With the recent snowfall and arctic temperatures I have enjoyed keeping my ‘money-maker’ warm with a nice woolly hat as I only get thrills from self-induced brain-freeze when it is courtesy of a Slush Puppy .
This year, however, many innocent bystanders have been horrified by the sight of a new trend on the hat scene, one that is so sickly sweet it makes your eyes water (and then freeze over in these conditions). On babies they are acceptable, on young children they are tolerable, but unfortunately, there is no excuse for anybody above the age of five to be wearing them: hats with bear faces stitched onto them and woollen ears stuck on the top - it’s the stuff of nightmares!
This cutesy facade is dangerous. If you are going to have a bear's face on your head, why stop at the bear hat? Why not go the whole hog and let out your inner grizzly bear in an all-in-one costume? The temptation to become overly cute is too great.
I think a hat should be all about warmth and so if these creations do actually fit the bill and keep your head toasty then by all means go ahead and wear them. Although I think many will agree that a trusted woolly beret or beanie is the way forward, especially if you live in the countryside and want to go for walks without being shot by farmers protecting their land from rogue animals.
Woolly Beret, handknitted by Lizzie's mum.
I tend to go for a plain navy or grey woollen beanies as these basic colours will go with practically everything. But if eccentricity is what you’re after I say pom-poms all the way! With a slight ski-theme these make you look acceptably quirky; something that the bear hat doesn’t quite allow you to pull off. Alternatively, if hats aren’t quite your style, earmuffs or woollen “headwarmers” are always a way to keep your Britney Spears’ warm.
