looking for advice

[theliterator]

Hi again! Lurker still... though less of one since this is my second post?

The thing is, I've recently moved to the arctic and I think I need warm... things. I kind of want a balaclava, actually, and I'm probably going to end up making one, but I was wondering if anyone had advice regarding what sort of yarn I ought to use? (I'm open to the idea of a scarf, but I don't like how hard it is to keep them in place. Maybe a neck gaiter type thing?)

I'm a casual knitter, but I just found out my tuition for fall semester is paid, so I have an unlimited budget (I've bought a new coat and fur-lined cap and everything first, the balaclava idea is secondary, promise!) and I don't have a pattern either but I figure I can find something in my book of random patterns the person who taught me gave me or online if I had too, I was mostly at a loss on fiber, given how I mostly just stick with cheap acrylics (or more expensive acrylics) given the casual nature of my knitting.

Also, I live in a dorm, so something that requires minimal post-knitting care would be nice. Warmth though, would be good. I hear it gets cold here.

So any advice before I give up and throw the internet out the window would be awesome. (There was a muskox one at the store, but it is scratchy in its warmth which is not an ideal balaclava, in my opinion.)

ETA: according to wikipedia muskox yarn is qiviut, but i think the stuff they're selling at dundas hasn't been seperated from the guardhairs like what you can buy elsewhere. i'll consider picking something like that up in qanaaq or having someone else do it for me, but it seems prohibitively expensive otherwise.

Comments

[aviekokyre]

I don't know much about balaclavas or what kind of yarn (I'm guessing a soft wool of some kind), but another option might be a cowl. There are some nice button ones on Ravelry as well as ones that are a loop of every skill level.

Looking at Ravelry, there are some balaclava patterns as well, so I bet you'll find one to your liking.

[theliterator]

Yeah, like I said, I'm not terribly worried about a pattern, but the sheer mass of yarn varieties is mind-bending.

Although I just found an adorable cowl pattern that should take me no time at all to knit up once I get yarn for it, so thanks for reminding me ravelry exists. I keep forgetting about it. :\

[jumpuphigh]

If you are looking for soft and warm, an alpaca/silk blend might work. It would be hand-wash though.

[evilawyer]

That's a lovely blend, but I'm wondering if it would be too "slippery" to achieve the kind of tightness that will be needed to keep out the cold air? Although they do say that silk is an excellent insulator.

[theliterator]

I've never really thought about silk as an insulator. I have quite a few cashmere/silk pashminas hanging around back stateside, so I should probably have some of those sent up...

I don't know; in all honesty I might grab a couple of different blends, pick the one I like most, and give away a bunch of knitted wear to my coworkers. I doubt anyone up here will mind terribly much!

[evilawyer]

I'd definitely get the pashminas sent up. Useful things -- an extra layer is always a good thing to have to cover the head, lower face, etc,

I might grab a couple of different blends, pick the one I like most, and give away a bunch of knitted wear to my coworkers.

Sounds like a good idea to me!

[jumpuphigh]

Silk actually is a great insulator. Silk long-johns are the best long underwear to wear to keep warm.

[jumpuphigh]

I've knitted with it and haven't had a problem with stitches holding their shape. Is that what you are worried about?

[evilawyer]

Not so much the stitches holding their shape, but that the smoothness of the yarn is such that the interstitial space is too big or "hole-y", even with size 2 needles, so that cold wind gets through the fabric very easily. The alpaca would help fluff up the yarn a bit and close those gaps, but when I've spun alpaca I've always found that it tends to spin a smoother yarn than wool. The loft on a fluffier wool might fill in those gaps and keep the wind out better. Maybe not, though.

Sorry, I'm probably not being too coherent tonight. There are probably much, much better ways to describe what I mean.

[jumpuphigh]

I get you. I bet a lot of it depends on the blend itself. My LYS does sample swatches of their different yarns in different gauges so that is a great way to check, if that is an option. Certainly it helps me in deciding if I like how a yarn knits up and if it will be appropriate for my project. I often choose yarns from the swatch bowl instead of the shelves of yarn.

[evilawyer]

Well, unfortunately, for warmth you can't beat wool, but wool feels scratchy to most people. You could try a wool/alpaca blend --- the alpaca will soften up the scratchiness, but you still get the wool. 30% or greater alpaca, if you can get it.

As far as care, wool has (in your case) the advantage of doing best when you let it air dry (flat if you really want to have it keep it's shape, but I think a balaclava, since it will be going straight back on your head, will reshape itself sufficiently that hanging it over a line to air dry will be all right.

[jumpuphigh]

Some wools aren't itchy as well. I've been surprised as I've checked out different yarns cause I always thought wool=itchy but there have been exceptions. (Been drinking. Can't name any exceptions at the moment.)

