Arctic Breeze

Source: http://www.rachelbeth.net/portfolio/images/sweater2.jpg

Winter finally hit the Mid-Atlantic. It is chilly. Wrist-warmers and lacy scarves no longer cut it. So what do you do?

You knit for warmth.

So what does this mean? Most commonly-conceived of knitting projects are made to keep us warm. While those of us in the know realize that your needles can produce a cool, airy summer tank top, most of the world immediately turns to hats, scarves, mittens and bulky sweaters. And for a moment, so shall we.

There are many ways to warm up your knitting. Lets look at a few of them now, shall we?

1. Choice of fiber. With some exceptions, animal fibers will be warmer than plant or synthetic. Take a look at the source animal for your fiber. Where does it come from? What is the climate. Sheep come from cool, damp climates. Alpaca, however, come from high in the mountains. Their fiber is warmer by weight. Qiviut, an increadibly warm fiber by weight comes from the arctic, definitely a good bet for thermal retention as long as you can swing the tab!

2. Gauge. Yes, it comes up again. This seems kind of obvious, but the tigher your gauge, the denser your fabric. This does not always mean the warmer, though. Sometimes loser gauges can mean there is more space for air to trap, creating an insulating layer. But it won't block the wind as well as bulky yarn on size 4s!

3. Stitch patterns. Stockinette is one layer of knit. Stick in a cable, and it wraps the stockinette around itself, creating pockets for air to become trapped, and just more general layers between you and the world. Ribbing is the same to a lesser degree. But think of some of the color knitting techniques. Fair isle (or any stranded knitting) has whole extra strands of yarn behind each stitch! Double knitting creates a whole second layer of fabric! These techniques do more than just keep your warm, ladies and germs. Those northern knitters knew what they were doing. If you want to know how to stay warm, ask a Norwegian.

4. Last, but certainly not least, think about what you are covering. The head is the most important part to insulate, as it is where we lose most of our body heat. Secondly, the neck, as it is near our cores. The items we use on these areas are essential to our overall comfort, and we should not skimp on warm, dense material. Gloves and socks, while nice, come in second, as long as our toes and figers won't freeze off!

So now you know. Everyone go out right now, buy some alpaca and create some nice, dense hats and scarves. You know you want it.

-Cryptoknit