Tired of those pesky magpies swooping at your head? Sick of walking backwards or diving for cover in those magpie-nesting black spots? Well this beanie could be the answer to your avian issues!

Magpie swoops are such a worry that there are even websites charting known locations of bird-attack black spots. Although admittedly there is still some controversy on the matter, wearing eyes on one’s head seems to help prevent magpie swoops.

So this beanie features nine, upward and outward looking, blue-pupilled eyeballs. Each eye wears a different expression; some are wide open, some are slitted, some have drooping lids and some are rolling up, down or from one side to the other.

Maggie Off was designed to protect and enliven a medium-to-large sized noggin of between 21.5”/55cm and 24”/61cm.

This hat is both warm and soft, being comprised of about 95% natural fibers. The crown section is completely crocheted in all handspun natural yarns- non-scratchy wool, mohair and silk- with a lower band and edging of synthetic yarns. The eyes are made from almost entirely wool yarns with just a little synthetic yarn and synthetic padding in the blue eyeballs themselves.

Seriously? I love these intelligent birds and happily coexist with several magpie families nearby without any swoop-problems. Their song is fabulous, their attitudes irrepressibly cheeky, and I adore hearing and seeing them around the farm. I really can’t make a promise of 100% certainty that this hat will protect from all magpie swoops, but it just might- and if not, it’s a warm, soft, comfy and fun piece of headgear.