Winter Woolies

a deep coziness

We are a natural fiber loving folk around here. Linen year round, silk and wool in the colder months, feeling alive and very human with all those good natural fiber vibes. Wool & silk long underwear, wool socks, wool coats, linen dresses and skirts - yum.

from “The Hat” by Jan Brett. Winter woolens make for timeless garments

A typical January scenario hereabouts: Wake up, and check the temperature highs for the day - 20 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of 5 degrees. Bundle up in wool leggings and socks, wool thermal shirt, a heavy linen dress, wool knit mittens and scarf, a wool hat and coat, and slip on boots to go out and do the animal chores. Trudge out the door into the shocking frigid wind feeling comfortable, classically sturdy and protected against the elements, the thought that you are little different from a person of 200 years ago completing the same chores in very similar clothing chastened only by the running water from the tap outside.

Such is the magic of winter woolies - not only do they keep you terrifically warm, but if you allow yourself to reflect on their timeless nature, you realize that while wearing them, you’re connected to people of the past and future. Really it’s the magic of handmade items of all kinds - to reconnect us to our timeless human selves. As an aside, here is an excellent essay on the meaning and importance of using beautiful, handmade items in our everyday lives:

Beauty in the home: a series (#3)

Of course we aren’t fanatics about only wearing wool clothing, but I do make it a priority to provide us with a good amount of natural options for winter wear. One child has a wool coat and balaclava, while another child has only wool base layers. Another child has typical Carhartt outdoor wear plus a wool scarf I hand sewed for him. It really depends on budget and what I happen to find in a given season. Once my children are done growing I plan to invest in permanent well-made clothing items for them, but we just patch things along for now.

Here are some of my go-to places for sourcing winter woolens to clothe the family:

• Simply Merino has the best price on kids long underwear. I’ve found they will need mending and patching after heavy use, but that’s the nature of thin merino worn against the skin.

• Little Spruce Organics

• Mama Owl for kids and adults wool & silk

• Ebay & Poshmark - I will routinely browse for good brands secondhand, such as:

  • Ruskovilla

  • Disana

  • Engel

  • Joha

  • Siskin

  • vintage LL Bean

  • various Irish wool sweaters

• Facebook groups (if you use FB) - there are many buy/sell/trade groups for natural fiber clothing - check the Waldorf or brand-specific ones first

• Thrift stores - these are getting increasingly iffy on having any good quality items, period. But you can still find some gems. Many of my everyday oversized wool sweaters come from the men’s section at secondhand shops.

  

  my youngest guy in a secondhand Disana wool coat - isn’t he handsome?

Most of our wool items have been purchased secondhand or were gifts from family members, so I hope I’m not giving anyone here the idea that we’re shelling out big bucks (which we don’t have) for a whole alternative seasonal wardrobe. It’s very attainable to piece together a natural fiber wardrobe from completely secondhand sources, as long as you’re patient and not overly picky about getting the perfect look.

(Although, I will say, wool clothes do kind of make their own look. Everything seems to go together on its own!)

It’s funny, I used to think shopping for used clothing was gross. I would feel icked out at the thought of wearing someone else’s pants or shirt. Now, I don’t think twice. Part of that mentality shift was that we lacked money early in our marriage to be able to afford new clothing, but also the realization that it was better for the environment and our health to buy previously worn clothing. Used clothing is so much more interesting than new clothing anyways, in my opinion. Who wore it? Where did they wear it? What good (or bad) things may have happened to them while they were wearing it?

me & my newest babe in woolies - secondhand coats and new baby hat

For me, part of the fun of having well made natural fiber items in our closets is the history that comes with the item (if it’s secondhand) or the stories we create while wearing those clothes, since they’re made to last for multiple wearers. I fully intend to hand down my wool sweaters to my daughters someday, and some of them were handed down to me still in excellent condition from older family members.

One special tradition I’ve established is that each of my babies has received their own wool pilot cap which did not get handed down to their younger siblings. I’ve kept them tucked away with their baby keepsake items - once the hat was outgrown - so they can hopefully use it for their own children someday. Once in a great while I’ll pull out the baby keepsake box and hold each hat, basking in the glow of the sweet newborn memories of not-so-long-ago. Okay, now I’m going to cry. Time to wrap this up!

I have another post coming soon which will delve deeper into the topic of meaningful clothes which can be enjoyed, handed down, passed on. In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your favorite woolen items! What are your go-to pieces? Let’s talk winter woolies :)