Looking for real thick wool knitted hats..that are nice

I'm actually abit disappointed by the lower quality of knitted wool hats that I see. And I live in a city with very cold, long and hard winters with ice and snow. Some just fugly lumpy acrylic toques or hats that look warm, but it's not wool, it's a synthetic (acrylic, polyester blend) which the wind will blow through.

I haven't paid attention over the years on knitted wool hats until this year. I've been so happy with my thick, finely knitted wool hat with some nylon (5%), abit of silk even in the wool..covers my ears, looks good on me, doesn't have side ear dangling straps (you know those Nepalanese/Tibetean copy cat styles) which would drive me nuts, etc. Have worn it every winter for past 15 years or longer.

A knitted wool hat for me must breathe when I sweat snowshoeing up in the mountains but must keep my head, ears warm when I'm out snowhoeing in wilderness areas for 3-4 hrs. @-28 degrees C which sometimes (regrettably not all the time when we vacation) can shoot up to -15 degrees C in a few hrs.

(More frivolous criteria for me: It must in a lighter colour or clear bright colours for me.... I am NOT wearing a black, navy blue, brown or dark grey hat....I have black hair and drains the colour out of my face with sallow skin tone. Wearing a black hat actually depresses me in the winter when it's grey and miserable...and our winters are loonnggg. This is why I have a tendency to choose lighter /brighter, jewel colours for winter outwear worn close to my face. No muddy colours for me.)

Maybe the answer is to buy a handcraft knitted hat at one of the artsy-craft fairs around this time of year.. which I've never bought any handcrafted knitted wear yet.

I just love my Ibex knit cap. I don't see the exact style on their website now, but they have several styles - mine's just a plain merino beanie, probably most similar to the Mandala they have now. It's long enough to cover a lot of my head if I want, but typically I wear it high enough to leave some of my bangs showing, I just look better that way. If it gets too cold for that cap, I'm going to need more coverage anyway, either a balaclava under a fedora, or a scarf over the cap.

Mine isn't a beanie, just kind of a long oblong that I can roll up-quadruple up a self made band to protect my ears. It's not bad shedding a lot of snow (not completely). It is not pure white, it has wool fibres of lavender shot through out... Actually there's even mohair in the hat. Now, when was the last time you saw wool hats made of mohair/cashmere wool???

It has a slightly decorative tight purl knit stitch and the whole hat is fully knitted and completely doubled in layers. I don't worry about wrecking its shape when I stuff it in a clean plastic bag in my purse, knapsack. It washes well by hand.

http://cyclewriteblog.files.wordpres...etrail2013.jpg

Because I often have to wear a winter hat for many hrs. outdoors, it must look good on me. So no boring black beanie for me.

Your best bet is probably to make friends with a knitter. Double knitting is doable, but takes more time. I mostly knit with a merino/cashmere/nylon blend (I find mohair itchy). Seriously! Even Smartwool hats seem to be 50% acrylic now. I wonder whether you could find someone who would make something to your requirements on Etsy? I bet it wouldn't be much more expensive than purchasing a good quality item from a retail store.

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Seriously! Even Smartwool hats seem to be 50% acrylic now.

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Mohair makes up 5% of this hat. But seems to give it a slightly fluffy quality which for bizarre reasons I like. For a very warm hat where I am not jogging but sweating very lightly over several hrs. outdoors further up in the mountains under very frigid temperatures, Smartwool is not quite something I'm interested in and then there's wind blowing hard in the wilderness with nightfall coming down. Alot of thin merino wool hats seem to be for shorter time activities in lighter winter temperatures. I do always wear a jacket with hood which has been handy for being out for 4-5 hrs. in a winter mountain wilderness region and several times there has been heavy snowfall when we've been snowshoeing. It's times like that being prepared with warm clothing always felt better.

Shouldn't have abandoned knitting after my mid-teens. The knitter that used to be....was my mother who gave it up for lack of time. We'll see.....
Still, I'm actually appalled by the (inferior) quality of knit wool hats in stores. What happened to the tight knit real wool, ski knit hats with snowflakes and broad range of bright colours, designs?

I understand about the itch factor. Dearie can only wear acrylic hats because of that....he's mostly bald. On top of that, he does not want/have any real wool sweaters, socks. None. No interest in merino wool/smart wool. He still finds it sensitive to his skin.

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Originally Posted by Blueberry

Even Smartwool hats seem to be 50% acrylic now.

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Man, that's sad. My SW cap isn't that old and it's 95% merino, 5% spandex.

Getting one made custom is a great idea, though.

Filson is great. I got my SO one of the lined, ear-flap hats. It is really well made and super warm. As Muirenn said, pricey but excellent quality.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

I just love my Ibex knit cap. I don't see the exact style on their website now, but they have several styles - mine's just a plain merino beanie, probably most similar to the Mandala they have now. It's long enough to cover a lot of my head if I want, but typically I wear it high enough to leave some of my bangs showing, I just look better that way. If it gets too cold for that cap, I'm going to need more coverage anyway, either a balaclava under a fedora, or a scarf over the cap.

