You need to keep your feet warm, doctors tell us, and they are absolutely right. After all, when your feet are warm, it is unlikely that you can catch a cold. Even if it's arctic cold outside. Well, if your feet are cold, then a runny nose and sore throat are practically guaranteed for you.
Felt boots are suitable for cold frosty weather. They were invented a long time ago, if you believe the history, then somewhere in the 12th century, this felt shoe was invented. By the way, in different regions of Russia, felt boots are called completely differently. In Nizhny Novgorod with wire rods, in Tambov and Tver - with valencians, in Siberia - with pims. The name also depended on the wool from which these winter shoes were made. Valenki made of goat's hair were called little waves and antics, and from sheep's just wire rods. There is fur footwear in the northern territories, which is also worn with pleasure in Siberia. These are kitties or high fur boots made of deer fur. By the way, kitties are recognized as the warmest shoes in the world, as they retain heat even at minus 50 degrees.
Boots, felt boots, not hemmed, old
By the way, a very popular folk song is not Russian at all, but a gypsy dance song. It was Lydia Ruslanova who sang it in her own way. So, felt boots are the warmest and most comfortable shoes, which are worn both in the village and in the city. They are made from felted wool. The best in this quality is called a sheep. Well-made felt boots can serve more than one winter, they keep their shape for a long time, do not get wet, absorb and evaporate moisture. It is believed that these are medical orthopedic shoes, because felt boots sit on the leg, taking the shape of the foot.
Now such shoes are made by fashion houses, decorating with embroidery, applications and rhinestones. They are expensive. For everyday wear, ordinary ones are suitable. They can be of three colors: gray, white and black. Gray ones are considered the most real, whites are made from selected wool, therefore they are more expensive, and black, as a rule, are dyed.
When buying boots, you need to take a larger size. When worn, they trample in width and sit down, decreasing in length. Before the first toe, it is worth deciding which felt boot will be right and which will be left. These shoes take on the shape of the foot over time.
By the way, felt boots are advised to be worn with sheepskin coats and down jackets. Classic cut fur coats and coats are not quite suitable for this. Caring for them has its own characteristics. Wet felt boots are not dried on a radiator or near the stove, so that they do not become tough and lose their shape. Better to put a newspaper in them and dry at room temperature. Valenki are wool shoes, which means they can become a favorite object for moths. This must also be taken into account.
Fur shoes
Kitties are traditional footwear of the peoples of the Far North, they are made from deer fur. Kissy are the shoes of the Khanty and Mansi, among other peoples (Yakuts, Nanai, Udege) these shoes are called torbasa, Pims (not to be confused with felt Siberian shoes) are among the Finougorsk peoples who live in the Arkhangelsk region, Perm and Komi.
They talk about the positive healing effect of this shoe. Making kitties is a long and painstaking process, but they are worn for many years. The skins are first kept in the cold, then you need to smoke the skin, and good dressing only increases the wearing period. By the way, such shoes have been worn for more than a dozen years, only replacing the worn out sole.
Reindeer kamus is used to make kitties. Kamus is the skin of the lower legs (shins) of elk, deer, roe deer, horse and pinnipeds (seal). It is characterized by coarse hair with a water-repellent effect, therefore it is suitable for making shoes. One pair takes about a dozen skins. These shoes must be decorated with mosaic patterns made of leather or beads, by the way, the pattern for women and men should be different. According to northern belief, the drawing on the kitties is a talisman. Male kitties in cut and pattern differ significantly from female ones. The traditional ornament of men's shoes is very laconic; for decoration, the simplest ancient ornament is used, such as "deer trail", "elk antlers", "man's head", "bear ears". Female kitties are often decorated with a diamond-shaped pattern - "firebrands", "calf horns", and the girl's shoes have a pattern of "bunny ears".
Kitties are made exclusively with wool facing out. Inside it may or may not be. High fur boots are made from any wool. Above one wool, below a tarpaulin or leather low shoes.