Stars and Stripes!

"I understood that reference!" - Steve Rogers

Captain America is not my usual brand of hero.  He's too much of a stand-up goody-good, who's got a problem with foul language.  (Spending an hour with me would likely give him an aneurysm...my dad was a trucker.)  I'm not generally one for the straight-laced good-guy characters.  In fact, I spent most of "The Avengers" cheering for Loki.  Many hours have been spent in lively debate with my dear friend Lioness, who is an avid Cap fan, and while I could certainly agree with some of her points -- and the fact that he is rather good-looking -- I just really didn't like the guy.

Then, something inside me snapped.

I don't know if I suddenly discovered my inner goody-two-shoes that had been locked away in some deep, dark corner, or if Lioness's arguments had subtly shifted my perceptions, or perhaps my older daughter's obsession with him was contagious.  (Note: you cannot win a "who's cooler?" argument against a five-year-old, even if Iron Man is way cooler than Cap.)  Maybe I'd just been binge-watching Marvel movies too often.  (I like to watch the full collection, in chronological order, before going to see the latest release.)  Whatever it was that happened, I realized that I had -- *gasp!* -- become a Cap fan.  Not like on a borderline-creepy level, like Coulson...but still.

I was ashamed, at first, and tried to hide it.  But when I found myself sneaking away from my husband at a convention to buy a Captain America t-shirt, I realized that I had a problem, and had to come clean.  I came out to both Kishi and Lioness over sushi that night.  They were both very supportive.  After the initial gloating and mocking stage, of course.

Anyways, I still don't understand exactly what it is about Cap that makes me like him so much; it's been sort of a slow build that defies any rational explanation.  He is good-looking, though, and built.  And his anachronisms are adorable.  I must admit that I'm going to be rather torn, once Civil War is released.

There's something to be said for a good-looking guy on a bike...

When I first designed this square, I had used blue as the main background color, and planned to swap the red for white for the star.  The blue and red stripes just didn't work well for me, too dark...Kishi asked if I was making a Spider-Man square at first.  Changing the blue for white on the stripes worked better, and is more true to the costume, too.  Once I finished the stripes and switched in the blue, Kishi figured it out.  A little over half-way, which isn't bad.

The great thing about working in double-sided knitting is that you don't need to worry about weaving in the ends of your yarn.  Simply insert a small crochet hook and pull the ends into the "pocket" that forms between the two sides.  Just remember to knot them first, to avoid all your hard work unraveling!

My pattern for this square is found here.

Loki!

Thor: "Are you mad, Brother!?"
Loki: "Possibly..."

This square is burdened with glorious purpose.  As soon as I decided to start on this project, I knew that Loki would have to be represented.  As in, his will likely be the center square, proudly displayed for all us mere mortals to behold with wonder.  This was one of the first designs I created myself, and thanks to Microsoft Paint, a fair bit of spare time, and an eye for detail, I think it turned out rather well.  Finally, all those hours of creating pixel art in high school when I should have been doing my homework have paid off!  (Kids, do your homework...pixel art doesn't pay well.)

The camera doesn't pick it up well, but the main color is actually a dark green.

Loki is the Norse god of mischief and chaos, who dwells in a sort of moral grey-area.  While he has been cast as the villain in numerous Marvel movies of late, the real (mythological) Loki was neither evil nor good...he was basically the ultimate chaotic-neutral.  He played pranks that often got out of hand, but it was never done maliciously.  I prefer to ascribe more of that vein of thinking to the Loki of the Marvel universe...and I've gotten into countless debates with friends over it.

Movie Loki is sarcastic, smooth-talking, always ready with a quip, deviously cunning, incredibly intelligent, tall dark and brooding, and oh my GODS that knee-melting smile...basically he is the embodiment of every misunderstood-bad-boy characteristic there is, all rolled up into one perfect package.  I could quite easily sit here all day and write an essay on why I love Loki so much, but let's just say that he speaks to the chaotic-neutral trickster in me.  Loudly.

Would it really be that bad if he took over the world?

This one was a bit easier for the husband to guess, given the trademark color combo of green and gold (actually more of a cornmeal yellow, but the best I could do).  He figured it out before I even got halfway.  He was surprised that I hadn't started with Loki, after all, given my obsession -- but I did want to practice my technique first.  After all, you don't want to mess up an homage to the God of mischief...he can be a bit temperamental.

Socken likes to pretend she's not interested.

Though the squares are generally designed to be reversible, I'm definitely keeping the gold-helmet-on-green as the front of this piece.  It's kind of Loki's trademark, and you just don't mess with the horns.  One trick I've found to keep the edges together is to wrap the knitting yarn under the other on the first stitch in every row.  This saves you from having to stitch the two sides together later.  Other people have suggested knitting the first stitch or two in the opposite color (which leaves you with a border around the edge), but you can choose whatever technique you prefer.

You can find my Loki pattern here.  Keep in mind that though the pattern is 45x57 stitches, when knitting, it does end up being a square.