[evilawyer]

Merino is the #1 non-itchy wool for me. But I'm more tolerant of a little it than most people I know if it means a nice warm bit of knitting.

Been drinking.

Also a nice way to keep warm. On occasion, and in the right setting.

[ironed_orchid]

Merino is beautifully soft and extra warm.

The warmest yarn I have used is merino blended with possum hair (Australian possums, which were introduced to New Zealand, where they are a pest and culled, have hollow fur, so it's extra insulating). Not sure how available that is in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is MAGIC.

[evilawyer]

I'll have to keep my eye out for that.

[neotoma]

There are any number of superwash wools -- even merino wools -- out there. But if you're worried about scratchiness, you're going to want to do a touch-test yourself.

I'd recommend Lorna's Laces Shepherd (in Sock, Sport or Worsted), but you might like something else --KnitPicks has a very affordable range of machine-washable yarns. I also like Jojoland, and Melody (fingering) and Rhythm (worsted) both come in superwash.

Or you could just indulge yourself on what you like best in the skein -- because it's not like you have to wash a scarf every time you wear it, is it? I'd look for quiviut (lace or fingering), alpaca (lace to sport), cashmere, angora, or merino sheep's-wool in a weight you want to work with.

You'll definitely want to avoid acrylics and other synthetics if you're living somewhere cold -- they don't retain heat well, and they *do* retain moisture, at least in my experience.

[theliterator]

Yeah, I have a lot of weird issues with acrylics freezing stiff; I ended up buying Greenlandic-made mittens when I first got up here because my gloves kept getting "hard" if that makes sense.

Also, I've played with the quiviut balaclavas they sell up here and it's too "scratchy" for me; unless maybe the locals treat it or card it differently than mass produced or US produced stuff, I don't think that's for me.

I'm actually leaning towards alpaca, but I don't actually know why merino is so... special? It's still sheep, right? And isn't cashmere a little breakable, or is that only in lighter weight yarns? I knit kind of tight, which is why I've stuck with acrylics; it doesn't mind my tension so much.

[neotoma]

You might look for locally milled quiviut -- it's got to be hand combed to remove the guard hair, and maybe they stuff you've seen hasn't bothered? The quiviut I've got is like petting butter, it's so soft.

Merino is a breed of sheep that has extremely fine wool, even as adults -- soft enough to wear next to your skin, if the sheep are actually withing the breed standard.

Cashmere is more fragile that wool, since it doesn't have the 'bounce' of wool -- no other animal fiber has 'memory' like wool, so it's generally a trade-off between drape and shape in other animal fibers. You might like a wool-silk blend, now that I think about it.

[theliterator]

So, it looks like what everyone's suggesting narrows down to:

Alpaca/Silk

Alpaca/Wool

Wool/Silk

with an option on taking a weekend boat trip to Qanaaq to see if I can find some qiviut yarn, or sending money with someone to look for me. (This option has a very short window so it probably won't happen. Winter is coming.)

And merino is really soft wool, so I could switch out merino in any of those blends? Or am I confused and by wool you mean, say, normal everyday wool with the alpaca/silk to make it softer?

Merino is just as warm as wool, right?

[jumpuphigh]

If you don't have a LYS, I do like this yarn a whole lot.
http://blueskyalpacas.com/yarns/alpaca-silk/
It's not cheap yarn and will spoil you tremendously but it is so worth it.

[neotoma]

Silk blends are definitely something you should consider -- I've done a shawl of 50/50 wool-silk, and it knit well, had nice drape, and was still easy to block like wool is.

Merino is really soft wool -- but most people find alpaca about as soft as merino.

Merino is wool, so yes, it's just as warm -- most of the other animal fibers like alpaca and qiviut are warmer, but they don't have an stretch to them and not much loft, so they drape more like cotton than wool, which is not bad, it just means you're going to get much more drape-iness with them than with wool.

[sholio]

I live in the northern end of Alaska (Fairbanks) and knit stuff for myself and family members (scarves and things), and I usually go for -- here's my highly unscientific method -- any yarn that feels soft and fluffy to me when I pet it in the store. *g* Seriously ... if you're making scarves, hats and things like that, if it feels nice and soft, then it will probably work fine. Wool and wool blends are the best, but really fluffy/chunky acrylic seems to make nice warm things too (all that fluffiness traps warm air close to your skin). I made myself a scarf from Lion Homespun, which is just a soft acrylic yarn, a couple of years ago that is still working great. Mmm, fluffy. Sensations Angel Hair is a very, very soft wool/acrylic blend that I like using for light projects. Your available yarns are probably different if you're not in the U.S., but I like wool/acrylic blends because they're cheaper and easier to care for than pure wool, without making a huge sacrifice in warmth. Basically soft=good, wool=good, but don't get too wedded to pure wool if cost and ease of care are big issues for you, because acrylic can produce nice results as well.

