Adapting to winter

[galadhir]

I've just subscribed to



which looks very gentle and possibly like something I might be able to keep up with even if it takes me more than the requisite month.

Speaking of snowflakes, it has been below freezing here for the past four days, and I have been contending with the fact that I have no pairs of winter trousers that do not require a tight belt to keep them up.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but this summer I discovered that I had a sliding hernia (where there's a hole in your diaphragm and sometimes your stomach gets pushed up to bulge through the hole, stomach acid and all.) One of the big culprits in this is being tightly cinched in around the waist. So I changed into wearing dresses and promptly forgot about the winter.

Winter arrives, I dig out my winter trousers and wear them for a while, only to find that I'm suffering from heartburn/fatigue and pain in the chest. It finally dawns on me last week that this is the result of going back to being strangled around the waist. So I dig out my one pair of dungarees, and then it gets really cold.

What to do? It's nearly Christmas and if I order another pair on line they might not arrive for a fortnight. Plus they're £60 a pair! And they're not even that warm.

Time to bring out the sewing machine! I cycled to the local fabric shop and examined their selection. Brushed cotton looked warm but almost certainly wouldn't be. I couldn't afford wool, and it would be scratchy anyway. The fleece was all primary colours, camouflage pattern or ladybird print.

Hm, it was time to adhere to the spirit of "When I am old, I will wear purple," and throw social convention out of the window. So I bought the ladybird print fleece and made myself an emergency pair of warm dungarees.



They came in very handy when my family and I went out to do the Wimpole Christmas Lights trail last night. With ski boots and a ski coat, I was perfectly warm and my legs were toasty out in the snow for three hours.

We had pizza and hot chocolate from a food van, then did half the walk, past the tree halos and fire garden. In the middle there were braziers set up and marshmallows for sale for toasting - I had a chocolate one :) Then through the lazers and the fields of shining white roses to the end of the trail, where there was a helter-skelter and a carousel.

It was a really lovely evening. The ladybird print dungarees received a mixed reception. One lady told me what a good idea it was to have come in my pajamas, but a chance-met friend was like "Ooh, I love your dungarees, where did you get them?" And I will take my friends' opinions over strangers any day :)

Comments

[ex_flameandsong751]

I like that pattern! It's got a very cottagecore vibe.

I'll be doing Snowflake Challenge myself. I empathize with health issues acting up in colder weather, my joints have not been happy with the snow we've gotten on this side of the Atlantic.

[goodbyebird]

True story: I saw the picture before reading the post and went "oooh those are so cool!"

[yarnofariadne]

The dungarees are adorable!

I've done Snowflake for a few years now and it's always a delightful time. Looking forward to seeing your entries for it!

[xancredible]

Always prioritise comfort over public opinion, honestly!!

[dragongirlg]

Those look SO comfy and I love the pattern!

Ouch on the hernia! Comfort and safety above all else!

[mistressofmuses]

The dungarees look so cute! I love the print! And even better that they kept you warm!

I've done Snowflake Challenge for the last couple of years, even though I typically never manage to do all of the days. It is very low-pressure, and it's always fun to have the burst of activity on the site!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> which looks very gentle and possibly like something I might be able to keep up with even if it takes me more than the requisite month. <<

Snowflake is wonderful, and yes, it's fine if you work through slowly. The prompts come every other day so that helps.

>> Brushed cotton looked warm but almost certainly wouldn't be. I couldn't afford wool, and it would be scratchy anyway. The fleece was all primary colours, camouflage pattern or ladybird print. <<

Flannel, which is usually cotton, is quite warm. It is sometimes used to line denim to make that warmer too.

Another option is layering. It's not the thickness or warmth of the fiber itself that matters as much as its ability to trap air, and layers do that just fine. Especially look for bottoms in something like parachute fabric and put that over a layer or two of something fluffier like cotton.

Fleece can be warm, but as you discovered is often mistaken for nightwear. And it turns me into a walking dustcatcher / lightning storm. 0_o

[malinaldarose]

I'm a huge fan of being warm and those are adorable. I've taken, lately, to going out in the winter in sweatpants -- at least for quick errands -- and who care what anyone else thinks?

I am planning on doing the Snowflake Challenge, also. I did it last year for the first time and enjoyed it.

[virgosplaining]

I love those, they're so cute! I'm glad they kept you comfortable and warm, too :)