The Weather Outside is Frightful

It's freezing outside... so I bundle up. Then I start walking the long walk to work, and I'm roasting. Help me keep warm without overheating!!

407388_9996.jpgThe trick is to layer your clothing - try several lighter layers instead of one bulky sweater. You'll still be warm but you'll be able to shed a layer as needed when you're warmed up from walking or when you get indoors. Aim for clothes that you can unzip or unbutton, like cardigans, so you can at least unbundle yourself somewhat easily while in transit. You'll want to wear natural fibers, especially wool. Here's why: According to Wikipedia, "Most of the fibre from domestic sheep has two qualities that distinguish it from hair or fur: it has scales which overlap like shingles on a roof and it is crimped... Because of the crimp, wool fabrics have a greater bulk than other textiles and retain air, which causes the product to retain heat." Not only is wool excellent at retaining heat, it's breathable - so if you wear wool, your layers will be warm yet breathable, so you shouldn't get as much of the too cold-too hot-sweating-frozen sweat cycle.

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Comments (5) [rss]

Interestingly, that Wikipedia entry goes on to say that wool was involved in the Kennedy assassination...

put a cotton t-shirt under that wool sweater, and you won't feel even one itch

Bad idea with the cotton T-shirt. Cotton absorbs moisture rather than wicking it away. Clammy cotton against the skin isn't warm. Better to wear polypropylene and skip both cotton and wool. I'd recommend Polartec, but the estimable Aaron Feuerstein (the man who continued to pay all his employees after a devastating factory fire then rebuilt instead of outsourced) no longer owns Malden Mills. The fabric is still great, but the corporate conscience may not be there anymore.

I wore Under Armour, beneath my button down. Had a wool cardigan. I layered well, tossed a fleece into my bag too.

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