Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog

I don’t really have favorite clothes, but two items get a lot of use simply because they are seasonally appropriate—my Scottish wool sweater and my London hat.

During the Scotland portion of my first trip to the UK, I acquired two wool sweaters from a shop on Edinburgh’s High Street. I’m certain to the locals it was just another tourist-oriented business, but the sweaters really are quite nice.

I got a blue one and a buff one. I pulled out the blue one first this winter and discovered that it’s perfect for keeping me nice and toasty in my drafty old place, thereby allowing me to keep the thermostat set about five degrees lower than if I weren’t wearing it (with a turtleneck underneath and longjohns under my sweatpants). I don’t recall having discovered that last winter.

I was going to switch to the white one, but discovered that something has eaten a hole through it. Moths? Dunno. So I put it back aside.

Therefore, needing to continue wearing the blue one but becoming concerned that it might get up and walk away all on its own, I threw it into the cold-water wash. I’ve done that with other wool items to no consequence. Not so with this sweater. It is now only two-thirds its original size. It’s still comfortably wearable as both sweaters were too big to begin with.

I need to investigate washing the white one, too. If something’s been munching on it, I would prefer to clean it, too, before attempting repair and wear.

My London hat, on the other hand, is polyester and acrylic and went through the wash just fine. Even though I’ve had it for at least seven years (it, too, was bought in a tourist shop near the Tower of London), this is the first winter that I’ve worn it much. I think it’s too small for my head and therefore always does its best to pop off. I have figured out that wearing a headband underneath it gives it something to stick to and makes it usable. Yay!