Red 100% hand knit wool beanie
The Westcoaster, hand knit 100% wool beanie logo

4.9/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 8000+ Beanies Sold

Handmade in Norwegian Homes

Built for the Great Outdoors

Red 100% hand knit wool beanie

We hand-knit every single cap in line with 400 years of Norwegian tradition

Choose Your Color

Free Worldwide Shipping • 10-Year Warranty • 60-Day Returns

As reviewed in Outside magazine mentions our beanies

“To everyone else it looks like a nicely designed hat, but to me it’s even more special because I know I’m wearing a one-off piece that was made with care.”

— Jakob Schiller / Outside Magazine

[Full Disclosure: This is a review of our Southlander beanie.]

Red hand knit chunky 100% wool beanie

"I love to wear beanies and the Westcoaster is at the top of the list of those I own."

Emma Bonvecchio, Photographer & Westcoaster Owner | @bitemahype
Blue, gritty hand knit wool beanie

"Best beanie out there, handmade, with a beautiful texture and super warm. I don’t need anything else!"

Alessandro Citterio, Photographer & Westcoaster Owner | @cittalex

We are rated 4.9/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1000+ Verified Reviews — 8000+ Beanies Sold

Read All Our Reviews
Green hand knit wool beanie Dark blue hand knit wool beanie Straw colored hand knit wool beanie

  • Free Worldwide Shipping

    Even on single beanie orders

  • 60 Days Money Back Guarantee

    You only pay for return shipping

  • 10 Years Warranty

    Patch it rather than discarding it
Beanies being hand knit

400 Year Old Recipe

Crafted By Hand. Worn For Life.

Every Westcoaster is hand-knit the way it’s been done for centuries — needles, a thread of yarn, and whole lot of patience. It’s slow. It’s meticulous. And it’s the reason why these beanies feel like nothing else you’ve ever owned.
It results in:

  • A fit that molds to your head, like it was made just for you.
  • A chunky double-threaded unique texture, deriving from the type of stitch used.
  • Fold-as-you will with no tag to disrupt your style.
  • A little bit of Norway’s soul in every thread.

  • Over 8000 beanies sold

    Over 28k knitting hours worth of beanie

  • Sold to 55+ countries

    And every American state
Sheep wool

Natural Wool Material

Nature's Warmest Invention

Norwegian winters aren’t kind. But wool is. It’s been our secret weapon for centuries. Naturally insulating, moisture-wicking, and soft enough to wear all day.
Our wool does more than make you warm:

  • It pulls moisture away from your skin, so no matter the weather, you stay comfortable.
  • No itch! We made sure to select the most comfortable sheep wool available to us.
  • We've made sure we use a yarn mill which believe that well cared for sheep produce the best wool.
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, wine red, back view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, red, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, red, by the lake
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, red, close up
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, red, close up
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, red, man with dog
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, red, full body
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, charcoal, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, charcoal, portrait female
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, charcoal, portrait female
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, charcoal, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, charcoal, in use
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, dark blue, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, dark blue, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, dark blue, front view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, dark blue, close up
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, blue, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, green, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, green, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, green, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, green, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, green, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, green, top view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, straw, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, straw, close up
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, straw, front view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, straw, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, straw, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit chunky wool beanie, straw, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, straw, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, straw, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, green, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, green, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, green, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, green, man with dog
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, green, front view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, charcoal, portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, charcoal, female portrait
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, charcoal, female close up
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, charcoal, close up
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, charcoal, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, charcoal, side view
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, dark blue
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, dark blue
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, dark blue
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, dark blue
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, dark blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, wine red
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, wine red
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, wine red
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, wine red
  • The Westcoaster – hand knit thick wool beanie, wine red
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, natural white
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, nordic blue
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, eucalyptus, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
  • The Westcoaster – chunky hand knit Norwegian wool beanie, cognac, worn
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The Westcoaster

€126 EUR
€126 EUR
Sale
+ Free shipping
Color: Wine Red
Style

*The Arctic Circle is about one inch longer than the Regular. Built to cover your ears when double folded.
€126 EUR
€126 EUR
Sale
+ Free shipping

Availability: Backorder.

Current estimated production time is: 2-3 weeks.
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  • Hand knit in Norway over the course of 3.5 to 4 hours
  • 100% sheep wool
  • Double thread knit
  • No tag or seam (fold as you will)

Detailed Description

The Westcoaster is a hand knit wool beanie hat, knit in Norway, the old fashioned way, with knitting needles — no machinery. It’s double-thread knit with high quality 100% sheep wool yarn, developed on the Norwegian West Coast. The wool’s coarseness is below the itchiness level of 30µm, making it non-itchy to the average wearer. It is a thick beanie meant primarily for the winter, but it works well for the coldest days of spring and fall as well. It comes with no tags or markings, making it naturally a fold-it-as-you-like beanie.

Being 100% wool, it enjoys the inherent qualities of the material — wool’s ability to draw a lot of moisture into itself, leaving your skin dry even when sweating. It is also naturally anti-bacterial, and can go a long time only being aired out, not washed.

Double threaded knit for the coldest days

The Westcoaster is knit with two threads side by side on the knitting needles. Something that makes it twice as thick and chunky. The unique knobby look, which comes from the knitting technique is also accentuated by the thickness of the knit.

While we experience temperature differently, -10°C/15°F to 10°C/50°F is generally a good sweet spot, the Arctic Circle being the best for those lower ranges.

