11 & 12

Happy New Year! It's a bright and shiny one, full of possibilities, and I always feel wonderful on New Year's Day! I hope you do, too. :) Right now, I have a pot of Hoppin' John cooking and this evening we'll have our traditional New Year's feast: Hoppin' John for good luck, greens for prosperity, cornbread for gold, sparkling cider for celebration, and a salad (just because we love salad - tonight it's arugula and pear YUM).

But back to 11. By the skin of my teeth (as my grandmother would have said), I designed and knit 11 shawls in 2011! (eta: OMG! Jeanne, the most fabulously wonderful moderator, just reminded me that I actually forgot Sakaki! I am adding it into the post right now. That makes 12!!!) It's not as much as I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to be completely finished with the knitting on my Muses, instead of just the designing and part of the knitting. But, under the circumstances, I've become ok with it. 2011 was a year of stepping back for me. It was the year I really internalized that things in life don't last forever, and it's pretty important to enjoy what you have right now, at the moment you have it. Though I have to say, I'm not yet sure how to enjoy pre-teen angst. ;) But on to the shawls! (There were a few other projects, but I'll show those later this week.)

The year started with my first 2011 club offering, Spanish Moss (#1). Though I did most of the knitting in 2010, I technically finished it up in 2011. And since I've done basically the same thing this year with my first 2012 club offering (I am finishing the knitting up on that one in 2012), I think it balances out!

My next project was Live Oak (#2), though it didn't come out in Knitscene until the fall of 2011.

eta: Next - because it actually came out in April 2011 even though I forgot it in January 2012! - was Sakaki (and I am calling it #12 here because I am adding it after Jeanne's reminder) for Japan relief. There were two versions. One with a lace panel of a Sakaki tree,

and a plain beaded version. (ok - now I'm feeling a little better about the year's shawl count!)

I did a club offering for Kristine over at A Verb for Keeping Warm, Cáliz (#3).

Later, I re-released Cáliz (after the period of exclusivity) in an expanded format so that it could be knitted in both fingering and sport weight yarns.

Around the same time Cáliz went to Kristine's club members, Lisianthus (#4) went to my club.

July brought Katanya (#5) to my club.

And then I began the muses with Kleio (#6).

Buttonwillow (#7), released at Vogue Knitting Live in LA, was next up.

Melpomene (#8), another muse, went out to eBook subscribers

and Madroña (#9) went to my club.

The last two muses of the year are both unnamed and unreleased to those musing along with me. There is Muse #2 (#10 of the year overall),

and - finished and blocked yesterday - Muse #5 (#11 of the year overall)! (The knitting on #3 is not yet finished.)

The other two muses, while designed, are not knitted, so they don't count in 2011's total of 11. Whew. I do actually feel some accomplishment! And I am in love with Muse #5.

She has shoulder shaping,

and uses beautiful yarny goodness from Brooke over at Sincere Sheep: Tenacious Sock in Winter's Night and Ohlone colorways.

My class at Interweave Knitting Lab chose those colors as my second to next project to be done, and I started the other color combo (my next project to be done, according to vote), but this one wanted to be finished first! I couldn't argue with the muse. ;)

This one has it all!

Faroese shaping.

Texture.

Mosaic knitting.

Lace.

And you can expand the size, too. In fact, I knitted a few extra rows at the end and used up the rest of my second color. I bound off at my knitting group on Saturday, and everyone saw me freaking out for awhile, until I finally was left with this.

I love using up all my yarn, and I was "sure" when I started the last extra row that I would have enough, but I have to say, after about half the bind off row, I was every bit as "sure" that I was hosed! I was mentally going through my stash to find something that matched close enough to do the last ten or so stitches I was sure I would have left over. I almost ripped, but I'm glad I didn't! Whew! I lurve her.

Soon you will all be able to guess on the names for Muses 2 and 5 (and win prizes)! So stand by!