The Time Vortex is nearing completion. At over 700 stitches around at this point, it will take a while to cast off!

12 of 12: My Clapotis

The 12th, and final, shawl for 2012 was another Clapotis.  The pattern is just so quick and easy, and the FO has great drape and bounce.  After making one for Becca, I had to have one for myself.

 
I didn't technically finish the 12 shawls in 2012 challenge because this one took me until January 2 to bind off.  However, I'm going to count it as a win because I had enough of the shawl done by December 31 to meet the yardage requirements...but wanted to keep knitting for a longer scarf.  I've also been too busy wearing the thing to take photos in order to write this post.  A success all around I would say!

While I enjoyed the 12 in 12 challenge, I'm looking forward to a bit less structure to my knitting queue this year.  Perhaps I'll even finish that first sweater I have on the needles....

11 of 12: Becca's Clapotis

Unlike some knits that take on a owner halfway through the knitting process, this shawl was designated as a gift from the start.  I think I've claimed every successive project as my favorite shawl of the 12 in 12, but this one certainly takes the prize for the my favorite yarn.  Only the best for the Becca!

The Clapotis (ravelry) is a very popular pattern, and for good reason.  It looks amazing in a variegated yarn and is fun to knit.  It is knit along the bias with a series of dropped stitches, creating a grid of sorts - color stripes in one direction with the pattern stripes in the opposite direction.

The yarn is from hellomello handspun, which I picked up at Crafty Bastards last year.  Since I tend to stick to recycling sweaters, knitting with these wonderful colors was a real treat.  I have another two skeins in a brown/yellow/green colorway that I'm saving for a creativity stroke of genius one day.

9 of 12: Adelei

This could very well be my new favorite.  Shawl number 9 was the Adelei Shawl by Wendy Neal.  I was drawn to this one by the irregular shape and the interesting center lines.

The pattern is basically six triangles - two large, two medium and two small.  The yarn is a recycled blue silk.  The pattern called for beading, but I didn't have a bead that worked well with the blue so I opted to keep it simple.

The color is a beautiful - almost an indigo.  Looks great with jeans.  I've gotten a ton of compliments on this one and I've only worn it out a few times.

8 of 12: Royal Reading Wrap

Number 8 of my grand 2012 shawl adventure is the Freya Shawl by Renate Haeckler. 

I actually finished knitting this one back in June.  It took a while for me to block though because of its unusual shape.  Other knitters' shawls came out as a semi-circle.  The best way I can think to describe mine is a Millennium Falcon.

I really like the deep purple of this yarn.  It looks very royal.  Tony likes it too.

4 of 12: Something Borrowed

Now that the gift has been given, I can reveal my fourth shawl of 2012: Something Borrowed by Kathy Lang. 

For Gram's 80th birthday, I had the idea of a diamond theme: the April birthstone.  There don't seem to be traditional birthday gifts, but diamond is also the 80th aniversary.  A birthday is kind of like an anniversary with yourself, right?

I found a white cotton yarn with a strand of silver sparkle.  Perfect for someone who's always cold, but also lives in Florida.

This was also my first beaded project.  I had been a bit intimidated by beading, but it's really quite easy.  Now that I have the hang of it, I can't wait to start my next beaded project.

 

6 of 12: Gala Shawl

I've had this yarn for several years, but had been waiting for just the right pattern.  It reminds me of a bright autumn day, where the leaves have changed and the sun is just right.  When I saw the Gala Shawl by Cheri McEwen, I knew that the leaf motif would work beautifully.

Halfway through the 12 in 2012 challenge!

 

I love the wavy "stems" between the leaves.

5 of 12: Color Affection

Back in February, I underwent a small shoulder surgery.  Faced with a week of recovery, but the prospect of low dexterity and reduced mental prowess, I queued up Color Affection by Veera Välimäki (ravelry).  While I am normally not a fan of garter stitch, this pattern offered a very cool effect for very little mental effort.  Just keep knitting, just keep knitting...

Now, you many notice the colors.  I'm not the best at matching, so one evening I called the Boy into the yarn lair.  I had picked out a deep cranberry, heather slate, and a bright white.  "What do you think of this combo?  I think it looks classy," says I.  Deadpan look.  "Liz....that's scarlet and gray."  And so, I knit up an accidental tribute to my alma mater. 

The wingspan on this is huge - I can wrap it around myself three times with room to spare.  A project like this would have normally have taken me at least 4-6 weeks...but being couch-bound I breezed through it in 8 days!

I would be remiss not to mention that I received support on this project from my dedicated assistant, Dot.

4 of 12: mystery project

As shawl #4 is going to be a gift, it has to stay hidden for a little while.  However, here's a little teaser:

This project was my first foray into beaded knitting.  I love the effect and can't wait to use beads on another one of my 2012 shawls.

3 of 12: Taiga

One of the many things that I am enjoying about being part of the 12 shawls in 2012 challenge is looking through other people's projects.  With over 5,000 members, the group's skill and aesthetic run the gamut and are great to flip through for inspiration.

