PSA: Stay warm

Are you affected by the giant cold front / blizzard that hit the US east coast this week? I am. We didn't get nearly as much snow out of this thing as I would have expected, but man, is it cold! Here's the view from my kitchen the morning of the storm:

So what is this thing? Livescience.com describes "bombogenesis" as "when [a storm's] central low pressure drops at least 24 millibars in 24 hours." The FEMA website also has a great explanation of what a "bomb cyclone" is.  If that's TLDR, it's basically a severe storm that intensifies very, very rapidly.

So, how do we stay warm? If you follow @FEMA on Twitter, they have some very practical suggestions, even infographics. From a knitter's point of view, here's the best advice I can offer you:

• Stay inside if possible. If you can't, be sure to dress warmly.
• Cover your head. Though it's not technically true that we lose more heat through our head than the rest of our body, we do lose heat where we are not covered. If we have a coat, scarf, gloves, etc. but not a hat, that means the heat is escaping through our head. So wear a hat or 2. I like to layer an earband under a warm hat, or a thin hat under a thicker one.
• Layer. Several thin layers are more effective than one thick layer, since warm air gets trapped between them. Don't feel silly if you want to layer multiple hats, pairs of socks, or gloves. Do what it takes.
• Keep your core warm with a tank top or vest.
• Cover pulse points where the veins are extra close to the skin at the wrists and throat. Wristwarmers and cowls are especially good for this.
• Natural fibers, particularly wool, will keep you warmer than synthetics. Unlike many fibers, wool keeps its thermal properties even when wet. This means wearing wool or wool-blend socks rather than cotton.

Stay warm, everyone. Knit something for yourself or a loved one. :)

Will this winter never end?

So we're expecting another snow / ice storm to hit us overnight: Winter Storm Titan, this time. They give them such ominous names, don't they? What if we named it Winter Storm Fluffy? That might make it a little less intimidating.

While I don't deny that snow can be beautiful, this winter has provided enough to last a lifetime. I've almost forgotten what leaves and flowers look like in the wild.

One thing I'll say about the cold: it's ideal knitting weather. This winter has inspired in me a deep desire to make a warm blanket. The yarn arrived last week, and the project is well on its way. It's double knit in worsted weight - the perfect project to work on during this storm.

In case you too have nearly forgotten what the landscape looks like in colors other than gray, white, and brown, here's a happy thought. The snow-covered trees above will look like this in a few (hopefully) short weeks:



Happy knitting. Stay warm!