Wool midlayer workout sweater

I mostly wear synthetic materials when working out, as it is hard to beat functional fabrics when it comes to keeping the moisture away. But for colder days I’ve found wool to be a really great option, especially as a midlayer option instead of fleece. While it is not as wicking as polyester, thin wool is in my experience better at regulating the temperature. Hence why I did this simple raglan sweater in a thin wool rib.

I wear this sweater over a wickaway top and under a windbreaker and the feeling is just perfect. The raglan pattern is from Built By Wendy’s Home Stretch book. I am a really big fan of her sewing books when in comes to instructions, and have had excellent results with her knit patterns (the Sew U woven patterns has been more uneven in my experience, but the instructions are still A+).

This is the sweater I wear when run during the winter. Though as I have alluded in other posts, running has been on hold for almost a year now due to an injury. I do think I am on the mend and have been stickler with the rehab, so now I just need to muster up the courage to go out there. Injuries are funny that way, in the beginning there is usually a lot of denial going on, and “rest and recovery” might mean just taking a week off and then ignoring the fact that the pain is still there. But when you take a really long break like I have done now, I am in fact more scared of returning to running than I was after just taking a few weeks off.

Luckily I am no longer married to the idea that I have to be a runner and I’ve resisted the temptation to sign up for any races this year as I don’t need any added pressure on my training. But I do miss the feeling of running, as biking and the cross-trainer doesn’t give me the same sense of well being as running does. We’ll see how it goes!