The Simpsons have been gracing our televisions since 1989, and to date it is the longest running scripted prime time television show in history! Currently in its 30th season, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie have been a household name for nearly my entire life. I didn’t actually grow up watching them, the show was deemed too inappropriate for my innocent eyes, but I grew up wanting to watch them. The Simpsons were quite a source of controversy in my house when I was in grade school. My dad really wanted to watch that show. He wanted it so bad. I know I’m dating myself some with this post, but back then it was fairly uncommon for there to be more than one TV in a house. The Simpsons didn’t air late at night, so if my dad wanted to watch either the kids would have to be banished from the room, or else we’d have to be allowed to watch it. The end result was no one watched it and no one was happy about it.

I started watching it sometime in college, but I was too late to the party to ever really get fanatical about it. That said, it’s so well written and relatable, that you can’t really help but love it when it’s on. I don’t know about you, but I have definitely had Mr Burns for a boss, and Homer for a coworker. When I find myself getting sucked into an unintentional Simpsons binge though, it’s usually a Ned Flanders scene that does it for me. I love to hate him.

When I sat down to write the post, I had actually planned on writing about The Problem with Apu. I tried a few times. I think that if we are going to honor the Simpsons with a place on the Geek-A-Long, we have to be willing to acknowledge the seedy donut smeared underbelly. But after giving it a college try I realized that I have no place explaining the damage that Apu has done. I don’t regret our choice of square. The Simpsons is a super funny record setting show. One of the things I love most about being a nerd is that we can love something, and also hold it to a higher standard and demand it do better when it lets us down. For decades Apu has been letting down Indian-Americans, and I hope you will all go watch the Problem with Apu by Hari Kondabolu to understand how deep that damage goes. Jeet Heer is a much more qualified voice on the matter, and his article “My Epiphany About The Problem With Apu” was published 1 year ago today which seems downright kismet. If you want to go check out Hari Kondabolu’s docuseries start with the article because it sets the right tone.

GET THE PATTERN

Whether you’re knitting or crocheting this square, you can view the Homer Simpson Donut pattern by clicking this link or the download it by clicking the button below. 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! Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.

EDITED TO ADD: This post was edited on March 27, 2021 to update links and upload a revamped pattern format, which includes more information. You can read our post the revamp here, which also includes a Professor Frink square.

~Megan-Anne

“The most effective answer to flawed art is different and better art.” – Jeet Heer

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