Taiga by Shui Kuen Kozinski was a very popular choice in January.  My personal inspiration for February was to make a shawl inspired by Valentine's Day, but subdued enough (i.e. not hearts!) to be able to be worn more frequently.  The v-shaped increases of this shawl did the trick.

Knit in a cranberry red lambswool/angora blend, it turned out wonderfully.  I'm not sure about the exact yardage, but am working on an ingenious little system to figure it out.  More to come soon...

So big, I almost ran out of blocking mats!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2 of 12: Little Arrowhead

The second shawl of our little adventure is the Little Arrowhead by Pam Allen, knit in a recycled merino wool.

I love this yarn.  It's the second shawl I've done from this sweater, and I've only unravelled one and a half sleeves thus far.  The merino is so soft and the colorway is a lovely dappled green.

The pattern was a quick knit.  When doing these all over lace stitches, I am frequently reminded that I'm not just making a shawl, I'm making fabric.  Something about the repetition.

The shawl had its debut last night.  For such a light, fluffy garment it was super warm!

1 of 12: Maluka

And the race is on to knit 12 shawls in 2012! My first little beauty is Maluka by Bea Schmidt.

In picking this pattern, I was looking for a bit of open lace, but not so complicated that the pattern would be lost in the black, slightly fuzzy yarn.

I also wanted something totally wearable to go with my new burgundy pea coat.  While I love complicated lace, sometimes it feels too fancy or delicate to wear on a daily basis.

Colonel Mustard in the Living Room with the Knitting Needles

Recently I've been in love with mustard.  The color not the condiment.  Though it is quite nice on pretzels.  But I digress.  I found a lovely cotton/ramie blend at the thrift store and have been knitting away.  Since it's more of a summer blend, some lace work was definitely in order.

First, there was Gridwork by Janelle Martin (ravelry), my Thanksgiving vacation project between bouts of cooking.

Second, we have Summer Flies by Holly and Ella Knits (ravelry), my Christmas vacation project.  This is the second time I've knit this pattern and really enjoy its results.  Can you see the butterfly stitch across the middle?

These two projects used up about half of the unraveled sweater, so look for more mustardy fun to come.

A little summer sunshine

This lovely piece came off the needles last summer but has been languishing in my blocking pile. I wasn't totally thrilled with how it looked while I was knitting, so I wasn't in a rush to finish it. However, after blocking it turned out wonderfully - that'll teach me to write off a project before it is done!

The Echo Flowers Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen (ravelry) is a really beautiful pattern. I loved working on the flower body...

 ... and the edging is awesome.

The brilliant yellow makes me think of liquid sunshine, a wonderful piece of summer to comfort from the winter's cold.

Christmas I

Christmas 2011 has come and gone, and how enjoyable it was!  While not as epic of a knit-fest as in years past (see my summer projects and my November delay), there were still a few knit gifts to go around.  We'll start with the scarves/shawls.

Kernel by Bonnie Sennott (ravelry) started as a travel project on one of my many work trips to Jamaica this year.  Here she is poolside soaking up some rays:

The finished project was lovely.  I adore the edging and think I might borrow that section of the pattern in the future.

In my undying shawl obsession, I also knit up Indian Feathers by Alina Appasov.  I really enjoy the quarter moon shape of her shawls.  While traditional triangle shawls lend themselves to great lacework, I find the moons to be a bit more wearable.

Kudzu

I adore my newest creation - the Kudzu shawl by Rachel Henry (ravelry)  The pattern was easy but fun, not to mention the super soft cashmere yarn!  This one came off the needles a few weeks ago, but has been stalled in the blocking pile due to its size.

Leaf lace is becoming one of my favorites to knit, and this one has interesting detail with the progressively larger leaves.

Birthday Shawl

Another one of my favorite shawls from this year was Summer Flies by Holly and Ella Knits.  This one was for Mom's big b-day back in May. A quick knit with a very lovely result.

Wedding Shawls

2011 - the year of the shawl. Fascinated by lace and inspired by two big events, I spent most of my knit time this year on shawls.

The first wedding shawl came to be almost by accident. Having fallen in love with the Frozen Leaves pattern from anusla (using like2makething's adaptation of the pattern), I cast on with a cobweb wool in a cornflower blue with no particular recipient in mind. About halfway into the pattern it struck me that it was the exact same color as a certain someone's wedding theme. Thus, Wedding Shawl #1 was born:  

The detail of the leaves on this pattern was great in the cobweb yarn:

As soon as the idea struck that Frozen Leaves was for cousin-in-law-1, I knew which yarn belonged to cousin-in-law-2. It was a beautiful yellow baby alpaca that I has picked up from the thrift store about a year ago. It had been hanging out in the stash waiting for the perfect project. After several false starts, I discovered the Feather Duster from Susan Lawrence. With the yarn's slight halo, it was the perfect match.

I love the flow of this shawl. Circles (as opposed to hard lines) are harder to create than you might think!

Congrats to both beautiful brides!