I always wear my hair up – and unless I want a rather unfashionable lump underneath my stocking cap, my head remains cold and slightly damp. The answer? A warm wool hat somewhere between a cap and a headband. Slight shaping at the top ensures a snug fit, and it keeps not only your ears warm, but most of your head as well. And the best part? Your pony-tail is free!

Knit it in your favorite worsted weight yarn, though wool would be the warmest. The colors of Noro Kureyon make the hat fun and different than every other striped hat this winter.

The only hard part is keeping the pattern when decreasing – just make sure that you’re knitting the purls and purling the knits to keep the seed stitch going. The cap stretches a lot – make it an inch or so smaller than your own head circumference for a good fit.