Top-Twist Beanie: What, Why &How
While most of my knits evoke a fairly consistent reaction across platforms, with certain designs I notice a discrepancy between the way they are received in person vs online. Perhaps the biggest example of this is the Top-Twist Beanie, and so I thought that this would make for an interesting discussion.
When I wear mine out and about, it is extremely popular. I have made half a dozen of them as gifts on request. I have even sold a few (which I don’t normally do anymore, but folks have been persistent!). When I wear the Top-Twist Beanie, I get literally stopped on the streets with an ‘Oooh, where did you buy that hat?’
Point being: When people see this hat in person, they intuitively ‘understand it’ and can readily see themselves wearing it.
On the other hand, the reaction online seems to be that this is a niche and quirky design, only suitable for children, or people with funky hairstyles.
To be sure, I am largely to blame for this. Because my photos of the Top-Twist Beanie tend to highlight its quirky features - namely the ‘vents’ which allow you to wear your hair in buns or braids, sticking out. And the thing is: I can’t not mention the features, right? Because they are what makes this design unique. At the same time though, I need to improve my ability to communicate how versatile and ‘normal’ this hat is to wear in everyday life.
The two main things I’d like to explain are as follows:
(1) You can wear the Top Twist Beanie just like a regular hat
You don’t need to stick anything out of it or tuck anything into it. When not in use, the vents are hidden, and the hat ‘reads’ as simply a slouchy beanie, with an interesting crown construction. The photo on the bottom left shows it worn in this mode.
(2) The extra room at the crown allows you to style your hair any way you like
Let’s say that like me, you love to wear your hair half-up, with a beret or clip at the crown of your head. Or you decide to wear something like ‘Heidi’ braids, a French twist, a ballerina bun - you get the idea. Normally, if we try to wear a beanie or beret over something like this, the hat will either mess up the style, or will look super weird and distorted. The construction of the Top-Twist Beanie, on the other hand, will accommodate any of these hairstyles. The photo on the top left shows the hat being worn in this mode: In that photo, the model’s thick, curly hair is arranged in a high bun, which is completely engulfed by the hat’s crown.
While of course you can also ‘deploy the vents’ as shown in the photos on the top and bottom right, this is only an option and not the default way of wearing the hat. I expect that most adults will use this option rarely, if at all. The main function of the top-twist is to create structure, as well as extra room at the crown - with the vents really being just a fun side-effect.
I hope this has been helpful in understanding the Top Twist Beanie design! By no means do I want to push this pattern on you, if it’s not something you find appealing. It’s just that honestly: Out of all of my hat patters, I have gotten the most ‘bang for the buck’ so to speak out of knitting this one, and the most enthused in-person reactions. So I wanted to do my due diligence and explain its full potential.
The Top-Twist Beanie is suitable for Aran to Chunky weight yarns.
It can be knitted either in the round or flat (instructions for both are included).
Knit, twist, wear, and enjoy!
