Furnace Wars

When I read the Yarn Harlot's accounts of the Furnace Wars, I kind of laughed it off a some weird Canadian thing. After all, it's so stinkin' cold in Canada that of course they'd have to get silly about the furnace. I just pulled out my fall jacket - and realized that the last time I wore it was in Canada, in June. Then it got put away, because no one in the more temperate regions of the continent needs a jacket in June.

But there's this other thing - I hate cold. Really, really hate cold. 80 degrees would be a reasonable daytime temperature for most of the year, as far as I'm concerned - maybe just a little warmer in the summer. For the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to live someplace where I don't pay for the heat, and sometimes didn't even control the heat. For a couple years, I was doubly fortunate - not only did I control the heat, but I didn't like the people who were paying for the heat very much. So either I had no choice in the heating decision, or I could keep things as warm as I liked, whenever I liked.

This year is different. This year, we're paying for the heat. After paying for a house, a honeymoon, a move, and me being unemployed. So we're going to have to be a bit more responsible about heating - and Illinois was a heck of a lot colder than Indiana last winter.

So I've declared the Furnace Wars to be on! There's no competition against anyone else - this is just my own challenge, a personal jihad against wimpiness and my cold nature. We're having pot roast for dinner tonight, so I've been able to have the oven on for most of the afternoon. I finally, FINALLY found my socks, just today - at the bottom of a closet. (We must have thought something like, "oh, we'll have finished painting the bedroom long before we need wool socks" when we put them there.)

And here I present my first weapon in the local Furnace War. I'm making myself a Calorimetry headband, so I can have something that will help keep the heat in, without resorting to wearing a hat inside.

I don't know what the yarn is - it was a gift from Debbie when she was destashing, and at the time, someone said, "this looks like enough for a Calorimetry." I'm working it on size 4 needles, with 110 stitches, and that seems to be working out right. Once I get this done, the next project is to do more box-shifting so I can find my long pants and long-sleeved shirts. If all goes well, we'll be able to keep the heat off until Halloween.

It may be finished tonight. It's supposed to get down to 37 tonight.