Well, congratulations!! I'm just glad that you can finally get warm...here in Phoenix, AZ, US it's a balmy 69 F and we're loving life :)*cheeky, I know*

YEAH!!!!! Woollen clogs and afghans be danged....you WIN!!!!!!

I'm the Queen of Lurking -- but to know that I could be the first to comment made me come out of Castle Lurk. Thank you for being you.

And then to not be first just because I hesitated for 3 minutes -- maybe this is my lurking demise.

Thank goodness for the added insulation in your home...what's the R factor on all of that wool!?!

Of course you won. I was never in doubt that you would!

I myself have still not touched my thermostat here in western Massachusetts. Would you like to continue Furnace Wars????

Congratulations, winners! I knew y'all could do it. Although for your sake I'm glad they caved before snow came, too!

Waiting eagerly for the confirmation... I think maybe I should move some of my wool closer to a wall since rain/snow mix is due Tuesday here in SW PA USA.

Congradulations!

I guess Ian will be getting no knits...ever.lol.

I say hold out until the first snow is on the ground. What a little wimp using a cold and neighbor issues as a reason to cave in. Snicker. I'm from the hearty stock that was born and raised South of Buffalo where Buffalo is considered a balmy climate. Go Girl and congratulations. I'm in the middle of NC and it's not cold enough here but am sort of stuck (husband's job, etc.) but it is at least crispy today at 48. About freakin' time too.

I give you credit. Here in SE MI, since September, I've gone from A/C to heat to A/C to heat again. It's been freakin' crazy temperatures here. And wind. And rain. Mostly it was the rain that made me cave the first time. Cold *and* damp is treacherous. Congrats on the victory.

I love hearing about the Furnace Wars. And I love that you don't trust Ian to play fair. Congratulations on your victory. I think there should be some sort of traveling trophy. Is there?

Congratulations! It's still in the 80-85F range here. We'll be happy if it gets cold enough that we even want to turn on our heat.

Oh, I am so happy to hear that! Unlike previous commenter Amy from Phoenix, Lauren from outer Scottsdale hates the fact that it is still hitting close to 90 everyday. I am hoping that the end to the furnace wars means some semblance of fall will come our way soon. (I should have been a Canadian, eh?)

Who cares about the snow? It's the frozen pipes I'd be worrying about! ;) Now, would getting some sort of solar panel passive heating be cheating?

Do not trust him! I love how your kids are really into the furnace wars. I think you should hold out until the first snow fall, just to push home the victory.
Here in sunny California, I still have my windows open during the day.

Ours is still off too, kids wrapped in blankets all over the basement. Perhaps we should have warned them before we consented to a sleepover.

do you obtain bonus points for waiting a few more days after his demise?
and is there a celebration dinner provided by the losers?

You won, you think. Hopefully he did turn on the heat for real and you won for real. What a victory. You froze your arse off longer than he did. Bet he had the heat on a while ago and just wanted to watch you shiver for a day or two before telling you.

I knew you could outlast him! I see a few other Phoenix-metro area readers have already commented on our "fall" weather this year. We play the game in reverse - trying to be the last person to succomb to air-conditioning our homes in May.

Woohoo! Congrats!

If only everyone would do this with their siblings (because we all know that's where the real competition is!), think how much oil and natural gas could be saved! =)

Wow. I've really gone soft. I'm Scottish, live in London and have had my heating on for the last month.

That's embarrassing in the face of furnace wars.

Hmm... Wonder if I can use this as an excuse for more stash...

Congratulations! I'm from the good old Commonwealth of VA and have not yet needed to turn on my heat. I enjoy your books & blog SO MUCH. The first thing I do, when I get home from work, is go to the computer to see what you are up to now, or next. Your humor is fantastic. I read so much of most knitters in your adventures into the world of knitting. I knit for at least an hour every day and read for at least 1/2 hour every evening. You have provided me and my best friend (who also is a knitter with much pleasure).
Keep up your good work.

Stephanie, I finally caved in yesterday -- but it was already November, so I didn't feel too bad. Down here in southeastern PA it's not Toronto cold, but our blood is thinner. Especially since we just had the warmest October, by 7+ degrees, since they started keeping records 130 years ago. When I was having trouble typing because my fingers weren't moving quite right, I realized it was time to give in.

Stephanie, your family is a riot! Are you going to talk your kids into holding out until it snows to get the moral high ground...and intimidation powers over Ian for next year?

I hope you get to sit and enjoy that borrowed coffee in a nice warm house while you watch the snow fall.

I, too, worried about frozen pipes, having lived through that several times.

Thank you. I needed a good chuckle this morning. And yes. My furnace is on too.

