Warmth is Beauty

Three years ago I knit a helmet hat in bulky weight alpaca (see it here) and for three winters I pulled it on my head multiple times a day to walk the dogs during the five coldest months of the year.

The beautiful colors of autumn reminded me that my three year old helmet looks ugly and used. So I searched my stash for yarn to make an ugly new version.


There is nothing visually attractive about this pattern or the way a person looks when wearing this pattern. But when worn, no cold breezes are going to assault the neck and that is beautiful to me.

I wear my helmet with a Land's End Squall Parka, so there's a hood on my head as well as the helmet.


The section over my mouth pulls down under my chin if, for some reason, I want my mouth out in the cold.

Readers who endure winter understand. Readers who don't endure winter are likely wondering why anyone would knit anything so ugly. The answer: Cold, wind, snow, sleet, ice, wind chill, chapped lips, and did I mention cold?

The pattern is knit top down in one piece shaped with short rows. For a better look at the construction, my former version knit in a much light color can be viewed here.


Pattern: Turns Ahead Helmet from Fall 2003 Knitter's Magazine

Yarn: 2 strands of Dream in Color Classy Worsted Weight Superwash Australian Merino and 1 strand Knitpicks Gloss

Color: Midnight Derby and Dusk

Needles: Options #8 and #10

Gauge: 4 stitches/inch, 4.5 rows/inch in ribbing (This is what the pattern says and the size of mine came out approximately OK, so I'm guessing my gauge was approximately right. I have no idea how to measure gauge in ribbing. I can expand or contract ribbing to be almost any gauge I might desire.)