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.