We who live in warm climates may have turned our furnaces on when the local temp went below 60F, but remember if we accustomed ourselves to cold we wouldn't be able to stand our summers. I agree with Pam of Arizona-- the real war is over who will be the last to turn on the air conditioning!

I use your Furnace Wars as an excuse to keep turning the thermostat down. Thank you!

By the way, I love the pictures you show of your home. I understand that you probably don't want to give up your privacy with too many pictures, but I love seeing your renovations and redecorating.

(Not a stalker! Not a burglar!)

Congratulations. I'm still a bit ambivalent about the whole thing, but I am glad no one needs to freeze to death. It must be like hockey: you know it's terribly important to people who live where it snows, but you don't really get it if you live in Southern California.

Yeeha!!! I love it when a woman can beat a man at something so important in our chilly part of the world. I still have refused to turn on our heat but our Son-in-law from South Carolina is arriving tonight for 2 weeks so I think my hold out days are numbered.
My family call me Nannook of the North because I could probably hold out til Thanksgiving. Knitting with alpaca helps too. :)

I love reading about the furnace wars, but I'm glad I'm not there to feel the cold. Our a/c is still coming on occasionally. I'm in Houston and I think we are looking at mid 80's today with clear skies for the International Quilt Festival. (I hear there is yarn there, too.) I'm hoping to meet up with another Ravelry member. Stay warm and be sure to check that Uncle Ian didn't bribe your secret agent before trusting him completely!

First you get your dining room table back, and now this. It's a banner week!

We're in t-shirts, it's still warm here. I love it when we finally get to turn on the heat. It's the A/C we wait as long as possible to turn on (and then off).

Here's to toasty houses!

(points at Ian and laughs) HAHA!!

Yeah... if my family had been participating, we'd've lost back before Halloween... Thank both cold parents and an arthritic knee that hates cold weather on my part... Stupid knee.

LOL - congratulations! We caved two weeks or so ago when we had our first day when it only reached about 6 degrees. We couldn't keep the place warm and there's only so many beanies and jumpers one can wear. Plus my nose goes a funny shade of purple when its numb from cold. Sounds like it's been warmer in TO than here on some days and nights - we've had frosts every night for nearly a week.

Go Team Harlot! So how much longer will you go? Is snow expected soon?

Does passive heating count in the furnace wars? This past summer we moved into the middle townhouse (out of a set of 3) and have decided over the past few weeks that we may never need to turn on the heat this winter (granted, we do live in Seattle). It seems that both of our neighbors have turned on their heat, which is then passing through the walls into our house. At this rate, I think we might outlast our families who live in Houston!

Oooooh Harlot, you are a smart one! It would be awful to lose based on a lie. Never underestimate a brother - looks like you're very aware of that! Congratulations! Thanks for your blog, I love it.

Woo-hoo! Victory is yours, oh Harlot -- well done (and excellent co-opting of the younger set; you are an inspiration to all parents everywhere). Now I know that I have to get more stash to aid in insulating the house... I'll tell my husband you said so.

You're an inspiration--here in not so cold Maryland, I'm slowly cranking the heat down a degree every few days so that the family might get used to a cooler house without noticing...

Congrats on emerging victorious, and frostbite-free!

In Oklahoma, it's still in the 70s. We have our windows open!

i try really hard to be a good conservationist, and have started "the low-carb(on) diet" program, but our heat goes on when the interior temp hits 64. we caved about 10/20 this year. otherwise, my arthritis gives me fits.

otoh, we barely used the air-con this summer, despite 90+f for days on end. we left it off all day while at work/in daycare, and kept drapes closed. usually, we ran it an hour for late-evening coolness as sun kept the west-facing kitchen scorching despite curtains, and for a couple of hours late at night so we could sleep well. i didn't use my (upstairs) bedroom from may through sept.

it helps that we have a heat pump; we don't have to use "auxiliary" electric heat until the temp stays below freezing for a day or two.

i'd declare a furnace war w/my bro next year . . . only he's moving to hawaii. when they were buying the place in the mid-80s as a distant-future retirement residence, they asked to see the heater . . . and were shown the WATER heater! (long pause for envy).

meanwhile, i'm working on finishing warm sweaters for myself and my grand-in-residence, whose mommy is getting, for her birthday, wooly socks in a yarn i really wanted to keep for myself. now, that's mother-love.

wishing us all a mild winter (w/one good cold snap to zap fleas & mosquitos).

Yay! Yarnharlot wins! Was there a secret stash of qiviut sweaters keeping you all toasty, and would that be cheating? (Hardly!)

