Minus33 Merino WoolMinus33 Ridge Cuff Beanie - 100% Merino Wool - Dark Purple - Warm Winter Hat

This is a double thickness of soft, tightly knitted merino wool. The hat is made of 2 thin knit layers, so the foldover has 4 layers, keeping ears toasty. It's thin and lightweight, but cozy, perfect for travel, and easily stuffs into a coat pocket. It fits many sizes, from my small head to my husband's much larger one. I love to knit, but I can't rival this hat. Definitely a favorite. And the deep plum color is excellent. My husband is now wanting one.

I bought this in every color, unfortunately before trying one. I have a small head and they slowly slide right up and off. They don’t stay put. Because they are 100% Merino, there is no grip to them, and while they are extremely warm and comfortable and soft, some tighter elasticity would be good around the bottom - no matter how gorgeous it feels, since it doesn’t stay on my head it doesn’t do me any good. I think when you have a small head, beanies like this also make your head look smaller and that can be less flattering than a hat with a brim. These don’t frame your face as another hat would, they emphasize the flaws. So if you have a small or narrow face, the beanie style exaggerates that. If you have a large head and short hair, a beanie will stay on and is a great look. Then yes, get this and enjoy. But if you are middle aged with medium or long hair, and a smallish head, this won’t be useful or the most complimentary look. Since they are so soft, and warm, I decided to use them as liners in other hats that I am knitting that are fairly loose. I will sew a snug elastic into the base of this wool beanie hat and place the hand knitted hat on top. That solves the entire problem of looking like a Neglected beetle. The beanie colors are all gorgeous and true to the computer photos, and because my knitting is loose and there is a little space between the stitches, the beautiful color of the beanie hat shows through from underneath, creating a rich, color-enhanced effect to my knitted hats. Also, the layering of the hats allows my head to seem to have more volume, so now you see the pretty hat and not just the smallness or narrowness of the face. Again, If you have high cheekbones, a good jaw line, and a large head, or a beard, this beanie by itself will be perfect for you, especially under the hood of a jacket or coat. As an aside, I’ve noticed that wearing a beanie under a hood keeps the hood on and positioned correctly on the head so it doesn’t cover your forehead or eyes, and it creates tremendous body warmth to layer this way. Some hoods are very large and fall forward because they are meant to be worn over a hat. If you have a coat like this with too large of a hood, a beanie like this will keep you feeling very comfortable in your coat when the hood is up, and could be just what you need to make your coat fit properly. Another good thing, it folds up so small that it fits easily in any coat pocket, not just large pockets, even your jeans pocket. That makes it very convenient to tuck away in case it’s not cold when you leave the house but will be cold later on. It’s unbelievably soft and not at all itchy. Unlike lambswool. People who have a wool allergy are probably allergic to the lanolin in wool or to itchy lambswool. But Merino wool is different and should be silky. Merino wool can be worn as undershirts against the skin. I recently bought Merino wool undershirts from perhaps the best known company in Maine, and upon handling them realized they had been treated or sadly were made with a lower quality merino, unlike years ago. These hats have none of that low quality itchiness. They are refined. At first I thought there was some actual silk in them. No. Anyway, megacephalics, enjoy!

Even though it's thin, this hat kept me warm on the AT for a week in February. A couple nights dipped down into the teens so I rolled down the folded part for more coverage on my face/ears etc. as I slept. It kept me nice and toasty thru the night, but never made me feel overheated hiking out in the mornings. Highly recommend!

I was pleasantly surprised how light and soft this hat is. Even for Merino. Very comfortable. But not a good selection for really cold temperatures. I'll be wearing something thicker when ice fishing but for around town, in and out of the car, this one is great.

His cap is the most comfortable I've ever worn light but very very warm. Had them in the service had them ever since the service been wearing them for 60 plus years best one I've ever had