An important aspect to understand, if you want to use these beanies in extreme weather, is that wool is not particularly wind resistant. It is primarily a powerful insulator. So if you are heading into a storm, learn the skill of layering. Wool as an inner layer to insulate you, and a windproof hood outside to windproof you. The combination of these two will offer you the maximum heat. But for most regular winter days, the beanie is enough in itself. 

Sizing

The Westcoaster comes in Regular and Arctic Circle variants. The Arctic Circle is primarily made to accommodate a different style — specifically if you want a double fold to go all the way over your ears. But it also doubles as an XL, since the extra inch of length gives you more material to stretch, and the yarn is stretchy enough for anyone but a giant.

People above 60cm head circumference, 7 1/2 hat size, are usually happier with the Arctic Circle.

Sourcing the softest wool

Norwegian raw wool is available to us, but our yarn provider on the West Coast sources the wool for this beanie from Uruguay, specifically because the Norwegian raw wool is coarser, and is better used for outer layer wear, such as sweaters. The sheep used for our wool are guaranteed not to be mulesed.

The design of-, and ways to wear the beanie

The beanie’s design uses a knobby knitting style called seed stitch, and the double thread makes the pattern more dramatic.

It arrives as one long, tight knit unit ready to stretch to fit your head, and for you to fold as you will. Single fold, double fold, roll-up or even unfolded, are all valid ways to wear this beanie.

It comes without any tag or markings, which is a callback to our heritage — when my mom knit for me as a child, there were no labels anywhere. Just needles, yarn, and skillful craftsmanship — and, as we like to point out, patience.

Material & Care

The Westcoaster is knit with 100% sheep wool yarn, specifically sourced from the kind climate of Uruguay, to ensure soft itch-free wool. It is processed on the Norwegian West Coast, in one of Norway's oldest yarn mills.

Wool care

  • Wash at 40°C, or pick the wool program on your washing machine. If no wool program, hand-wash it, or use "hand-wash" program on your washing machine.
  • Use only wool-approved detergent, or skip detergent altogether.
  • Do not tumble dry!

About Wool

Hailed by Norwegians for centuries, sheep wool is the number one choice among knitters. Along with choosing wool because of its historical significance in Norwegian knitting history, there are timeless features associated with wool.

  • Wool is great at insulating in moist conditions.
  • Wool has a rough and natural look, aside from the fact that it is natural.
  • Wool is naturally flame resistant, adding an extra layer of security around the fire. (In Norway we clothe our kids in wool when we're around the bonfire.)

Shipping & Returns

We have free worldwide shipping (for purchases above €99 — meaning any single beanie, or more, is shipped for free). Packages are traceable to most countries that we sell to, and if you're not one of them, that will be clear in the checkout. You can return your hat up to 60 days after your purchase, and get a full refund — if the hat is still in good shape and includes the Certificate of Authenticity. You pay for return shipping, and the refund will be issued once we've received the hat/hats back and have seen that they're in good shape AND that the Certificate of Authenticity is with the beanie.

60-Day Money Back Guarantee

You can return your hat up to 60 days after your purchase, and get a full refund — if the hat is still in good shape and includes the Certificate of Authenticity. You pay for return shipping, and the refund will be issued once we've received the hat/hats (and their Certificate of Authenticity) back and have seen that they're in good shape.

10-Year Warranty

If your hat unravels or a thread snaps with reasonable use the first 10 years after your purchase, we'll patch it up, or if that is impossible, replace it. You only cover the shipping costs.

Go to product page
Grandma knitting red beanie

Knitting since 1932

In 1932 my grandma was only five years old. There stayed a widow, in her 50’s on the attic, where they were living at the time. My five year old grandma asked the widow to teach her to knit — and that was the beginning. Her first work was a scarf for her doll, and she said at the end it was to tight they could barely get the yarn off the needles.

When she was 12, World War II was raging, but grandma still had duties to attend to. She spent much of her time watching over their cows grazing, and there she spent her time out in the fields knitting. She finished her first Norwegian kofte — a knit wool sweater — at the age of 12.

The skills have passed to my mom, and knitting was a mainstay of my childhood. Hand knit wool long-johns, sweaters and socks kept us warm thought the Nordic winters.

Mom knitting. From the filming of the Westcoaster film.

This is the roots of Red Hat Factory. When in 2016 my newfound love for red beanies connected with our family tradition from 1932 — and in fact, a knitting technique that has stayed mainly the same for about 400 years — the company was born.

To honor to the roots, we knit every single piece by hand, with no tag or markings on it — pure off the needles, just like my mom and grandma knit for me as a child.

This is Red Hat Factory.

Grandma and mom knitting together in my mom's living room.

Keeping the craft genuine

So how do we hand make so many beanies, while maintaining a reasonable price for the time and material poured into each one. My mom has tapped into her network on the Norwegian South Coast, recruiting women who already spend their spare time knitting. Knitting while they watch a show, or sit around the table chatting with their family. And then we offer them a price per beanie, teach them the pattern, and provide them with both material and accounting as necessary.

All to make sure they can keep knitting the way they were already doing — and that you get the most authentic Norwegian beanie experience possible.

Each beanie comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed with the knitters’ initials.

My mom knitting, up close!

Want to look around more?

Our main collection also includes...

And the iceberg doesn't stop there

We have periodic, limited drops of custom color combos...

...and a few mainstay designs a little aside from the ordinary.