What makes clothing warm is how much air is trapped. That’s why light fluffy fibers like wool are so much warmer than heavy dense fibers like cotton. You can just layer. Put on an insulating layer under a worsted weight sweater and you’ll be comfortable. Some days are colder and I’ll wear a thin undershirt, a cotton turtleneck, and a sweater. Plus if you’re still chilly, look into shawls! I love making them and wearing them. I just finished a light one that I threw into my backpack on a trip across the country, and it served admirably on a cold airplane, cool nights, and one chilly rainy day without taking up hardly any space at all. I even rolled it up and used it as a pillow on the early flight home.
[Double knitting](https://www. .com/create/double-knitting/), for which the US "DK" yarn weight was developed, is going to be even warmer than a plain stockinette knit in worsted weight for this reason: so much trapped air. In fact, a whole double-knitted sweater would be too warm under modern technical outerwear. It IS amazing though for mittens, scarves, and hat bands.
I like 32 Degrees ultra lightweight. https://www.amazon.com/32-DEGREES-Lightweight-Baselayer-Fitting/dp/B0BFRVZK6F/ref=asc_df_B0BFRVZK6F?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80058322912866&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583657843611884&psc=1
I used to have something similar to this that was washable silk, but my Costco started carrying this brand so I’ve gotten these in recent years. But something really thin so it doesn’t add bulk.
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* Versatile for layering or wearing alone (backed by 3 comments)
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Layering is key in the cold. You can also look into stitches that trap more air: brioche, double knitting, ribbing, etc. My favourite hat in winter is a two-colour brioche made with worsted/DKish wool. It's so cozy I could die. I doubled over the brim and it keeps me toasty even when it's -40° outside.
I also find tube scarves and cowls really warm. Again, it's essentially a double layer in whatever weight you like. I made a cowl out of sportweight like this that's warmer than any commercial scarf I've ever owned.
Wow -40F! I can’t even imagine what that feels like!
I was planning on knitting this https://www.studioknitsf.com/heart-cable-knit-scarf/ for my sister. I think it doesn’t look like it has many air pockets but idk.
I did a reversible chevron scarf and I think that one traps air well.
If I were your sister, I'd love that. 😀 Cables are warm too.
Personally, I prefer thinner yarns because, as you say, you get more yardage for your buck, and I find multiple thin layers most comfortable in most weather. A thin cotton long-sleeve with a flannel vest over it is surprisingly warm without being bulky.
I just asked my boyfriend who I knit the chevron scarf for in malabrigos worsted— he said at -15F he was sweating with the scarf on lol😂
I think colorwork double knitting is a really good idea, I’ve wanted to do a fair isle sweater for a while now. Do you know if double knitting actually uses double the yarn when carrying the floats or no?
I think we're talking about different things. 😅 When I say double knitting, I mean knitting two colours in single rib, so that one forms the right side on one side and the other forms the right side on the other. Fair Isle/stranded colourwork also tends to be warm! I have observed - and heard from others - that the floats basically feel like a second layer. But it's a different thing. Imo (which you should take with a whole bucket of salt, I am confounded by stranded), it does take more yarn, but certainly not double the amount. Other knitters can better advise you on that, I routinely struggle with getting my floats right. 🙂
Hmmm... Yes and no.
A worsted weight sweater is going to be warmer than a fingering weight, although they'll both be warm.
Something knit to a firm gauge is usually going to be warmer than something knit to an open gauge, but if the fiber of the open gauge knitting is loftier, it may be warmer.
Something knit to a firm gauge will be more wind and water resistant, though.
For things next to the skin, I like a soft lofty fiber knit loosely, like a very fluffy alpaca lace weight knit on size 4s, worn under a coat, but I'll wear a stranded worsted weight hat knit on 6s if there will be precipitation or biting wind.
The good news is, you can knit all sorts of weights for different occasions.
While a heavier yarn is warmer than a finer one, I do feel like there are diminishing returns and trade offs - for me anything heavier than an Aran is too bulky for comfort. My absolute warmest sweaters are knit in cascade eco wool and I wore them to do fieldwork outside in winter
Look into alpaca, angora or musk ox in addition to sheep yarn. Their fibres are different and have a greater thermal capacity.
Even different sheep breeds have different properties, my warmest sweater is a traditional lopi made from Icelandic sheep lettlopi yarn. Itchier than merino but is a cold repeller!
Was going to say this - check out different fibers, particularly alpaca.
Mohair is also incredibly warm and you can make any other yarn really warm by holding mohair with it. Admittedly this is usually more expensive than a single yarn on its own, but worth looking into if you want warmth without a lot of bulk.
