Winter Gloves

Winter gloves do not have to be bulky to be warm. A fine knit in cashmere or an alpaca blend traps still air in a thin layer, so the gloves slide under a coat cuff and still let your fingers work. Choose by what your hands do all day: wrist length for the coat pocket, touchscreen tips for the phone, a long cuff for shorter sleeves, or open fingers for the desk and the commute.

How Warm Are Knit Winter Gloves

Knit gloves are at their warmest in still, dry cold and lose some of it in wind, because moving air slips through the gaps between stitches. For a windy walk, wear the knit pair under a shell or a leather glove, and the same gloves turn much warmer without any extra bulk.

  • Still cold. Knit alone is fine.
  • Wind. Add a shell or leather over the top.
  • Wet snow. Keep a spare dry pair.

Layering Gloves for Real Cold

Fingerless gloves make excellent liners. Wear them under mittens, then slip the mittens off for the phone or keys without ever baring your wrists. Thin layers hold more warmth than one thick glove, because each layer traps its own pocket of air.

  • Liner first. Fingerless or thin cashmere.
  • Shell second. Mittens or leather.
  • Peel as needed. Wrists stay covered.

Drying Gloves After Snow

Damp knit gloves lose most of their warmth, so dry them properly before the next outing. Blot them inside a folded towel, smooth the fingers or the cuff straight, and lay them flat at room temperature. Keep wet gloves off radiators and heaters, since strong heat can shrink fine knits and leave cashmere or alpaca stiff.

  • Press out water. Never wring.
  • Smooth and flat. Shape sets as it dries.
  • Room temperature. No radiator, no dryer.

To choose by fit and fiber, see the womens gloves page, and for the low-itch alpaca yarns, the alpaca wool page.

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