Tuesday, November 10, 2015

the imposter shawl

The Imposter Shawl taken with my phone camera.

The boys playing with my new toys - a swift and ball winder.

Ready to get my knit on!

Archie "gently" immersing the shawl in tepid water with a drop of wool wash.

Using a salad spinner to remove excess water.

Blocking mats coveted over at Small Things and bought from Knitpicks.

I couldn't resist a quick Instagram post before blocking.

Named the Imposter Shawl because the stitch patterns mimic crochet and weaving but is all sneakily knitted including the “faux-crochet” scalloped edge. Overall the shawl was quick and easy to knit with a few new to me techniques. You can buy the pattern on Ravelry or check out the online class at Creativebug. Amber and Jaime are a lot of fun.

I used the recommended 2 skeins of Heirloom Romney and you knit all of it so there's no left over yarn. This coarser yarn is not as soft as merino or alpaca but will make for a long lasting garment and from a 'slow fashion' perspective this is a step in the right direction. After soaking the shawl in wool wash and blocking, it was much softer and quite dreamy in fact. I can't wait to wear The Imposter Shawl for many wintry seasons. My new swift was hand made by Mary's husband in the Cooma-Monaro area. Thank you Mr Mary.

I'm reading the Spring chapter in the Way of the Happy Woman.

Sara says Spring is an opportunity to bring to life whatever lies within. Awaken your creativity and let it be know. Encouraging right?

Break out of Winter Stagnation by getting up early and get moving - at the gym, on the mat, running or walking. The key is to be persistent!

Declutter to make space for new opportunities. The more clutter you have (including files on your computer) the more energy gets dissipated. Ask yourself is the item genuinely useful? Did I use it last year? Does it reflect who I want to be this year. I did a massive declutter when we moved to a smaller house but it's a constant thing with a growing family, crafting hobbies, bikes, skies, snowboards, gardening, tools...so many things!

Time to start eating lighter foods after winter stews and oatmeal. Sara offers a Spring green smoothie recipe, Cinnamon Amaranth Flax Porridge, Quiona and Asparagus Tabouli Salad. Yum and seasonal!

There's also yoga and meditation sequences especially for Spring detoxification - yin yoga for PMS, hot flushes and mood swings. Vigorous yoga flow to stimulate digestions and lymph, break up winter stagnation and loose weight. Sounds good to me!

What have you been making lately? Have you been Spring Cleaning?

Joining in with other crafty folks at Keep Calm Craft On 
and Yarn Along.


20 comments:

  1. Oh, what a lovely shawl! You are right - it looks like crochet. This was the first thing I thought! I love how your guys help you through the whole process!

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    1. Thank you Alina. I love including the children in my crafting endeavours, cooking in the kitchen and working in the garden.

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  2. beautiful shawl!! and that swift....oh my..no words! where ever did you find such a beautiful piece?

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    1. I saw this swift at our community crafting shop and asked where it was from. It's handmade by an elderly man in his shed and unfortunately not for sale in shops or online.

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  3. beautiful shawl!! and that swift....oh my..no words! where ever did you find such a beautiful piece?

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  4. Beautiful work! And I love your little fairy helpers - could use some of those ;-)

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    1. Thank you! I love that the boys are so interested in my crafting especially as I don't have any girls.

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  5. Oh what a beautiful shawl, and I love your new toys. Here we're heading into winter but I love the idea of getting a jump start on the spring, and I desperately need to declutter before winter really sets in!

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    1. A decluttering before the start of each season is a great idea.

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  6. What a gorgeous shawl!! I love that it's an Imposter because of the stitch pattern...I was actually looking at your first few pictures wondering if you'd knit or crocheted the beautiful piece. My queue has just grown :) Enjoy your new knitting toys!

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    1. My knitting queue grows every time I visit someone on Craft On!

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  7. I just love the colour of that yarn. Such a nice thing to have little helpers around to wind! :) And that shawl is just beautiful. By the way, where did you get that lovely swift?

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    1. I used this Swift at our community craft shop and inquired if I could buy one. It is made to order for friends by a senior citizen in the local area. Unfortunately it's not for sale online but I will let Mary know that people have been complimenting her husbands' invention.

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  8. Beautiful shawl and lovely yarn choice! Looks gorgeous, I also adore your little helpers haha :)
    Warm hugs :)

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    1. Thank you! It's great the children can be involved in some of the process and then let me be to knit:)

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  9. What a clever name for à shaw! You are very brave letting a wee one with a bucket of water get so close to a computer.
    We are getting into winter here in thé alps and I have just started a daily meditation practice to help me get thought the coming 5 weeks of no sun (i'm not very good at it thought my mind keeps wandering off in all directions - any tips for me?)

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    1. Oh I never thought of the water tipping over. I can't afford another good laptop! I think Yoga with Adriene might help get you through those long dark 5 weeks. https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene

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  10. That is a lovely shawl -- and does look like crochet! I am also learning to appreciate the "rougher" yarns. I do like the idea of minimal processing -- better for the environment, right?

    Don't you love having a swift and ball-winder? Why did I wait so long to invest in them?

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    1. It was quite limiting in yarn choices before the swift. Now I can buy the gorgeous natural skeins people have lovingly hand dyed.

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  11. Oh my goodness, I love that yarn! It's SUCH a gorgeous shawl Zena - you've knit it beautifully. Quick question... I'm nearly at the blocking stage for my "pullover" but have never officially blocked before... do you have to use the mats or do you think I could get away with something makeshift? xo

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