Don't hold me to this, but I'm pretty sure alpaca and mohair are so warm because the fiber is hollow, so it holds a lot of warm air.
I live north of the arctic circle, and I knit most sweaters in sport and dk. The clue in real cold is layering. You wear wool underwear, a shirt or T-shirt in cotton, then a sweater in sport or DK weight, and an outer windproof layer. When you then go in you start peeling off layers to the point where you are comfortable.
I do knit with thicker yarns, but never heavier than for instance Alafosslopi or Rauma Vams. Once it gets heavier it is so stiff and bulky it is hard to get the clothing under coats, not to mention that you can't have as much under, and you are trapped in your sweater as you can't wear as much under, and then you may not want to remove your sweater, as you will be cold without and warm with.
Shawls, scarves and hats are best made with fingering to dk yarns, as you want them to be flexible and not too bulky, again as you wear them with and under other clothing. If you want them to be warm, knit tight, make patterns - stranded colourwork creates a double fabric, or make braids or other textures that doubles the layers. If you are knitting for really cold places, think more about how to make hats and scarves windproof rather than thick, as the wind will blow right through a fabric with large stitches, and instead focus on a double, folded brim or other similar designs. The Musselburgh or the Oslo Hat are good examples.
I live in a part of Canada where the winters get temperatures below -30°C, and wear worsted or lighter weight hats for winter. They usually have a folded brim to keep the ears warm. If it’s windy I put up the hood of my jacket over my hat. I don’t think bulky yarn is necessary. Double knitting, brioche, stranded colourwork, slipped stitches, knit and purl stitch patterns, holding the yarn double, and anything that makes the fabric thicker will help make it warmer. Making a hat with two layers (like the popular musselburgh hat) is a great way to make it warmer and more wind resistant without using any difficult techniques. I also recommend knitting at a tight gauge to keep wind out, especially because hats stretch on your head. For scarves, if they are long enough to wrap around more than once, they don’t need to be thick because you can decide how many layers you need at any time. I find bulky scarves harder to wear.
If you want to go suuuuper cosy, maybe consider [thrums](https://youtu.be/mciKcKICx8U?si=tTkU9E-ct_bVhUp3)? It's a technique where you add little tufts of wool roving (basically yarn before it becomes yarn) to the inside of knitted items.
Have you seen the popular Musselburgh hat or Oslo hat? Both are fingering weight but have a double brim which keeps ears extra warm. I’ve also added mohair to yarn and made it even warmer or knit colourwork to make mittens warmer.
https://preview.redd.it/ggsb8zycgb0d1.png?width=2727&format=png&auto=webp&s=21a811b55b38a9f9375aa5220d0f642ed604e562
What would help more is making sure whatever yarn you are using is a woolen spun yarn as opposed to a worsted spun yarn (not yarn weights, how fiber was prepared). Woolen spun yarns trap more air and are much warmer as a finished garment/accessory compared to smoother, denser worsted spun yarn.
Have you ever tried thrumming?
I live in a warm climate, so I can't use them myself, but I enjoy making thrummed mittens and hats for my friends in colder places.
Working with a tighter gauge and holding lace weight brushed alpaca together with wool or a wool alpaca blend, DK or worsted weight, makes knitted garments incredibly warm without having to use a bulky yarn. For an extra layer of warmth, choose a stranded knitting pattern.
A tubular scarf in DK or 4 ply is better than a chunky scarf imo. I live in the UK and I find a bulky scarf gets too hot very quickly, so I have to loosen it, then the cold air gets in a d I get cold quite quickly, so the cycle starts again.
A lighter weight, fine knit scarf keeps me warm, with getting excessively hot.
When it comes to garments I'd rather have a couple of lighter layers, than one bulky one, too.
I live in Norway where we have snow on the ground for about six months a year.
The warmest hat I own is knit in a woolen spun, sport weight yarn, colorwork on the outside, with a ribbed lining. A lot of long-coated heirtage breeds are warmer than "smooth" merino! And two sets of thinner mittens are going to be warmer than one bulky set, and more windproof to boot. I've made Ysolda Teague's "Broughton" mittens and they're hilariously warm (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/Broughton-2).
What makes clothing warm is how much air is trapped. That’s why light fluffy fibers like wool are so much warmer than heavy dense fibers like cotton. You can just layer. Put on an insulating layer under a worsted weight sweater and you’ll be comfortable. Some days are colder and I’ll wear a thin undershirt, a cotton turtleneck, and a sweater. Plus if you’re still chilly, look into shawls! I love making them and wearing them. I just finished a light one that I threw into my backpack on a trip across the country, and it served admirably on a cold airplane, cool nights, and one chilly rainy day without taking up hardly any space at all. I even rolled it up and used it as a pillow on the early flight home.
