Baby, It's COLD Outside!

I've seen a recurrent theme around the knitblog neighborhood.  It's something I've been thinking about a lot, too.  And since it was -10F where I live this morning when I got up, (this is almost mid-March, people!) I think I have at least a tiny bit of expertise on the subject.  And that subject is, of course, COLD, and how to dress for it.  And more specifically this has to do with knitting for the Dulaan project. Donna mentioned it today in her post, and Bron did the other day as well.  I know others have, too. 

That type of cold is very hard to comprehend unless you've experienced it.  Even for those of us who have grown up in it and lived in it all our lives, it is not easy to venture outside in it unless one has to, and unless one has a warm place to retreat to, and unless one has the proper clothing and gear for it.  And right now, when many of you are in places where the weather is really warming up, it's hard to think warm, warm, hot. 

One of the tricks of surviving is layers, layers, layers.  Another biggy is wind protection.  Another is keeping dry, or using fabrics that keep you warm even when wet.   The best fabrics for those purposes are wool and silk, lined with fleece.  Yes, fleece.  I know there are the avid fleece-haters out there, but it is one of the wonders of the modern world.  On its own, it, too, has a problem keeping the wind out, but layer it with wool or a windbreaker of any sort, and you've got the best protection you can get.  And it's durable, more durable than wool.  It's what they use on expeditions to Everest, if you're looking for better evidence than my word.  It wicks away moisture and stays warm when wet.  It's also softer against the skin.  <now ducking and running from the fleece-hating crowd>

My favorite items for the most severe weather conditions around here are shearling mittens and a wool hat with a fleece neckwarmer under a down jacket with a hood, and when it's extra-severe, long polypropylene or silk underwear under jeans or windpants.  And my Sorel boots with felt liners.  That's what it takes to keep one warm in the kind of temps that the Mongolians apparently endure on a daily basis in the winter.  And even then, I can only stay out so long, and I have my nice warm abode (or the ski lodge or something) to retreat to.  They don't have the nice warm home or ski lodge to retreat to.  I doubt they have down parkas or shearling coats or Sorels, either.  So given that, one of the things I've tried to keep in mind when doing something for The Project is doubling layers (thus my design for the pinwheel/butthole hat) and a lining if necessary.  When I've done the hats on the super-big needles with the bulky wool I have very mixed feelings about it.  If you can see light through it, it's not going to keep the wind out.  So I've been lining those items.  Yes, they knit up incredibly fast, and yes, the wool is thick, but the holes are big.  So with big holes, if it's wool, I've felted the stuff lightly.  Ears and necks need to be covered, so neckwarmers and scarves are wonderful too.

Think snug wrists on mittens (or line them to snug them up).  Think neckwarmers.  Think covering the ears snugly.  (cute little caps are cute, but it ends there.  They're not warm unless they cover the ears.  Cute is less important than warm in this situation, in my not-so-humble opinion.) Think double-thick everything.  Think stretchy, so it won't fall off.  Think layers that will keep the core of the body warm, such as woolen vests and sweaters.  (Back me up on this one, Laurie and Lorette)  If you keep the core of the body warm, blood is allowed to go to the extremities to keep the feet and hands warmer. 

So the general rule is:  If you think it's warm enough, kick it up a notch.  Bam!  (hee)

Every once in a while here at my blog, you get a lecture.  Maybe you hate that.  I don't mean it to come out that way, and I hope that by saying these things I have not put you off from knitting something for The Project.  It is something that has really captured my fancy, in case you haven't caught that from all my previous statements to that effect.  ;-)

Rest assured that whatever you knit or crochet with your generous and loving hands and heart, it will be appreciated, and even if it's not warm enough according to Norma's definition, it can most definitely be used for layering.  But I've been thinking about a) the recipients' comfort and b) the ease with which the volunteers can distribute the items to the recipients.  500 items that don't need to be doubled or layered can go a lot farther than 500 that need to be.  And since spring seems to be a lot farther away than I'd like it to be, and I won't be planting seeds in the ground as soon as I'd like, this gardener thought she might just plant that seed in the Dulaan knitting community.   May it grow.

Comments

[B.]

My mom used to knit us mittens and then pick up stitches around the inside of the cuff and knit an inner mitten in finer yarn. We would listen to the weather report and say "they're forecasting inner-mitten snow". Layered is definitely the way to go.

[jo in Ottawa]

Right on. Wind is definitely an issue here and apparently Ottawa is the second coldest capital city in the world. Guess where the winner is -- Ulan Batur (I'm sure I've spelled that wrong but it is in Mongolia).

My partner (who is English and dealing remarkably well with the cold) has decided that the important thing is caulking. For your windows and doors and for yourself. Scarves are caulking in his opinion. and that's a good way to think about what works. This man cycles in the winter (yes even today and it is more or less as cold as Vermont).

