All posts filed under: weekly ideas

week 3: banana scones, the perfect wool for a dreamy shawl + a new book

Published by fairfaxhill

* updated 4/2/24 Morning walks have always been my favorite way to start the day. We had great weather last week, which motivated me to hike up the steepest hill in our neighborhood twice! It’s a tough hike, up, up, up, but the view from the top is totally worth it; on a clear day, you can see San Francisco. Here are some photos: My walking average is up by a whole mile! Our New Favorite Breakfast Recipe: Banana Scones On my Instagram account there’s a photo taken back in 2020 with the caption: “Banana bread never gets old around here.” Well, I’m sorry to report, that this is no longer true. It turns out that after months of testing banana bread recipes from our cookbooks and the Internet — my favorites being Carla Lali’s Bon Appétit recipe and my forever go-to, Fanny Farmer Cookbook‘s version with extra walnuts — the day officially arrived when neither of us could think of eating another slice. Just like a hit song that is played on the radio …

a photo collage showing focaccia bread, a green knitted sleeve and a yellow nylon bag side by side, below these is a photo of an alpaca and the text wk 2

week 2: making focaccia and learning about alpacas

Published by fairfaxhill

I love my library membership. I can get almost anything I want to read on my phone or iPad. This year, I’ve decided to set a few goals for myself. One of them is to practice and improve my Swedish. I found that I could download Swedish magazines, and found ELLE, and this photo: Aren’t alpacas the cutest?! Last week, I mentioned that I wasn’t sure why my sweater felt so soft, even if I was using smaller needles than the pattern asked for. I am typically a very tight knitter, so I expected a wool blend to be a bit stiffer, but it was so light and soft! I decided to learn a little more about the wool I was using and found that one of the properties of alpaca is that it’s soft, drapey – and super warm! ALPACA AT A GLANCE Lighter and warmer than wool Super soft to the touch with a silky sheen No lanolin makes it hypoallergenic I also learned that a 50/50 alpaca and wool blend is ideal …

week 50 – a holiday cowl pattern, balaclavas, babka buns, and Tucci’s memoir

Published by fairfaxhill

New Holiday Cowl Pattern Hello! I’ve finished a new cowl. Every winter, I crave something red to go with my black sweaters, especially during the holidays. So, in an attempt to feel like a real knitwear designer (#goals), I decided to get some yarn (Highland Duo alpaca merino wool blend from Cascade Yarns), chose a stitch pattern I liked and tried something on my own. I cast on 50 stitches and knit until the cowl was about 11 inches deep. This yarn will forever be my favorite for things that are close to my neck. It is so soft! I made a blue cowl with it a few years ago. Interested in the pattern? Check out my new Etsy store (a work in progress). After trying the cowl on, I realized it was snug enough to pull over my head like a cap. This got me thinking about the balaclava craze that’s going on in the knitting world. Have you noticed? I first saw one on Petite Knit’s Instagram account and thought they were adorable …

week 48 – welcoming December, paper crafts, and knitting ideas for cozy evenings at home

Published by fairfaxhill

Do you agree that it feels like December comes out of nowhere? There you are, enjoying another leftover turkey sandwich from your Thanksgiving dinner when suddenly you need to buy and decorate a tree, put up lights outside, and find thoughtful presents for loved ones! I am not a huge holiday decorator, but I do love a bright and happy Christmas tree! Patrick is the best at getting the lights just right on the tree, and the kids love to add the ornaments. My favorite part is getting the tree, especially when we make it a day trip and don’t buy it locally. When I was little, there was a tree farm not too far from our house. Getting our Christmas tree was always something my sisters and I looked forward to each November. (We got our trees pretty early back then!) My grandparents and some of our cousins lived close by, so some years we would all go together to the tree farm. The farm felt ginormous to us as little kids! We loved …