Sweater Weather

Fall has fell, the air is crisper, the days are shorter, it's a wee bit colder. Sweater Weather is upon us, and for me that means my coat scale is going to jump from a 0/1 maybe to a 5, possibly over night.

Coat scale? You ask. What you don't have a coat scale? You don't wake up in the morning and say to yourself, oo, it's a bit nippy now, but it will be hot later, better call this one a level 4.2 on the coat scale? Well I do. And here is how it works:

0- no coat or jacket at all.

1- a zippy sweater or a light cloth jacket. Doesn't keep wind or water out, but adds warmth.

2- a rain poncho. I own one that says sea world on it. I'm looking for a new one, I'm not a fan any more.

3- a windbraker, or as I call it, a struke. It's a Lithuanian word for wind braker. Basically, it's like a 1, but made out of slightly wind /water resistant material. Pretty then, but nice on light rain/wind days.

4- leather/pleather jacket.

5- a hoodie with or without zipper.

6- thin, not very warm, fake p-coats. These are my go to fall coats. They generally don't cover my neck or chest, so time for a scarf. They are decently warm for fall, but you'll freeze in the winter.

7- my most beloved Irish coat. It's wind and water proof, it's the first thing on this list that has a hood. It's waist length, and it's pretty warm. It can handle rough fall/spring weather, and light to average Washington winter weather, such as ice rain conditions or light snow.

8- a heavy p-coat. Made of thicker wool and lining, and zipping up past my mouth, with an extra layer of buttons, going about knee length, this coat can handle snow, when used in conjunction with a hat, and scarf, and gloves.

9- my ski/ snow boarding coats. They are waste/mid upper thigh, and designed for snow days. But believe it or not, I have one better.

10- my Vera moda down coat, it's knee length and I bought it 10 years ago on my mission in lithuania. If it's cold, I bust this out. It kept me toasty in -40 degree weather that blew in from siberia, it kept me toasty in Logan with -29 and canyon winds, and it's kept me toasty in washington. Best investment EVER! I hope to use it for years to come.

So that's my coat scale. A 4.2 would be a leather jacket with a rain poncho under. That would look funny, it's more likely to be a 2.4, but, you never know maybe my clothes are wet and I wanted to keep the inside of my coat dry, or hide the sea world logo.

Today I am actually wearing a 6.1, without a scarf. Fall is upon us, but it's not hear till I'm wearing a scarf again. Hope you learned something new. Do you have a coat scale?