The Eastfold hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanies
The Eastfold, hand knit merino wool beanie logo

4.9/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 8000+ Beanies Sold

High Quality Merino Wool

Fresh Off the Needles

The Eastfold hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanies

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.]

The Eastfold hand knit merino wool beanie, customer review photo

"The knitting pattern is beautiful, and the story behind it makes it even more special."

George T.
The Eastfold hand knit merino wool beanie, customer review photo

"I love the design and of course the story of the Red Hat Factory"

Michael B.
The Eastfold hand knit merino wool beanie, customer review photo

"...it is everything I hoped for! Fits perfectly. Great color. Beautiful pattern. The merino wool feels SO good on my head! I will be wearing this a lot!"

William T.
Hand knit merino wool, olive, front view Hand knit merino wool, olive, close up details Hand knit merino wool, olive, side view

  • 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 Eastfold 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 unique texture deriving from the crosshatch stitches used in its making.
  • 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 over 55 countries

    And every American state
Sheep wool

Natural Wool Material

Nature's Warmest Invention — Now Even Warmer

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.
For the Eastfold we've selected Merino wool, which our yarn mill imports from Australia and processes into yarn on the Norwegian West Coast.
Our Merino wool does more than make you warm:

  • It pulls moisture away from your skin, so no matter the weather, you stay comfortable — and Merino does this even better than standard wool.
  • No itch! Merino is famous for being itch free even for particularly sensitive scalps.
  • We've made sure we use a yarn mill which believe that well cared for sheep produce the best wool.
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, olive, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, olive, close up
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, olive, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, olive, top view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, olive, side view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, beige speckled, side view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, beige speckled, full body portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, beige speckled, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, beige speckled, front view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, beige speckled, full body
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, rust, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, rust, side view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, rust, top view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, rust, side view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, rust, man with dog
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, fall leaves, back view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, fall leaves, in use
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, black, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, black, in context
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, black, close up
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, black, front view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, black, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, chocolate brown, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, chocolate brown, front view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, chocolate brown, top view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, chocolate brown, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, navy, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, navy, man with dog
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, navy, back view
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, navy
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, navy, portrait
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, navy
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, brick red
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, brick red
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, brick red
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, brick red
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, brick red
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, dusty petrol blue
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, dusty petrol blue
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, dusty petrol blue
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, dusty petrol blue
  • The Eastfold – hand knit merino wool beanie, dusty petrol blue
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, bright red, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, purple
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, purple, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, purple, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, purple, worn
  • The Eastfold – hand knit Norwegian merino wool beanie, purple, worn
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The Eastfold

1 703 kr SEK
1 703 kr SEK
Sale
Color: Bright Red

Leave a comment about your head size in the cart before you place your order, and we'll hand pick a looser or tighter knit for you. (It does not affect the look of the knit).
1 703 kr SEK
1 703 kr SEK
Sale

Availability: Backorder.

Current estimated production time is: 2-3 weeks.
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  • Hand knit in Norway over the course of 5 hours
  • 100% Merino wool
  • Angular pattern
  • No tag or seam (fold as you will)

Description

The Eastfold is a hand knit Merino wool beanie hat, hand knit in Norway, the old fashioned way, with knitting needles — no machinery. It is knit with a richly textured crosshatch pattern that gives it a unique look. It’s made with high quality 100% Merino wool yarn, developed on the Norwegian West Coast. Merino is famously soft, breathable and comfortable to any wearer. It is a medium thickness, particularly suited for the colder side of spring or fall, and winter. It's knit with no tags or markings, making it naturally a fold-it-as-you-like beanie. 

Being Merino 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.

While we experience temperature differently, -5°C/20°F to 15°C/60°F is generally a good sweet spot.

Sizing

If you are an XL head size, leave a comment in the cart before you place your order, and we'll hand pick the best knit for you.

The Eastfold only comes in one size. Because of the combined nature of the knitting method and material, it is already quite wide when you get it, and has the potential to stretch further. It is the closest we've gotten to one-size-fits-all. It is also longer than our other basic models, so it has room to stretch.

Sourcing the best Merino wool

The best Merino wool in the world comes from Australia, so our yarn mill on the Norwegian West Coast has opted to import its raw wool from there. The mill has guaranteed us the sheep are not mulesed.

The design of-, and ways to wear the beanie

The beanie’s design is based on a crosshatch knitting pattern, aiming to let the technique and the skill of the knitter shine and be the main aspect of its look.

It arrives as one long uniform piece 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 Eastfold is knit with 100% Merino sheep wool yarn, sourced from Australia. It is processed on the Norwegian West Coast, in one of Norway's oldest yarn mills.

Wool care

  • Wash at 30°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 alltogether.
  • Do not tumble dry!

About Merino 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. And then a few extra perks specifically of the Merino breed.

  • 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.)
  • Merino wool is known for being softer than other types, and more breathable. The softness makes it particularly good for people with sensitive scalps.

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.

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Hand knit goods, family pictures

Just like mom knit it

We wanted the experience to be classic and simple, straight off the knitting needles — just like when my mom knit for me as a child.

This led to a few core elements, present in all our beanies. They’re all knit in one piece, with a uniform pattern, and no tags. This allows you to decide where to fold it, and how many times to fold. Above the ears, or below — or both on the same hike when the weather changes. Or roll it, if that is what you like. It’s your choice

Choose your color
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.