Inspiration Saturday: How a snow bunny stays warm

I am notoriously cold all of the time.  Hot showers are the perfect ambient temperature, and walking out into hundred-degree heat in summer is a welcome relief from the excessive air conditioning of most places.  It's just unfortunate that snow and heat tend to be so mutually exclusive.  But on my ski trip last weekend I managed to make it through without blue fingers, thanks to a few warm things, some knit-related, some not.  And even though I'm back in Texas, where we expect a high in the 60s today, I'm still relying on a few of them.

Soup

Somehow, a warm bowl of soup seems more comforting than a warm plate of anything else.  Maybe it's that all-important slurp factor, which is so integral to my beloved ramen.  No ramen in Ruidoso, though, unfortunately.  But I did have a green chile corn chowder, minestrone, and Wisconsin cheese soup over the course of three dinners.  Plus those cup-o-noodles (with dried shrimp!) for lunch on the mountain.

And it's great to make at home as well, where you can just toss in whatever you have and layer flavors all day long.  Last night we grabbed a ready-made kit for baked potato soup at HEB, so that's clearly on the menu this week.  I particularly love split pea soup made in the slow cooker.  I've found that it's the perfect use for all of the random scraps of ham you have after all of the pretty spiral slices are gone.  Tossing in the bone is a bonus if you have it.  I also really want to try making my own chicken stock a la Recipe Girl one day.

Lana Del Ray

I have music associated with many memories throughout my life.  Back in the days before iPods, I would bring books of CDs with me to visit my grandparents over the summer, because I needed to have as many options as possible.  I usually end up with a theme for certain trips based on whatever I listen to around that time, and then whenever I hear it again, it brings back fond memories.

In the past, the Spice Girls' 'Goodbye' has been a ski song.  This year, I went a little less pop with Lana Del Ray:

It occurred to me that 'Born to Die' is probably not the best message while careening down a mountain, but the opening lines of 'Feet don't fail me now, take me to the finish line' are appropriate.  And the whole album has a strong but flowing rhythm to it that I like.  So there's my first ever music recommendation.  It might not keep you warm, but it could distract you from the cold.

Alpaca Berets

Most of the time, my need for warm fibers is superficial.  Like I've said, I'm countering air conditioning or what Central Texas laughingly calls winter.  But here is where the soft warmth of alpaca is really appreciated.  Even in a relatively loose-knit beret like this one I made a few years ago:

It's nice and warm without having to be a thick beanie.  I can't tell you the pattern, I received it in one of the Yarn Crawls, and it was full of errors anyway.  But I found this one from Michele Wang which is gorgeous, the Cables & Lace Beret:

Photo credit: Michele Wang

I love the way the cables and lace weave in and out of each other, gives it a great texture.  This isn't the kind of thing I'd wear on the actual slopes, but it would be perfect for walking down main street on the way to dinner.

Get even more inspired by reading Alicia's post at Woolen Diversions!