The one exception to this is if you expect to be getting wet a lot. Fairbanks has a very dry cold in the winter. It never rains -- it's too damn cold! -- and the humidity is very low. Pure wool is much better if you are going to be living in a place where you will be likely to get soaked on a regular basis in the winter, like a Colorado kind of winter -- lots of wet snow and near-freezing temperatures.

The big problem with knitted head coverings is that, unless it's a very tight knit on small needles (which isn't usually easy with soft, chunky yarn) wind goes RIGHT through them, which is particularly a problem when you're using them to cover your ears and nose/cheeks. For a balaclava-like thing, either you will need to line it with something around the ear region, or plan to layer it with something else if you're in really cold, windy conditions.

My usual solution is to start with a headband over the ears (they're very easy to knit; I don't have a pattern handy, but just a simple band that goes around your head) and then a hat and scarf on top of that. I've gone snowmobiling in subzero weather with a headband, a fur hat and a pile of scarves, and not only was I warm enough, but I got so hot that I kept having to take off scarves. *g*

I knit scarves -- just ordinary flat scarves -- all the time. They're a super-easy project that you can do while you watch TV or hang out in a dorm lounge, and very versatile and useful to have around in a cold climate. You can wrap them around your neck to block cold air from going down your coat, over your mouth/nose to keep from frostbiting, pull a loop of scarf over your head to add an extra layer to your hat (and keep it from getting blown off), layer them with other scarves ... lots of things. And they're super-easy to take on and off, and stuff into a bag or backpack if you don't need them. I always kept a spare scarf in my backpack when I was going to school. :D

[jumpuphigh]

I want to add that if you make scarves longer than most patterns I've seen, they become much more freezing-weather friendly. I knitted my cousin in Juneau a 6+ foot scarf and it wasn't too long. Normally, my scarves are shorter than that so I felt a little weird when he opened it up but he thought the length was perfect.

[sholio]

Oh, yes, long scarves, definitely. :) (Heh, my husband still has a scarf that I knitted for him 15 years ago when we were in college that has got to be 8 feet long - I looked at it when I was done and made this face - D: - thinking I should've stopped a couple feet earlier, but he still uses it, even though I've knitted him shorter scarves since. *g*)

[jumpuphigh]

I am now feeling inspired to knit super-long scarves. Go figure.

[aunty_marion]

Headbands are a good idea! One that's very nice and can be worn alone to keep most of the head and the ears warm is Calorimetry; another good one is Quant, if you want to get adventurous and tackle entrelacs. (There's a good addendum to Quant online somewhere for making both ends match up better, if you want to search it out - alas, I can't remember where I got it from!)

Shawlettes (smaller, usually narrower, shawls) are good too - you can wear them as scarves or over the head and tied round the neck (if they're long enough).

[antisoppist]

I knitted my son a balaclava a couple of years ago in wool and he does find it itchy. When I lived in Rovaniemi on the Finnish Arctic Circle I wore a hat with a combination of scarves and a shawl wrapped round so only my eyes were showing. If you go for a balaclava, find a pattern that covers the lower part of your face rather than leaving the whole face open. When I was looking for a pattern I found both sorts. But lots of scarves are useful too.

Edited because I was typing on my phone before and it insisted on spelling balaclava with a k in the middle.

[apatheia_jane]

I made a balaclava once! 8 ply, 3.5mm needles, & it's useless for warmth once I get up over a certain speed on the motorbike. But that's probably because its Tencel/Acrylic as well. But Antifreeze is a good pattern, although I modified to sculpt a shortrow nose coz I found it squished my nose to much to start with.

[perclexed]

I think hollow core fibers like cashmere and qiviut are best if you want warmth but not bulk. They trap air in the fiber and keep everything warm and snuggly. Silk for reasons mentioned previously. Next down on the list expense wise would be alpaca and llama, but they don't have a ton of body. If you were doing a cowl close to the skin/under jackets or sweaters and then a wool scarf on top that might work.

ETA: I totally forgot about angora! Bunny fibers, especially felted = warm! And soft. Would be great around neck/face/tender skin if you're not allergic.

If I were doing mittens, I'd probably do a felted alpaca liner with wool on the other second layer. Like the Fiddlehead Mittens. You get the benefits of the softer fiber on your hands but the sturdiness of wool on the outside. Alternatively, thrummed mittens are apparently full of awesome as well, and amusing to boot. Those also work on the principle of trapping air close to your skin for warmth. They're more bulky, but I've seen threads on ravelry regarding thrummed Newfoundland mittens and the consensus was that they really did the trick.

YMMV, but I wish you all kinds of warmth in the months ahead!