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

[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!