The Watch Cap - Wool Knit Beanie Cap, Wine Red

The knit hat we kept almost not carrying. We don't do winter hats as a rule. Then October hit, we ordered a sample, and the first thing we noticed was how warm it is for how thin the yarn is. Wool-dominant, 71-80% wool, with enough give to actually fit a head instead of strangling it. The cuff is what makes it. Fold the cuff up and the hat sits above the ears. Fold it down and it covers them. Leave it unfolded and the cuff becomes a brim. Three ways to wear it, same hat.

What it's like in the cold

Wool is the point of a wool hat. It traps warm air in the fibers, breathes, and doesn't get the clammy feeling synthetics get when you step out of the wind into a heated room. This one is wool-dominant, 71-80% wool, with the rest being the fiber that gives it stretch and helps the hat keep its shape after a season of wear. We tested it on a windy afternoon in October. The hat won.

What it's like to wear

One size, 54-58cm, with enough stretch to fit most heads without feeling like a headband. The cuff is wide enough to actually cover your ears when you fold it down. The crown has room for actual hair, instead of sitting on top of it like a shower cap. The knit is dense enough to block wind, loose enough to breathe.

What it's like to live with

• Wool-dominant, 71-80% wool. The rest is the fiber that gives it stretch. We didn't run a lab test; we have October.
• One size, 54-58cm. Stretches to fit. If your head is outside that range, the Foldaway is the one.
• Three ways to wear. Cuff up, cuff down, or unfolded.
• Hand wash, lay flat to dry. Wool doesn't love the dryer. Cold water, gentle soap, flat dry. It keeps its shape for seasons.
• Breathable, thermal, windproof. The three things the fiber was built for.

The honest stuff

It's a wool hat. It will keep your head warm in the cold. It will not keep your head dry in real rain — for that, the Foldaway is the one. This is for the kind of weather where you need a hat and a coat.

The four colors. Black, grey, red, green. Same hat, four colors. We list each color as its own page so the swatch you see is the swatch you receive.

Shipping. Arrives in 7-10 days to US, UK, and AU. Tracking included. If it goes missing, we replace it.

Returns. 30 days, no restocking fee.

Who it's for. The person who loses their hat every winter and has decided this is the one they replace, not the one they lose.

— Marie Kiro