Here, our local California Vintage '88 shivered in his sweatshirt, did his usual refusal to wear a sweater, and complained of the cold. Cold?? He protested, "It's 59 out there!" and then wondered for about a nanosecond why his Easterner mother was laughing so hard.

Here's hoping the tail end of Hurricane Noel sends some warm weather your way.

Mr. Happy is now home from England and is providing sufficient body heat that I've considered turning off the furnace.

Congrats from the northern end of California! Today is a nice 65, though my room seems to be 76 without heating. I suppose I have amazing insulation.

You are one crazy sister. Now please knit Ian a muffler to help him get over his cold - it sounds nasty!

Yeah you! My husband always teases we will turn the heat on "Christmas Morning". Yeah right.

Snorked, dear?

Well, I would have caved a long time ago, but I have to say I'm sorry the war is over. Multiple LOLs. Thanks for the smiles.

I live in CA, I haven't even turned off my ceiling fans yet, and no, they aren't reversed to send the hot air down (does that even really work?). Here we'd be more likely to have an Air conditioner War, which I wouldn't even enter as I'd lose so quickly. Congrats on saving energy and winning the war!!!

Congratulations on your win. It sounds like your daughters inherited your competitive gene. You may not have realized it yet but the furnace wars are something your daughters will always remember and probably will compete amoung themselves once they have their own households.
My family has an annual competetion but it is tame compared to yours. We compete to see who sees the first robin of the spring. We have this beanie baby robin in it's acrylic case that serves as the 'traveling trophy'. In the case is a list of who won which year. My sister got it one year by seeing robins in February (we live in Minnesota). She was awarded the trophy but I secretly think those robins were 'wintering over' and they shouldn't have counted - but that is also 'unconfirmed' . We also have a rule that the robin sighter must phone my mother to report the sighting (or it doesn't count ).
Do you have a traveling furnace-wars trophy? Maybe an old used thermostat mounted on a wood plaque, suitable for hanging in the winner's chilly house?

Yay!
Now as soon as you get confirmation.. RUN to your thermostat and begin to thaw :)

Congrats!

I have sort of a different issue. Mine is not when we turn it ON but when do we turn it OFF!? I am half-German and NEVER cold. If I'm cold, it's because I am SICK. My husband is half-Cuban. He wears long underwear to bed if the temperature drops below 60F. For the past two night, he has gotten up at around 2:00AM and jacked the heat to 75F! This, despite the fact that it's still in the 80's in Central Texas...

I'm about to get my revenge, though. Because it looks like we're moving to Long Island and then he's going to find out what it really means to be COLD... MWAHAHAHAHA. I had to take drastic measures to get him to wear the socks I knitted for him.

I am sitting in my nicely heated living room (Congraulations, I am impressed that you both have been able cope with a cold house!)reviewing all the items that you have knit and have a request. Would you make a video of yourself knitting so I can see how you knit. I have a fair amount of time to knit, can knit with either hand and can't for the life of me knit at your pace. I am not trying to compete, but there are so many things I would like to knit that I would really love to be able to be faster. What did your grandmother teach you that enables you to be so speedy? Thank you!

Do you have a ceremony of surrender or an armistice of some sort? Or or do you just leave it as "I win" and commence with the gloating? (grin)

i'm celebrating your victory... tho not to an extent that would cause me to turn on my heat. it's quite balmy in calgary; honestly! however, tomorrow is another day.

Woo Hoo! - I'm with Bonnie though, we can keep this going - I've got windows open today dude, I'm not near to breaking down yet!

There should definitely be a trophy for you. Perhaps something in felt sculpture?

Congratulations for winning before you had to wrap your pipes in the stash to keep them from freezing.

We turned our furnace on two weeks ago - when we had three inches of snow. It has been down to 21 degrees (F) here almost every night, so we wouldn't have held out. I'm rounding that to -6 C as best as my poor American brain can figure. Pretty chilly to put your feet on the bathroom tile in the morning.

Congrats on winning the furnace wars!

I turned mine on last night- it was Friday, I'd had a crappy week and was deserving of the comfort. It was so nice.

Are his neighbours friends of yours? Perhaps part of The Blog? Either way: Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Pearl-McPhee clan. I bet the knitting is going more smoothly now that the finger joints are warmer.

Bah! Sissies, all. Thinking things (the Wars) were just getting started, I thought this was going to be amusing for a few weeks. We've not even shut all the windows yet, let alone turn on the heat -- and our weather is running pretty much neck-in-neck with yours. (Hubby whines about the open windows so much, I thot I'd use your Wars to bolster my position on the (lack of) heat. I may now have to cave, and peel a few layers of wool off so I can stand it.

