My strategies to keep warm

I have the heat capacity of a desert mouse. As a result, I am pretty much constantly cold. In the winter time, a room or an office heated to my comfort would make a miserable sweaty mess out of anyone else. And of course when I am outside, I bundle up to the point where people start making fun of me. On the flip side, I absolutely detest being a hot sweaty mess myself, and so living in the Southern United States was not the pleasurable experience one would expect for someone like me (my comfort level is upper 70's to upper 80's, dry). I am happiest in cooler climates, where I use a number of strategies to keep warm in the winter time.

In my defense, the windchill that day was -18 degrees Fahrenheit (-28 Celsius), which rarely happens in Pennsylvania. I had to take out my Iowa parka and remaster the art of the face wrap (which when I lived in Iowa would have been done with a warmer scarf). The head fluff helps keep the wind off the face.

In the office

I want to be stylish AND warm. One key element is leg wear, discussed in an earlier post. I love sweaters of course and have made a number of them, but winters in North East Pennsylvania are long and sometimes I want to change it up and wear a cute blouse. What they say is true. It's all about the layering. On top of my full slip or a camisole, I layer a long sleeve T-shirt. The blouse comes on top of that. Sometimes I warm up enough indoors that I can show off the blouse. But just in case, I layer a cardigan or a sweater on top (4 layers total).

Winter wear on a mild day in early January. Still layering, even if the cashmere top layer is short sleeves.

In the office, I keep a number of ponchos and shawls that I can quickly throw on and off as needed (a lot of temperature changes in those office buildings). At my desk, I will sometimes put a shawl over my lap.

The collection of shawls and ponchos I keep in the office. There is one for each color scheme I might have on. The white one is extra warm for days when I feel extra chilly. The brown one and the white one are my creations, the grey one is crochet and is a gift. Each spring I bring them home for a wash, but bring back a set in light colors for summer (if I had my say, the AC would be off most of the time)

At home

I have three best friends. The gas fireplace in my study, the electric blanket in my bed, and a warm poncho that doubles as a blanket. I take it with me everywhere around the house. I also keep a throw on my couch (where I often sit to work) that I put on my lap. And I layer like crazy.

A find on a deeply discounted sales rack at JC Penneys. A steal considering the quality and warmth of the wool that makes the poncho. The design is simple. A long rectangle with a long slit down the middle toward the center to wrap around the neck. Easy to throw on, lays flat as a blanket. I love the two tone double knitting that adds warmth and flair.

For the body and for the soul as well, I drink hot tea liberally throughout the day and allow myself at most one cup of hot chocolate a day, at a strategic moment; when I deserve a reward, when I need motivation, when I have a chocolate craving, when I feel particularly down, when the weather is particularly nasty, for energy when I get back from shoveling snow.

Outside

Of course a warm coat is important, but it's the little things that make a big difference. Covering the head, the neck, the feet, and the hands. When the outside temperature drops to the low 30's and below, I always wear a hood. It is the best way to keep warm. The hood protects against wind and snow, and it can very easily be put on or off, depending on need. I almost always wear my coats closed. There is no point in wearing a warm coat if you are going to leave it open. The exception is when there is a big change in temperatures that day.

I am the queen of winter accessories. Aside from the regulars, I like to use arm warmers and leg warmers. They add warmth and versatility (maybe it's very cold outside but well heated indoors, or on the contrary there is a temporary chill to combat).

One of the reasons I am constantly cold is poor circulation. My feet and hands get nothing and require special treatment. When I was a child, I would centrifuge blood into my hands while playing in the snow so I could feel them again. When it's very cold, I layer gloves under mittens. The greatest thing I discovered while living in Iowa was slit mittens. They allow some dexterity while keeping the hands warm (kind of like the hood does for the head). The padding in dress winter boots is always insufficient, so I buy them half a size too large and wear warm socks in them.

My Canadian boots, rated for -20 degrees Farenheit. I use them for snow removal purposes or on exceptionally cold days.

In the winter, my office is known among my colleagues as a shoe closet. I don't like wearing my winter boots all day long so I keep a pair of slippers and assorted heels in the office to change into. From November to March, I only ever wear boots outside and so over time, my entire collection of fall pumps gets transferred into the office. They gradually get transferred back home when the weather warms up again, when I go back home with a pair on my feet and the boots worn that morning in my arms.