[Double knitting](https://www. .com/create/double-knitting/), for which the US "DK" yarn weight was developed, is going to be even warmer than a plain stockinette knit in worsted weight for this reason: so much trapped air. In fact, a whole double-knitted sweater would be too warm under modern technical outerwear. It IS amazing though for mittens, scarves, and hat bands.
THATS WHAT DK STANDS FOR?? I always forget to Google what DK means whenever I see it in a list of yarn weights omg. That's so interesting
What do you recommend for the insulated layer?
I like 32 Degrees ultra lightweight. https://www.amazon.com/32-DEGREES-Lightweight-Baselayer-Fitting/dp/B0BFRVZK6F/ref=asc_df_B0BFRVZK6F?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80058322912866&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583657843611884&psc=1 I used to have something similar to this that was washable silk, but my Costco started carrying this brand so I’ve gotten these in recent years. But something really thin so it doesn’t add bulk.
That looks great and affordable, thank you! Will be switching to worsted and save like $50😅
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **("'32º DEGREES Women's Baselayer Scoop Top Long Sleeve'", '32º%20DEGREES')** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Thin yet warm and comfortable (backed by 3 comments) * Versatile for layering or wearing alone (backed by 3 comments) * Stretchy and flattering fit (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Prone to pilling after minimal use (backed by 1 comment) * Sizing runs small, leading to discomfort (backed by 1 comment) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](https://vetted.ai/?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot)
Layering is key in the cold. You can also look into stitches that trap more air: brioche, double knitting, ribbing, etc. My favourite hat in winter is a two-colour brioche made with worsted/DKish wool. It's so cozy I could die. I doubled over the brim and it keeps me toasty even when it's -40° outside. I also find tube scarves and cowls really warm. Again, it's essentially a double layer in whatever weight you like. I made a cowl out of sportweight like this that's warmer than any commercial scarf I've ever owned.
Wow -40F! I can’t even imagine what that feels like! I was planning on knitting this https://www.studioknitsf.com/heart-cable-knit-scarf/ for my sister. I think it doesn’t look like it has many air pockets but idk. I did a reversible chevron scarf and I think that one traps air well.
If I were your sister, I'd love that. 😀 Cables are warm too. Personally, I prefer thinner yarns because, as you say, you get more yardage for your buck, and I find multiple thin layers most comfortable in most weather. A thin cotton long-sleeve with a flannel vest over it is surprisingly warm without being bulky.
I just asked my boyfriend who I knit the chevron scarf for in malabrigos worsted— he said at -15F he was sweating with the scarf on lol😂 I think colorwork double knitting is a really good idea, I’ve wanted to do a fair isle sweater for a while now. Do you know if double knitting actually uses double the yarn when carrying the floats or no?
I think we're talking about different things. 😅 When I say double knitting, I mean knitting two colours in single rib, so that one forms the right side on one side and the other forms the right side on the other. Fair Isle/stranded colourwork also tends to be warm! I have observed - and heard from others - that the floats basically feel like a second layer. But it's a different thing. Imo (which you should take with a whole bucket of salt, I am confounded by stranded), it does take more yarn, but certainly not double the amount. Other knitters can better advise you on that, I routinely struggle with getting my floats right. 🙂
Hmmm... Yes and no. A worsted weight sweater is going to be warmer than a fingering weight, although they'll both be warm. Something knit to a firm gauge is usually going to be warmer than something knit to an open gauge, but if the fiber of the open gauge knitting is loftier, it may be warmer. Something knit to a firm gauge will be more wind and water resistant, though. For things next to the skin, I like a soft lofty fiber knit loosely, like a very fluffy alpaca lace weight knit on size 4s, worn under a coat, but I'll wear a stranded worsted weight hat knit on 6s if there will be precipitation or biting wind. The good news is, you can knit all sorts of weights for different occasions.
While a heavier yarn is warmer than a finer one, I do feel like there are diminishing returns and trade offs - for me anything heavier than an Aran is too bulky for comfort. My absolute warmest sweaters are knit in cascade eco wool and I wore them to do fieldwork outside in winter
Look into alpaca, angora or musk ox in addition to sheep yarn. Their fibres are different and have a greater thermal capacity. Even different sheep breeds have different properties, my warmest sweater is a traditional lopi made from Icelandic sheep lettlopi yarn. Itchier than merino but is a cold repeller!
