2016 was a tough year for music lovers. One after another, we lost some of the greats: David Bowie, Merle Haggard, and Prince to name a few. Then just when we thought we were finally done, we got one last kick in the gut with the loss of George Michael on Christmas Day.

I have been a rabid music fan my entire life. It’s a source of energy when I’m happy and an outlet when I’m sad. Songs from my childhood are my dearest old friends. Hearing that distinctive opening line (Jitterbug!) of Wake Me Up Before You Go Go on the car radio puts me in a good mood even in rush hour traffic. I will stop, close my eyes, and listen respectfully whenever any version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah plays. I sing Mama Tried at the top of my lungs in the shower. And even though it’s been 22 years, I still tear-up when I hear Nirvana’s cover of Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam. As long as I live, I will never get over the death of Kurt Cobain.

Some of my fondest memories are of listening to live music. I’m a bit young for classic David Bowie, but like every girl my age I fell in love with him as Jareth the Goblin King in the movie Labyrinth. I was lucky enough to see him live in Austin, TX when he toured with Nine Inch Nails in 1995. In my early 20’s, I spent every Sunday evening at the pub drinking pear cider and watching my favorite jug band. They often covered Purple Rain on a washtub bass, randomly sprinkling the F-word into the lyrics. More recently, I felt a kinship with Keegan Michael Key’s character in the movie Keanu. I simply can’t. sit. still. when George Michael’s Freedom ‘90 comes on. I have to wiggle around or get up and dance.

This shawl is a tribute to all of those wonderful music makers who are no longer with us. Below is the accompanying soundtrack, feel free to listen while you knit.

SIDE A - TWENTY SIXTEEN

1. Magic Dance - David Bowie, January 10
2. Desperado - Glenn Frey (The Eagles), January 17
3. White Rabbit - Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane), January 28
4. Let’s Groove - Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), February 4
5. Mama Tried - Merle Haggard, April 6
6. Darling Nikki - Prince, April 21
7. Pure Imagination - Gene Wilder, August 29
8. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen, November 10
9. Freedom ‘90 - George Michael, December 25

SIDE B - YEARS PAST

1. Jesus Doesn’t Want Me For A Sunbeam - Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
2. Fat Bottomed Girls - Freddie Mercury (Queen)
3. John Hardy - Leadbelly
4. Laugh - Davy Jones (The Monkees)
5. No Sleep Til Brooklyn - Adam Yauch/MCA (Beastie Boys)
6. Black or White - Michael Jackson
7. Imagine - John Lennon
8. I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash
9. Better Not Look Down - BB King

ABOUT THE PATTERN:
This is a circular pi-shawl, knit in the round from the center out, using fingering weight yarn and US 6 circular needles. (The outer circumference of the finished shawl is quite large! Get the longest needle you can find.) Intermediate lace knitting and chart reading skills required. Pattern is written in CHARTS ONLY.

ORIGINAL MKAL DATES:
January 1: Sign ups begin
January 15: Clue 1 - Humble Beginnings
January 22: Clue 2 - Rise to Fame
February 5: Clue 3 - Stardom
February 19: Clue 4 - Legacy

Read along in the MKAL thread