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
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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