trying to be a good man. It’s more mature, really fun, and has one of the best side characters in comics, Pizza Dog aka Lucky. In my head, the entire book is narrated by Marc Evan Jackson, who is the voice of Sparks Nevada on The Thrilling Adventure Hour. It is worth owning. One issue has Hawkeye lose his hearing and uses sign language instead of work ballons. Another issue is told entirely from the point of view of Pizza Dog.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Hawkeye 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

The number one thing people say to me after seeing the GAL squares in our booth: “Oh you’re THAT Lattes & Llamas.” 

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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.