I once fought in the Air Conditioning Wars, and lemme tell you, those can be heated here in Texas.

Was soundly trounced by a friend who went the WHOLE SUMMER without. Did he smell mightily? Yeah verily. Did anyone visit his home? Surely you jest.

Since my 83 yr old mom lives with me now, I have to keep the house in the temperate zone all the time.

It's a sacrifice...

Harumph. Ian's an amateur, though I'm sure a very lovable one. I live in the hills of Vermont, where it's been hitting 20F/-6C at night. Haven't turned on the heat yet, nor have we touched the woodstove. My usual, though extremely grudging, cutoff point is when the daytime high goes below 45F/6C.

My secret weapons: Worsted-weight socks and fingerless gloves. With them, I am invincible! Mwahaha!

Congratulations! I'm still holding out, although I think I need some fingerless gloves so I can continue typing and knitting...

No heat here until the fear of frozen pipes makes it happen. The bathroom got down to the low forties ( zero to the single numbers for you) last year and the jojoba oil solidified . I'll probably do the same thing this year. It's not just the oil prices that make me 'dig in' it's the hope that I'll get a congratulatory call from Al Gore.

You are no fool. Joe must give off a considerable amount of body heat. But really, choosing someone like him just to have an edge in the Furnace Wars? Shame on you ! Uh, does he have a big brother?

Go Steph! Do not succumb to the ploy of the young voice admitting heat! Using kids is the oldest trick in the book.

I'd be interested in the statistics of who has won in the past and who wins most often. It seems like you always win, or am I partial?

Confirmation that he truly has his heat on is a very good thing. I have brothers that would pull a fast one like that . Hope he has so you can enjoy the weekend in comfort.

Just what, exactly, does "snorking" sound like...

If I were Ian, I would SO lie to you. GOod on ya for sending one of the girls over to check...

Congrats on winning! Our family hasn't even turned the furance switch on yet let alone touched the thermostat.

And... despite my knitting habits we currently walk around in t-shirts, pj bottoms and *gasp* sockless...

Happy knitting from Waterloo, ON!

Yay! You win! :D

im so glad my heat comes free with my rent! i am always nice and warm and very grateful.

The real kicker would be victoriously marching to your thermostat to bathe indulgently in the toasty goodness of radiated heat. . . only to find that your furnace is broken and won't be fixed for a week. Sweet victory indeed. :)

It was starting to get a bit chilly around the edges around here. We started a fire in the wood stove tonight (but still no furnace). Congrats on the win!

Congratulations! I realized that the furnace wars were a Big Deal when I got a tipoff from another blog that you had won.

From someone who never made it through Furnace Wars boot camp.

Ahhh, furnace wars . . . my husband and I battle daily. the setting in general, but lately my large upstairs studio where I have wet clay projects that need to dry sometime this century. The vent is closed, the door is closed, the vent is opened, the door is opened. He's out of town next week - I win . . . .

Congrats. I only turned on my heat because my grandchildren were visiting. I usually keep the heat at 50 degrees. Bugs everyone!

Warm Wishes to you!
I hope for your sake that you have won, so that you may turn on the heat. It is tough to knit and type in mittens. (I've tried the typing one!)

Oohhhhh.... Kaaaay then! Canadians DO have a sense of challenge. Kind of odd though :)

My Southern California hothouse blood would positively congeal at those temps! I shivered this evening walking downtown in the 50s (F). But our coastal fog does really know how to instill a chill.

Picked up a UFO sock yesterday. Nice progress, but am sort of keeping some fingers crossed hoping to find the OTHER ball of yarn by the time I'm finished with _this_ sock! Oops... another excuse for SSS (Second Sock Syndrome).

==Marjorie

I am so dumb I would have never thought of sending someone over to verify the heat status. So dumb, yet this is surely a trick my brother would play on me. Good for you Wise Harlot for checking.

I think you should make a knitting video so we can all learn your tricks. I would be first in line to buy it.

Sabine--glad to meet another flicker!!!

Well, here in Guelph, we still haven't turned our furnace on.

*Neener neener*

Of course, that may have more to do with the furnace being broken...

we're still holding out without heat, but thats because our heater is broken and the heating guy didn't want to come out on a weekend and fix it.

Our war ended in a stalemate when my parents and I each turned on the heat in our homes yesterday. Ah, sweet warmth!

I love the furnace wars. I don't turn my heat on all winter because the way the windows in my apartment are the sun comes through all day and this place is like an oven. If it rains or snows for a few days in a row sometimes I have to turn the heat on to take the edge off. However AC in the summer is not optional.

Congratulations on your "not confirmed yet" win!!! I've been thinking about you regarding that. Here I'm freezing at night and it's only in the 60's inside the house...

