Big Ball of Wibbley-Wobbley, Timey-Wimey Stuff

This post includes SPOILERS for those who are years behind in watching Dr Who. Read that as if River Song were singing out in reply to your need for answers. She knows a lot of the answers.

My skein from this installment of the Mean Girls Yarn Club came in the mail today. It scared me really bad.

OK, not at first. I always look at the skein, feel it, try to see if it's telling me what it wants to be at first sight. Usually, it doesn't, but it's a habit when you pick up a new skein to see if there's a message there.

@wearingpurple

First thing I did notice was how soft it was. Next came the colors, because it was hard to believe I was sent a skein of my two favorite colors. If your acquainted with me, you know my screen name is wearingpurple almost everywhere, so you would have easily guessed one of my favorite colors. I love to wear purple and my favorite color to look at is green, and the two colors primarily in this skein is a pale lavender and an nearly olive green.

Then I looked at the info card that came with it: This skein is inspired by Dr Who's 'Weeping Angels', villains so awful the Doctor himself says they are 'the deadliest, most powerful, most malevolent life-form ever produced'. Scary Mean Girls!


Here is where I have to admit, I've not seen all the Dr Who episodes the Weeping Angels appear in, which is six, unless you count the two part episode as two which would make seven total. They first appeared in 'Blink' with the Tenth Doctor, portrayed by David Tennant. Blinking is not the thing you want to do, so easy a defense but impossible not to do, because when you're not watching, that's when these creatures, which resemble the figures in old cemeteries, can get you. If you're looking at them, they are still as stone, but if you turn away, close your eyes to concentrate or even merely involuntarily blink, that's when the Angels move and you're a goner.

The episode that really chilled me was 'The Angels Take Manhattan'. In this episode, it's revealed that when the Angels catch you, they can send you back in time. One of the characters actually meets himself as an old man. The scary part for me was the discovery that The Statue of Liberty is actually a weeping angel. Hard to see that peaceful, beloved face transformed into a menace!

"Fascinating race, the Weeping Angels. The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely. No mess, no fuss, they just zap you into the past and let you live to death. The rest of your life used up and blown away in the blink of an eye. You die in the past, and in the present they consume the energy of all the days you might have had, all your stolen moments. They're creatures of the abstract. They live off potential energy."

I have not seen the other episodes they appear in. From what I can tell, though, the other episodes where the Weeping Angels appear is very limited, fairly considered cameos.

It's interesting to note the concept of Weeping Angels is based on a childhood game called Statues, or as it was called when I was in grade school, Red Light/Green Light, where the person who is "It" is at one end of the playing field, calls out to the crowd at the other end 'Green Light' and they run as fast as they can until It says 'Red Light'. If anyone in the crowd is caught moving after that moment, they have to go back to the beginning. In some regions, and apparently this was the case at Dr Who's writer Russell T Davies' childhood playground, the game is also known as Grandmother's Footsteps where you are trying to sneak up on "Granny" who stays as still as a statue. Get it?

@Rebecca Connor (ItGirl in Ravelry)

I take small comfort in recent surveys that show the Weeping Angels top the charts of worst monsters, above Daleks who have long since ruled the Dr Who lists, but also Neil Gaiman's list of baddies, posted by Entertainment Weekly in 2008. His list included Hannibal Lechter, Swamp Thing, Grendel of Beowolf and the clown Pennywise from Stephen King's 'It'.

I am not alone, in the dark, with the willies!

Exclusive pattern available to participants in MGYC

"Don't Blink" fingerless mitts by Rebecca Connor (ItGirl in Ravelry)

"Weeping Angels. Often called the scariest Doctor Who villains ever. Wear these cable-cuffed fingerless mitts when dealing with these mean girls and remember, don't blink." 

The pattern looks simple with just enough detail to keep them interesting, making this pattern match the yarn perfectly. How long will it take you to get underway?

INSTALLMENT CONTENTS:

@wearingpurple

Skein of yarn hand-dyed by Dizzy Blonde Studies for the Mean Girls' Yarn Club, Angel Stitch Marker (see picture) & nom is a candy sucker, cinnamon and brandy flavored, inspired by the Dr Who quote, "Life is short, and you are hot".

Yarn Specifications:
Mean Girls' Yarn Club, Episode VII: The Final Frontier "Touched by an Angel", the colorway is a vintage blend of lavender & olive, closely resembling stone figurines in near-darkness with moss accents.
100% Merino Wool, Superwash DK
Approximate 280 yds/256 meters, 4 oz/115 grams
Gauge: 5-6 spi on US #4 - 6
Machine Washable, Lay Flat to Dry

Pattern Recommendations:
Crochet
Summer Triangle Cowl by Sew Lovely Crochet
Wisteria Leg Warmers (crochet version) by Melody Rogers
Buttoned Emma Hat by Chandi Agee
Knitting
Highway 29 Halter by Jenjoyce Designs
Mermaid Shawlette by Natalie Lower
Little Daisy Skirt by Kairi Aksnes
Electric by Knitarelli Patterns
Cengkeh Beanie by Amelia Putri

~Written very late at night, pardon the blurry edges, by Tammy Burke, a nobody you may recognize as a terrible giggler from the Fiber Hooligan podcast that ended last year, currently assisting the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird, and sharing every funny and interesting thing she can about knitting, crochet or just yarn in general in her own Facebook Group, Pursuit of Happy Knits. Once upon a time she was interviewed for being herself by the Knotty Girls. She considers herself just a fan of Dizzy Blonde Studios and loves getting to show her appreciation with properly spelled adjectives and way too many commas. The above article was written with love and ability to do research, without much knowledge but with aim toward that which is fun.