| | | as because she never lived through true winter...
On staying warm:
I grew up in Florida... Rarely wore shoes or a shirt as a kid. Later, lived on a couple of tropical islands... and, then, in college, was dispatched to represent my school at a conference in Kansas City... in February. An Arctic blast descended... and my short sleeved shirts and flip flops didn't cut it. I had to buy a coat.... shoes... warm socks. All very foreign.
Since then, however, have lived life mostly in the cooler climes of the Dakotas, Germany, Colorado, California, Nevada, France, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington... in the mountains, or on high desert plateaus... or down in the cold stinking fogs of the west coast...
If I knew then what I know now...
At least one pair of pants with flannel lining... so much warmer.
Boots or house shoes made from sheepskin with full fleece lining inside... or double layers of raw sheep fleece fabric... or felted wool as slippers, insoles or liners. Also can find felted insoles as shoe inserts that keep feet warmer when its cold.
Socks and house shoes or slippers... and other hand-made soft woolen wonders... from sweaters to throws and serious blankets... all due the wonders of globalization and IT... so, Amazon, E-Bay or Etsy... where you can find:
Handmade socks from Ukraine... that are thick and toasty warm. And, $10 a pair for the ugly ones on Etsy... is a bargain. Russian made socks are even thicker and better for the cool continental interior... but, sadly, can't get them here any more.
Alpaca... or baby alpaca... from Bolivia or Peru... beautiful and very well made things as blankets and throws that will last a lifetime and become heirlooms... but, also, socks, sweaters, ponchos and now sweatshirts, etc... and some very stylish things in a less traditional style. Alpaca is one of the "softer" fibers, like Angora, that is at least partially hollow... so softer and super insulative... warmer and less scratchy than sheep's wool. Still "new" to global trade, and still "relatively" inexpensive now (but may not stay that way) for the quality of it, which is already very good, and continues to improve as the trade grows more organized.
Key words: it should be obvious but perhaps isn't... if you want warmer search for "thick" and "double layer"... along with flannel, wool, fleece, alpaca, etc. Want fleece lined yoga pants ? They got 'em.
Similar as alpaca, but an even more recent arrival in global trade... from Nepal... Yak wool might be even warmer than alpaca... depending on the Yak... and how well they sort the wool. Seems they're following the trail blazed by the alpaca industry... a lot more available now than just a year or two ago.
Last...
Crazy insanely warm... and not close to inexpensive any more as the world discovers it... so a bit of an extravagance... Qiviut... is the sorted out under-hair wool of a musk ox. Super hollow fibers make whispy light woolens... that fend off Arctic cold... although backing up butt first in a circle is optional in warmer climates.
The wool is expensive, the yarn is expensive... stuff made from it is expensive... but... wow. It's getting out there in the trade now... with lots of handmade things being produced by non-native crafts-persons available on the web stores...
"The original" is harder to get now than it used to be... and is more expensive... but, designed for function following native traditional patterns and style... A hat or scarf... keeps you very warm. And,. some interesting info on their site...
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