Whenever people find out I bike in the winter, there is usually consternation. Isn't it too dangerous? Too icy? Too slushy? Too cold?
That last one makes me snort in an an unladylike fashion. The wind can be unfriendly, but I am often too warm on my rides, although since I've started leaving off the scarf, I've managed to maintain the warmth-to-sweaty balance. The challenge has been keeping my extremities warm. Ears: sorted with a headband or ear muffs. Toes: mostly okay, as long as I have enough room in the toe-box of my boot (irony, thy name is too-thick socks). Fingers: working on it.
I have tried many things to keep my fingers warm: lined leather gloves keep the wind out but are insufficiently lined for below freezing temperatures. Knit gloves/mitts don't keep the wind out. Last fall I bought a pair of MEC Inverno gloves. Inverno is Italian for winter. They are misnamed. Unless your definition of winter ends at about 5°C. Aside from the reflective patch at the wrists, they are completely useless for winter biking.
So I make do with a pair of Hot Paws that I've had since university. The problem is that they are ginormous -- very fat-fingered, which means I have to take them off when I want to, say, lock up my bike, turn on my lights, anything requiring manual dexterity. That's a bit inconvenient, seeing as how that makes my fingers freeze. Which is why I'm wearing the gloves to begin with.
The other problem is that even those gloves don't always keep my fingers warm. Which seems very unfair.
Anyway, a comment on Let's Go Ride a Bike about making reusable hand-warmers gave me an idea. Which I sat on for a few months. I finally got around to it during the extremely chilly holiday weekend a few weeks ago.
They are pretty simple to make. Cut out a rectangle a bit wider than you want and a little more than twice as long, leaving enough room for a seam allowance. Fold in half and sew around all three open edges, leaving a gap large enough to turn right-side out and pour in your grain.
Turn right-side out and fill with buckwheat. You could also use rice or flax seeds or something similar, but buckwheat smells really nice when heated and apparently has a higher heat tolerance.
Sew up the hole, and voilà!
Warning: do not overheat! I tested the first one at 1 minute and it was fine. Then I made three more and threw all four of them into the microwave for 2 minutes, based on my much, much larger buckwheat heating cylinder thingy. Protip: That's much too long.
Also, the burned smell takes a while to dissipate.
I made two more, slightly larger than before, and doubling the fabric this time.
I was all set to use them the next school day. Naturally, the temperature shot up above zero and I didn't get a chance to test them until the day after, when the temperature dropped again. I've had the chance to use them many times now, with both the fat-fingered gloves and the Invernos. And? They work!
Heating them for a minute on high gives me enough warmth for about 20 minutes, which is about the length of my commute. I will say they are a bit chubby and feel a tad strange; I probably over-filled them. They are too big to use in my more tight-fitting gloves, but I'm fine using the other ones now. I think they would work better with mittens instead of gloves; when my fingers get cold I have to pull my fingers from the glove fingers into the palm and that can be a bit awkward. They can also be a bit too hot to the touch at the beginning. I'm thinking of making washable flannel covers for them.
But, yay! Warm fingers mostly guaranteed.
***
In somewhat related sewing news, Another Sewing Scientist came up with an international sewintists map and I pinned myself. I'd really like to see people start pinning their favourite sewing-supplies stores, aka stash enhancement centres, in Toronto. If you sew and would like to connect yourself to other GTA (or world-wide) sewists, you should check it out and add yourself.
I have completed the Saturn sweater, mostly. I've already worn it several times, even though I haven't sewn the buttons on yet. I will blog it when I do. After that, I have several sewing projects planned, but I have so many other things I need to be doing right now, I haven't been terribly proactive in that area.
Maybe I could train Lucy to help?
That last one makes me snort in an an unladylike fashion. The wind can be unfriendly, but I am often too warm on my rides, although since I've started leaving off the scarf, I've managed to maintain the warmth-to-sweaty balance. The challenge has been keeping my extremities warm. Ears: sorted with a headband or ear muffs. Toes: mostly okay, as long as I have enough room in the toe-box of my boot (irony, thy name is too-thick socks). Fingers: working on it.
I have tried many things to keep my fingers warm: lined leather gloves keep the wind out but are insufficiently lined for below freezing temperatures. Knit gloves/mitts don't keep the wind out. Last fall I bought a pair of MEC Inverno gloves. Inverno is Italian for winter. They are misnamed. Unless your definition of winter ends at about 5°C. Aside from the reflective patch at the wrists, they are completely useless for winter biking.
So I make do with a pair of Hot Paws that I've had since university. The problem is that they are ginormous -- very fat-fingered, which means I have to take them off when I want to, say, lock up my bike, turn on my lights, anything requiring manual dexterity. That's a bit inconvenient, seeing as how that makes my fingers freeze. Which is why I'm wearing the gloves to begin with.
The other problem is that even those gloves don't always keep my fingers warm. Which seems very unfair.
Anyway, a comment on Let's Go Ride a Bike about making reusable hand-warmers gave me an idea. Which I sat on for a few months. I finally got around to it during the extremely chilly holiday weekend a few weeks ago.
They are pretty simple to make. Cut out a rectangle a bit wider than you want and a little more than twice as long, leaving enough room for a seam allowance. Fold in half and sew around all three open edges, leaving a gap large enough to turn right-side out and pour in your grain.
Turn right-side out and fill with buckwheat. You could also use rice or flax seeds or something similar, but buckwheat smells really nice when heated and apparently has a higher heat tolerance.
Sew up the hole, and voilà!
Warning: do not overheat! I tested the first one at 1 minute and it was fine. Then I made three more and threw all four of them into the microwave for 2 minutes, based on my much, much larger buckwheat heating cylinder thingy. Protip: That's much too long.
Also, the burned smell takes a while to dissipate.
I made two more, slightly larger than before, and doubling the fabric this time.
I was all set to use them the next school day. Naturally, the temperature shot up above zero and I didn't get a chance to test them until the day after, when the temperature dropped again. I've had the chance to use them many times now, with both the fat-fingered gloves and the Invernos. And? They work!
Heating them for a minute on high gives me enough warmth for about 20 minutes, which is about the length of my commute. I will say they are a bit chubby and feel a tad strange; I probably over-filled them. They are too big to use in my more tight-fitting gloves, but I'm fine using the other ones now. I think they would work better with mittens instead of gloves; when my fingers get cold I have to pull my fingers from the glove fingers into the palm and that can be a bit awkward. They can also be a bit too hot to the touch at the beginning. I'm thinking of making washable flannel covers for them.
But, yay! Warm fingers mostly guaranteed.
***
In somewhat related sewing news, Another Sewing Scientist came up with an international sewintists map and I pinned myself. I'd really like to see people start pinning their favourite sewing-supplies stores, aka stash enhancement centres, in Toronto. If you sew and would like to connect yourself to other GTA (or world-wide) sewists, you should check it out and add yourself.
I have completed the Saturn sweater, mostly. I've already worn it several times, even though I haven't sewn the buttons on yet. I will blog it when I do. After that, I have several sewing projects planned, but I have so many other things I need to be doing right now, I haven't been terribly proactive in that area.
Maybe I could train Lucy to help?
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