I had intended also to snap a photo of the back, as that's not often shown, but I was all excited and running on too little sleep and packed it and shipped it off to my cousin Brian, who's currently stationed on a remote field operations base in Afghanistan. I had a packet of RedMaple Classic Crew socks to send him and figured he could pass the BSJ and a hat I knat along to one of the locals working on the base. It's a much poorer area than Kabul (which is already quite poor) and an area of at least some Taliban activity, so groups like Afghans for Afghans are less likely to do distributions there.
Anyway, onward to da feet. It has gotten cold here, folks. Colder'n a witch's titty in a brass bra, as we are wont to say in my family. And in the cold part of the year, the coldest part of my body is my feet. As I sit typing this, I am wearing two pairs of alpaca socks and felted wool slippers (those double-soled Fiber Trends ones), and my toes are at that painful stage of cold. I actually think it may be Raynaud's phenomenon, as it often takes some time for circulation to return to my toes and for them to warm up.
Since we keep the thermostat turned down to about 55ºF (13ºC) at night through the winter, this means that my cold, cold feet are generally getting into a cold, cold bed this time of year, and my blanched and ouchy toes do not make for good sleep. David's actually very good about putting his feet up against mine when we cuddle to help warm them up (yet another reason I love him so dearly), but my back just doesn't allow me to spoon all night long. His doesn't, either, for that matter.
So it was with a particular frisson of pleasure that I took delivery the other day on a pair of Fashy hot water bottles purchased through Amazon. I did not order covers, since I figured I could make them cheaper. It turns out much cheaper, as David suggested using some extra swatches he had for a bouclé alpaca throw in his line. They were of a perfect size, so it was a simple matter of getting out the serger and sewing around three sides to make wonderfully soft sleeves to put them in. I can slip one under the sheets on my side of the bed before David goes to bed, then when my bedtime rolls around I can climb into a toasty warm bed. And it stays warm all night long.
This week our friend Mendy has been visiting from Tennessee (photos forthcoming), so I let her use one of them, which will also be serving to warm our bed once she heads home in the morning. She loved it so much (She tucked it under her shirt and called it her "baby". I'm pretty sure she was joking. Mostly.) that we went online and ordered her one of her very own.
I may still need to make her open up her luggage for inspection before she leaves this morning, though.
7 comments:
That's a pretty much genius solution to the current weather conditions! I've been taking ye olde rice-filled sock fresh from the microwave as a portable heater the last couple of nights. Not nearly as elegant accessory!
Stealth charity knitting--you're brilliant.
Two pair of alpaca socks and felted slippers? Did it ever occur to you that your feet are so hot they're sweating, and the drying sweat has made them cold?
I've been wearing oversized wool socks to bed lately. They really help. Somebody told me once when you have a cold if you wet thin cotton socks, put them on, put thick wool socks over, and get in bed, it'll help your congestion/sinuses drain. All I know is it is wicked cold at first, THEN, like magic, your feet start to bake.
Raynaud's sucks! I suffer from it too; perhaps I should order myself one of those hot water bottles, too.
The BSJ looks great, and the fact that you gave it away as you did is spectacular. Bravo!
yes, there is nothing nicer than a warm bed. When you are alone, you need the help of hot-water bottles.
I do the cheap thing, and use 2 litre pop bottles filled with hot water. Lately, our hot water isn't so hot out of the tap! But when it's hot, too hot to even touch, it's wonderful! And it stays warm well into the next day.
I find that even running some hot water over your feet before bed does help. Cold feet and I can't sleep.
What a great BSJ! They are great fun to make, aren't they? And I'm sure some kid far, far away will appreciate it, and be warm and comfy.
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