You are too funny!

Stay warm.

I hope someone is keeping track of the 'give in' date each year. Won't it be interesting to see what the date is in 10 years or so?

Congratulations! And thank you for the laugh. It warmed me up!

Here in Arkansas it is forcast to be near 80F today and I have my doors open. It's suppose to drop 40 degress by Tues. though. I think it's harder to take the cold when it's been hot the day before. We've had a few cool days and nights, and while I've had a little heat not near what I usually do. I nearly had to take out a bank loan to fill the propane tank, so I am planning on wearing lots of layers this winter. Glad the war is over with no casualities!!!

Congrats on winning the 2007 Furnace War. You should really have a traveling trophy made so you have a prop to wave at Ian when you go "NEENER NEENER NEENER!" and remind him that you won. :o)

SPEAKING OF SNOW...Get started on your Christmas presents.

Slainte! Victory before snow! Or something like that. (Ok, who can think up a nice, catchy cheer for the Furnace Wars?) I hope everything's thawing out nicely. ;)

(To those asking about snorking: Personally, I've always taken it to mean the noise made when you do that inadvertent snorting bit while laughing. Most effective when performed by people who do not regularly snort during laughter. It's a lot funnier that way.)

YAY!!!! glad to hear the Harlot and family won!!My heat has been off and on since mnd Oct, however its lower than it normally would be because of propane prices. Yes neither my hubby nor I like it cold, cool is fine but not cold. By the way, cold weather does mean Christmas is on its way, Is "IT" in the near future?

Snort.

It's the last month of spring here in Melbourne (Australia), and it was 16 degrees Celsius yesterday. *16!!!!* I almost wish I'd moved to Canada already, just so I could turn a heater on...

Thank heavens your brother caved before you, regardless of the reason. From what I gather, you're quite stubborn. Had you persevered and suffered severe frost bite then you'd have to type your next book with your nose. And knitting could have proved challenging without digits too.

Haven't turned on my furnace yet but then I am only 45 miles north of NYC ... a somewhat more temperate zone than yours. However, I can highly recommend thick chenille full length dressing gowns ... takes the chill out of the mornings.

Hooray to the victor! My son wants to point out that if you're really cold and Mom won't turn up (or on) the furnace, that a heating pad warms up your tush rather nicely.

Haha, yay! Good for you!

I love your furnace wars. I look forward to them every year. Kudos on your victory...does he have to take you to your favorite yarn shop now??

I gave up and turned the heat on this weekend. When My nose gets cold I draw the line- I can't put a mitten on that!

So- is there a wool crown, loving cup or something????? Do we have a confirmation? Congrats- you won and didn't freeze;)

Hooray! BTW, it was 38 degrees in Atlanta this morning when I walked the dog. I was wearing a t-shirt. Some of my neighbors were bundled up as if for a polar expedition.

are the use of electric blankets allowed in the furnace wars?

Woohoo!
My heat isn't on either, but I'm in Albany where it's at least 10 degrees warmer, but we're getting rain tomorrow followed by snow on Wednesday.

I'm inspired. ;) My roommate doesn't know it yet, but we're participating in a little Furnace Wars of our own. It's "See How Long the California Girl Can Last Without Heat in Minnesota". Who cares if we're always complaining about how cold it is in our room? At least it's not too hot in the room, which I would kill over. I hate when rooms are overheated.

Of course, this plan isn't working so well when all the wool is against me and I can't get gauge for anything and I want some Endpaper Mitts to keep my hands warm while I'm typing!

My husband caved this past Friday and actually turned the heat on when he got home from work. On Saturday, he cleaned the furnaces and replaced filters (he wasn't up to doing that on Friday). We are fortunate in that we have two furnaces . . . one on each floor and so can set them to start at different times. Technology is a beautiful thing. Now if I could only get him to light the pilot light on the fireplace.

Congratulations, although I think that one should get extra points for the unheated, uninsulated place next door. I lived through a week last winter of both upstairs and downstairs neighbors being away, and wow-za! did I notice the difference.

And I will also add that I felt the goodness of a toasty room this weekend.

I can't control the heat in my apartment. Law says it has to go on when the nighttime outside temp falls below 55 and so it does. Do I miss the opportunity to toughen up? Nah.

While we would normally be tough Minnesotans and keep the heat off even though the nighttime temp is well below freezing now, we have a little help in winning out furnace wars this year, although it might be considered disqualification. We had to replace the boiler, and the old beast was taken out a few weeks ago and the new one won't be in for another week. We are surviving with blankets and hot chocolate - you can hold out until it snows.