So to second Norma: Layers. Caulking.

[greta]

Lectures from Norma...Very Useful.
I always LEARN something when you are in the
soapbox mood...
THANKS!
Off to knit something layered, perhaps with a
FLEECE lining or some such....
and counting my blessings
that I have a safe shelter to retreat to.
xoxoxo

[Colleen]

These Dulan hats are especially good because (as any Northern girl knows) they are two layers in one garment. And two is better than one (no matter how thick and bulky that one may be).

[Laurie]

Very complex question. I work with this daily in the OR trying to keep asleep people warm in cold rooms. The simple answer to your complex question is, yes, warm core is critical. There has been question raised as to whether warming the extremities has the opposite< effect of cooling the body. (When the blood vessels in the extremities constrict, it is the body's effort to preserve heat.) If you defeat that preservation mechanism, do you do more harm than good? Some fairly recent research has shown (at least in ORs) that the defeat of extremity heat preservation mechanisms doesn't have as big an effect on total body warmth as you would think. That warming the arms and legs can have a good impact on total body temp. Aren't you sorry you asked? I liked the idea of one of your commenters about caulk. I like knitting caulk.

[Nathania]

Excellent points, Norma. It certainly is hard to imagine how cold Mongolian winters are when it's in the 70s and sunny here in the Bay Area.

[Margene]

It's so warm and beautiful here (for a few more days). I feel for you guys out east. We'd like some snow but you can keep the cold.

[Mrs Mo]

Norma, can I ask what yarn you're using on Kirstin? The color is gorgeous! I see that it's 3 plied, which makes for a beautiful heathering...

[abby]

Re: Laurie's comment, when I had surgery, one of my most pleasant memories is being wheeled into the 60 degree room, shifted to the table in a Versed-induced haze, and being wrapped in wonderful heated blankets. I drifted off to sleep and woke up in my hospital room. It was great. Yay for anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists (if I even spelled that right...). And now I'm wondering if I shouldn't donate those hats I made to somewhere else...my local homeless shelter or something...

[Sue]

Norma, it's funny - I had just left a comment on Donna's blog that she should line her Dulaan projects with polar fleece since she is worried they won't be warm enough and then you come right out and say it.
I both knit and sew but I am still unsure exactly how to go about lining hats and mittens. I wish you would show us an example in your blog of lining an item. Do you use the finished knitted item to draw a pattern for the lining? Do you hand sew the lining in with regular thread? How do you line a mitten thumb with fleece and still have room for your thumb? Do you have to knit up a size to make room for lining? I have yet to see a knitting book that gives instructions about lining. Can you help me out, here, please?

[chris]

Norma, that's a great lecture, especially for those of us who don't really know from cold . . . I swear, the people who live here in TX wear mittens when it's 50F out!

[Ryan]

With regard to the strength and durability of fleece, remember how I wrote on my blog that TMK made a braided dog toy for Frankie out of a strip of fleece? Frankie loves that toy, has played with it A LOT. We've even played no-holds-barred tug o' war with me hanging onto the braided part and her canines firmly sunk into just one smidgen of single-layer fleece that is hanging out the end. And nuthin'. The fleece hasn't torn or stretched or gotten a hole in it. That toy is in the same shape it was in the day it was made. Although it's way more slobbery. ;-)

On a side note, I think it's ironic that Mongolian nomads are known for their ability to make felt out of sheep's wool, and here we are sending them blankets and clothes made out of something that is basically artificial felt!

[JulieB]

This kind of post makes me very *very* glad I live in Sydney. It has not snowed here in recorded history. It gets just cold enough to warrent gloves, hat and a nice wool coat, and that's about it :) You can have your snow!

[Cassie]

Why is it that I just can't get past the fleece-hater-baiting part of the post? Why, Norma? Why?

[Kristen]

Norma, ever get the feeling you are, um, preaching to the choir? I lived in Moscow for a bit. Yes, layers are a good thing. My Muscovite friends laughed at the gloves I wore under my mittens, but I endured the public humilation because I knew, some day, I'd get a lecture on the usefulness of layers and I'd be able to act all wise and knowing. ;)

I HATED fleece when it first came out. I recently grudgingly had to admit that the newest stuff is much better. (Not the icky $3/yd stuff you see in large, chain fabric stores!) So, I now own a fleece pullover that, yes, is a lovely thing to have in an old, drafty house on a 10 degree day.

Keep Dulaan-ing everyone!

[Charlotte]

I only have acrylic yarn to work with (given to me for charity knitting)so I'm knitting worsted weight on size 8 needles and making my hats with double layers. When cuffed, that will make four layers over the ears so I figure that has got to be warmer than no hat. What is the humidity in Mongolia? Where I live it's the cold damp that goes right through you, not necessarily the low temps although we don't get as cold as they do.