Falling down around my butt

So it's a bit crisper outside today than the last time I posted, which if I recall was a gorgeous, warm spring day. Not that it's not wonderful out, but the nip of winter is feeling its way through the air, getting ready to settle in for the long dark months. And if you're anything like me, you're the foolish sort who will wait until the very last minute to bundle up for the weather, instead making excuses and taking short cuts to avoid the be-parka-ing.

My favorite short cut of course is the scarf. If, as we supposed above, you're anything like me, then the first thing that turns to ice will be your neck, and once it's gone the frosted way, the rest of the body will follow, regardless of how many layers I may or may not have on. A good scarf will always swoop in and save the day, and your internal temperature, a low cost and low maintenance accessory for man or woman.

There are however, as I discovered this year, potential hitches. What I thought was an elegantly simple pattern thin weave, the kind of something you could casually drape around your neck yet diligently provide comfort and warmth, turned out to be Whovian in length.

Just how do you wear a scarf long enough to simultaneously stumble over and hang yourself with? Simply wrapping it around your neck and shoulders until you've run out of scarf makes for a brilliant brace, but makes mobility above the shoulder blade almost impossible. Wrap it around only once, and it billows behind you like a cape, waving in the wind after you.

Not that I'm against capes, and it's a look that definitely has it's time and place.

I finally settled on a compromise, twice around the neck and shoulders, then draped down the front. Sure, it's a bit awkward even at this length, taking on the look of a prayer shawl hanging beneath you coat, but it carries the best of both worlds when the wind hits you, covering and protecting the neck, while flapping wildly in the wind.

All the same, next year I think I'll take a bit more time in picking out the perfect scarf.