All posts tagged: winter 2022

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 …

a collage with different knitted sweaters

week 1: bedford sweater progress + new cozy sweaters for winter

Published by fairfaxhill

Hi! I finished the first section of the Bedford sweater I started on Dec. 27. I am really enjoying this project. The resulting fabric is super soft. I am a bit baffled by the fact that I had to go down a needle size to get the pattern’s gauge and the fabric still looks pretty lose. I don’t know if it’s this yarn, or the stitch pattern, but my knitting feels and looks more relaxed than ever. Could it be that I am finally benefiting from my hobby and slowly turning into a more relaxed person? Ha, ha. Doubtfully! But still something interesting about this yarn, which I am liking a lot. The yarn I’m using is Berroco Ultra Alpaca, Peat Mix (06277), which is 50% alpaca, 50% wool. The pattern calls for Brooklyn Tweed 100% American Targhee-Columbia wool and although I would typically try to use the yarn called for in the pattern, I had just the right amount of this green wool sitting in my closet and it was time to use it …