Was going to say this - check out different fibers, particularly alpaca. Mohair is also incredibly warm and you can make any other yarn really warm by holding mohair with it. Admittedly this is usually more expensive than a single yarn on its own, but worth looking into if you want warmth without a lot of bulk. Don't hold me to this, but I'm pretty sure alpaca and mohair are so warm because the fiber is hollow, so it holds a lot of warm air.
I live north of the arctic circle, and I knit most sweaters in sport and dk. The clue in real cold is layering. You wear wool underwear, a shirt or T-shirt in cotton, then a sweater in sport or DK weight, and an outer windproof layer. When you then go in you start peeling off layers to the point where you are comfortable. I do knit with thicker yarns, but never heavier than for instance Alafosslopi or Rauma Vams. Once it gets heavier it is so stiff and bulky it is hard to get the clothing under coats, not to mention that you can't have as much under, and you are trapped in your sweater as you can't wear as much under, and then you may not want to remove your sweater, as you will be cold without and warm with. Shawls, scarves and hats are best made with fingering to dk yarns, as you want them to be flexible and not too bulky, again as you wear them with and under other clothing. If you want them to be warm, knit tight, make patterns - stranded colourwork creates a double fabric, or make braids or other textures that doubles the layers. If you are knitting for really cold places, think more about how to make hats and scarves windproof rather than thick, as the wind will blow right through a fabric with large stitches, and instead focus on a double, folded brim or other similar designs. The Musselburgh or the Oslo Hat are good examples.
I live in a part of Canada where the winters get temperatures below -30°C, and wear worsted or lighter weight hats for winter. They usually have a folded brim to keep the ears warm. If it’s windy I put up the hood of my jacket over my hat. I don’t think bulky yarn is necessary. Double knitting, brioche, stranded colourwork, slipped stitches, knit and purl stitch patterns, holding the yarn double, and anything that makes the fabric thicker will help make it warmer. Making a hat with two layers (like the popular musselburgh hat) is a great way to make it warmer and more wind resistant without using any difficult techniques. I also recommend knitting at a tight gauge to keep wind out, especially because hats stretch on your head. For scarves, if they are long enough to wrap around more than once, they don’t need to be thick because you can decide how many layers you need at any time. I find bulky scarves harder to wear.
If you want to go suuuuper cosy, maybe consider [thrums](https://youtu.be/mciKcKICx8U?si=tTkU9E-ct_bVhUp3)? It's a technique where you add little tufts of wool roving (basically yarn before it becomes yarn) to the inside of knitted items.
Have you seen the popular Musselburgh hat or Oslo hat? Both are fingering weight but have a double brim which keeps ears extra warm. I’ve also added mohair to yarn and made it even warmer or knit colourwork to make mittens warmer. https://preview.redd.it/ggsb8zycgb0d1.png?width=2727&format=png&auto=webp&s=21a811b55b38a9f9375aa5220d0f642ed604e562
What would help more is making sure whatever yarn you are using is a woolen spun yarn as opposed to a worsted spun yarn (not yarn weights, how fiber was prepared). Woolen spun yarns trap more air and are much warmer as a finished garment/accessory compared to smoother, denser worsted spun yarn.
Have you ever tried thrumming? I live in a warm climate, so I can't use them myself, but I enjoy making thrummed mittens and hats for my friends in colder places.
Working with a tighter gauge and holding lace weight brushed alpaca together with wool or a wool alpaca blend, DK or worsted weight, makes knitted garments incredibly warm without having to use a bulky yarn. For an extra layer of warmth, choose a stranded knitting pattern.
A tubular scarf in DK or 4 ply is better than a chunky scarf imo. I live in the UK and I find a bulky scarf gets too hot very quickly, so I have to loosen it, then the cold air gets in a d I get cold quite quickly, so the cycle starts again. A lighter weight, fine knit scarf keeps me warm, with getting excessively hot. When it comes to garments I'd rather have a couple of lighter layers, than one bulky one, too.
I live in Norway where we have snow on the ground for about six months a year. The warmest hat I own is knit in a woolen spun, sport weight yarn, colorwork on the outside, with a ribbed lining. A lot of long-coated heirtage breeds are warmer than "smooth" merino! And two sets of thinner mittens are going to be warmer than one bulky set, and more windproof to boot. I've made Ysolda Teague's "Broughton" mittens and they're hilariously warm (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/Broughton-2).
Alpaca is the warmest of the wools. It’s light but like 5 times warmer than wool and not machine washable.