2017 Geek-A-Long: Storm

I realize, obviously, that we’ve already honored X-men. They’ve shown up on every blanket except for 2016 (here, here, and here). I’m not even remotely sorry that you are seeing so much of them. They are the best. I’ve brought it up before, but have you watched X-Men: Evolution yet? I was SO into that show. I wish it would get a reboot.

And as long as I’m busy not apologizing for things, I think this is a good opportunity to discuss the fragile ego of artists. Jac and I trade off on who designs the GAL. I did 2016, and she’s doing 2017. We both did 2014 and 2015. Anyhow, something we’ve had several conversations about in the past is that in the same way that only one square can be the best on the blanket, one of them has to be 48 out of 48. Generally, the GAL community is unbelievably nice. Sometimes they aren’t. We get served big fat pieces of humble pie by folks that would have done a design differently on a regular basis. But it’s NOTHING compared to how hard we are on ourselves.

Jac, especially, suffers from the common artist affliction of feeling like a piece is never done or is as good as it could be. So this is one of those squares. I actually freaking love it. But Jac designed it, and she doesn’t. Such is life. I think it looks like Storm’s hair has been lit on fire by lightning. Anyhow, this has a point. I’ve noticed more and more people in the Geek-A-Long group, on Instagram, and on Twitter feel like they aren’t good enough to tackle either the GAL or some other project. But here’s the thing: Of all the things you’ve ever made, one of them is the best, but by necessity, one of them is the worst. If they were all the same, what would be the point? So take the risk and try something new. We are getting ready to launch a sock subscription club next month, and a ton of people have told me they, “can’t make socks.” Clearly, they meant, “I haven’t made socks.” So whether it’s socks, a square, taking a crack at designing, or going all in on a super complicated fair isles projects, just dive in. Did you know that Ravelry has a thread just for showing off your “ugliest FO”? It’s a nice confidence boost and a good way to laugh at something that didn’t go right. This concludes my public service announcement.

MistressCinder nominated Storm to the blanket:

I’m going to nominate Storm. She is a strong female and a person of color. I connected strongly with the X-Men storyline.

We agree. Storm is a Goddess. She is also one of the most powerful x-men and so bad-ass that she took control of the team after losing her powers. She will knife fight you and win. She made both Dracula and Dr. Doom fall in love with her. She has rocked a Mohawk and killed it in glam hair. She learned to be a thief on the streets of Cairo, Illinois with her best friend Gambit as a teenager after being de-aged (un-aged?).

While not one of the original X-men, she is one of the most iconic. She stands out as one of the most prominent black characters in all of comics and has been featured in the X Men movies and cartoons. Storm is a strong, confident leader. We love her, even if it is weird that she always seems to be half naked in a rain-cloud. Also, while we whole-heatedly acknowledge that Mohawk Storm is the best Storm, we wanted to put the OG African queen Storm on the blanket.

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

~ Megan-Anne
Do you know what happens to a toad when it’s struck by lightening?

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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.