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Right here on our own TE :cool:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodIB_852.html

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

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They do have a few nice women's pieces, too. Something I didn't see when I looked before was the Cowichan cap. It's cute, and made by tribal members.

Don't know if this would be an okay color. Probably the lightest, though.

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Thanks for this....now I just remembered a Canadian firm in southeastern British Columbia: http://www.kootenayknitting.com/index.php Their merino wool & acrylic combo seems to be 50/50 or 70/30.

Still looks a bit thin, wool wise .. I love some of the designs. Last year we were ....80 km. west of there on vacation during the winter.

This is why I knit. ;)

LL Bean has some wool/nylon hats, and some Smartwool hats that are 100% merino.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/50297...TERIAL*Wool%5E

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Originally Posted by Trek420

Right here on our own TE :cool:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodIB_852.html

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I have this cap. It looks silly on me, but it's great under a bike helmet, which is how I typically wear it.

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Originally Posted by Trek420

Right here on our own TE

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That's a nice looking hat but it isn't the one I have. Mine's a little heavier wool, and just a plain beanie. This is the one that looks most like it. I just went to weigh mine for comparison, but I washed it yesterday and it's still damp and heavy. :cool:

I have a plain thin wool knit cap from EMS. I know they don't have them in Canada, but, I am sure you can find a wool hat without having to make one. I have bought quite a few hats from artisan fairs, or specialty shops, because I have a kid's sized head and since I seem to look like one big wrinkled face when I put on a hat, I am kind of particular about what I wear. The hat from EMS is the best one yet. I also have one of those hand made knit hats, with the ear flaps. It is heavier wool, lined with fleece. I bought it in Lake Placid, when I was freezing, a few years ago. It is the warmest damn thing around. I can only wear it when it gets below 20 F or less, when I am x country skiing or snow shoeing. So while the hat is all wool, the fleece lining adds a lot of warmth.

I'm like Oak - I wear a wool felt hat that's much like a fedora - it's a women's style version that's basically the same shape, but just never had the dents in the top put into it (I guess it looks like an old west "preacher" hat). I need a brimmed hat to protect my eyes and I find that even a wool hat like that keeps my head and ears pretty toasty. If it gets so cold or windy that I need more I can stick a thin beanie underneath of it. The shop I bought mine at had black, brown and a very nice shade of burgundy, but they certainly come in all sorts of colors and I think it's much nicer looking than a stocking cap.

I've ordered a really nice wool hat from DebThorpe on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/debthorpe

She knits thick wool hats in a lot of bright, colorful patterns. It's definitely warm enough for walking around town when temperatures drop into the 30s-40s. The wool is really thick, so it might be too toasty for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing when you're getting more of a workout.

I've also gotten nice knit wool hats at Pike Place Market. There's usually quite a variety, so you may want to check out the knit hats there when you're in Seattle.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Man, that's sad. My SW cap isn't that old and it's 95% merino, 5% spandex.

Getting one made custom is a great idea, though.

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SmartWool was sold to Timberland or something like that. Their sock quality has gone down also.

Oh boo, I did not know that. :mad: I mean, I noticed their running socks aren't what they used to be, but I didn't know the company had sold out.

Sad too, because they're the only wool running socks I know of with the amount of cushion I like. I just got some Icebreaker running socks and really love them, but they're just too light for cooler weather. Injinji I can pretty much wear only in the hottest weather, because of my Raynaud's, plus I just like more cushion than toe socks can ever have.

My bottom layers better last me, too - though I haven't tried on Icebreaker tights. As much as I love my Ibex tops, their bottoms just don't fit me - too slender and too long. I have one heavy pair of JonesWares, that I'm not aware of anyone making wool tights that heavy any more - they're maybe 300 g/m2, as a guess. And one pair of SmartWool tights that they call "midweight," but that IMO are just too light and fragile-seeming to wear for anything athletic, only as a base layer under jeans.

Thanks for the heads-up, anyway. Sigh.

Apparently the Timberland acquisition happened in 2005. I, too, have had smart wool issues (gently worn socks kicking it in less than a year, tops getting holes without moths - I knit so I am very vigilant - and the nearby stuff was untouched).

Slight thread drift - but has anyone tried Darn Tough socks? http://darntough.com

They're wool and MUSA, plus a lifetime warranty (?!). I have seen good things online, but don't "know" anyone who has tried them.

I have one pair of Darn Tough. They're only maybe three years old, plus I don't really like them for running, so I can't really comment on wear, but they do seem pretty tough. A lot of why I don't really like to run in them is that the fabric is so dense, so even though they're heavy, they don't really cushion or have a lot of stretch. They seem like they would stand up to a lot of abuse.


We probably ought to move this conversation to the Wool Weenies thread, it's past the season for reviving that. :p