Spinning Yarn: Dress
for Survival
Surviving the cold is
about protecting core body temperature. Spinning Yarn is one way to prepare for this, by fashioning the appropriate warm garment.
Following these few tips for surviving cold weather, we can see where spinning yarn can be part of the process…
-
Dress in
layers. It traps heat close to
your body. Use a foundation layer to wick moisture from the body to outer layers, which should be wind-resistant and
waterproof .Wear snow pants and a good winter jacket. Carry mittens or gloves (with glove liners),
socks, and a hat. Spinning yarn in
summer allows time for these essentials to be knitted, crocheted or felted for
winter.
- Cover your head – 50% of heat goes out the head and neck, so wear
a wind-blocking
hat, scarf and gloves. Spinning yarn of
Qiviut makes the garment especially warm. Strong winds cause the most concern with
keeping warm. The moving air takes heat away from your body making it feel colder than what it really is. It
can take as little as 30 seconds for bare skin to become frostbitten. This is one of the reasons why
Antarctica is so extreme - it is often both very cold and very
windy.
-
Cover your mouth with a scarf or full face
mask. Your breath will warm the air. You may add goggles
also.
-
Eat regularly - Extreme cold causes your body to burn more calories, so
eating appropriate food will generate body heat. A hot cup of cocoa or soup raises your body temperature and helps your insulating layer do the
job.
Prolonged exposure to intense cold changes your body’s
chemical reactions, which begin to slow until they generate too little energy for your muscles to work. Your
body will carefully regulate blood flow, sending blood only to the most essential parts—your brain and heart,
protecting your body core and key organs, preserving the core temperature to avoid death
from hypothermia.
 Frostbite is a severe reaction to cold exposure characterized by a loss of feeling and
a white/pale appearance in fingers, nose, ear lobes or toes. Permanent damage can
result.
Marion
will follow these principles when she is
spinning yarn on the ice.
As Shackleton did,
picture yourself surviving, and NEVER entertain thoughts of failure. As Mawson did, be determined to make
it back to base.
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