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*The Arctic Circle is about one inch longer than the Regular. Built to cover your ears when double folded.

Regular price 1 913 SEK
Regular price Sale price 1 913 SEK
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This color is only available for pre-order. Current estimated production time is: 2-3.
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Shaped by the Wild Norwegian West Coast Weather, a

Chunky, Double Threaded, 100% Wool Beanie

The Westcoaster

  • Hand knit over the course of 3 hours
  • 100% sheep wool
  • Knit in Norway
  • Double thread knit
  • One-size
  • No tag or seam (fold as you will)
View full details

Meet the Westcoaster

Woman knitting red wool beanie

Norway made

Making you part of a 400 year old heritage

Keeping with the four centuries old tradition of Norwegian hand knitting, we knit every piece with patience and attention to detail. Our family have done so since grandma began knitting in 1932.

We are here to share with you the experience of growing up with hand knit wool, right off the needles. No gimmicks, just the wool, the honed skill, and the patience.

Charcoal hand knit 100% wool beanie

The Arctic Circle

Inspired by the Coldest Winds of Norwegian West Coast Winter

The Arctic Circle variant is simply about an inch longer than the Regular.

The Regular is built for a single fold to cover the ear, and a double fold to go above the ear. The Arctic Circle covers the ears even on double fold. And it is really hot!

Multi colored hand knit wool beanie

Uniting the locals

Old fashioned sustainability

Norwegians already knit for pleasure, in their own houses, and we used this existing culture, to offer a secondary income for passionate knitters. We don’t employ anyone, but pay per beanie.

The Norwegian yarn mill that supplies us has been around since 1888, and are outspoken and detailed about their care for animals and humans along the entire line of production, whether its imported raw wool, or from Norway.

Leftover yarn from knits is gathered, and used first for Mom’s Market custom knits, then the final leftover stubs are used for pillow stuffing.

There is Artwork to go with the Westcoaster!

Hand Drawn and Hand Inked

The Navigator of the North Sea fixes his eye on the shoreline as he rides the storm, heading for the safe harbour he calls home — on the Norwegian West Coast.

All the while, he's wearing a Westcoaster against the cold and seaspray.

Get 30% off the artwork if you buy it with a Westcoaster beanie.

Take a look

About the Westcoaster

Details

The Westcoaster is a thick hand knit wool beanie, knit the old fashioned way, with two knitting needles and a whole lot of patience. Particular to this model is that it's knit with two threads simultaneously, making it twice as thick and twice as gritty looking.

It is knit in Norway, on the South Coast, by a variety of knitters. No matter which knitter, each beanie goes trough the same quality control, and each knitter is selected through a few (paid) test knits. Each Westcoaster comes with signed Certificate of Authenticity, signed by the knitter of your particular beanie.

We knit with wool, the Westcoaster being 100% sheep wool. Sheep wool is by far the most common knitting material in Norway, historically and in modern times alike. 100% wool makes it warmer than wool-blends, and the double thread makes this a beanie for the outdoors in low temperatures.

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 campfire.

The raw sheep wool we use is mostly sourced from Paraguay, selected because of the softer wool that the tropical climate produces. The yarn is processed into yarn on the Norwegian West Coast, in one of Norway's oldest yarn mills.

About Red Hat Factory

Red Hat Factory is a company started by mother and son on the Norwegian South Coast. Emerging out of childhood memories of wearing hand knit goods and a love for red beanies, found in adulthood, we've built a network of knitters that can deliver the genuine hand knit experience to all beanie lovers across the world.

We also dabble in other areas of handcraft, usually in collaboration with artists, such as our handcrafted caps and hand inked artwork.

  • Material 100% Sheep Wool
  • Optimal Wear Temperature -5–0°C (23–32°F)
  • Size One-size (Arctic Circle recommended for very large heads)
  • Washing Temperature 40°C (Wool Programme)
  • Knitting Time 3.5–4 Hours
  • Warranty 10 Years (Read More)

Frequently asked beanie questions

FABQ

About sizing in general.

The most common question is about sizing, and it is actually a bit complex, so take the time to read about your beanie below.

  1. The Southlander and North Cap are rib-knit, so they are very tight before you stretch them out by wearing them a few times. Therefore they don't have as much leeway to stretch beyond a certain point. Still it fits most people.
    For the people who describe themselves as XL head size, we added a much larger version called XL, but it should basically cover all the way up to several X's of head size, since it still is much more stretchy than any cotton beanie.
  2. The Eastfold, because of its cross-hatch knitting, is already pre-widened by the nature of the knitting technique — on top of that it has more stretch to give, and it is quite long. Therefore we've not had anyone reach out to require a larger version of the Eastfold.
  3. The Westcoaster (Regular) is designed to be worn above the ears, if double folded. It still has the stretch to fit any head, but it lacks the length for particularly large heads. The Westcoaster (Arctic Circle) is longer, but no wider, so while still having the same amount of stretch, it will also allow an XL head to have some more length to play with. So if you're either XL, or you want the double fold to cover your ears, select the Arctic Circle.

Why does the beanie not look like the pictures when I unpack it?

There are two most common reasons why the beanie would seem different upon opening it and first trying it on.

  1. Our rib-knit beanie models (Southlander and North Cap primarily) look very small when you unpack them. That is because of the nature of the knit as well as the material — it's not "pre-stretched", and has to start out tight. It shapes itself around you head after little time.
    PS: If you lend any to someone, and it get's stretched out too much, you can dip it in warm water, and after drying, it's back to where it started.
  2. All our beanies are fold-as-you-will, meaning that you can wear them unfolded, folded once, twice or even rolled up. These styles are each valid, but look very different. As a general rule, all our beanies, except the North Cap, are double folded in almost all our imagery. The North Cap is single folded to let that tip stand up.

Why are the beanies above the ear?

Our beanies are knit without a tag, so you may fold it once, twice, or even roll it up. We personally like the twice-folded style the best, and push that look most often in our marketing.

The history of the fold is, in short, that the laboring man would need some flexibility in headwear. When you need to hear, or if the sun pokes out, you fold it up. When the weather roughens, you fold it back up. It's sort of like zipping down your jacket when the sun peaks out.

What are the 20% other material in the Southlander and North Cap?

I like to have the opportunity to explain our reasoning before I disclose that it is nylon. We all hate plastic that ends up in nature, but we are using it in a product that is meant to last.

The reason we have 20% nylon is that it allows the yarn to be spun thinner, while keeping the needed durability. This makes these beanies thinner visually, but also a bit cooler, and makes them more suitable for all-year usage.

Other beanies are more suited to the winter, though they all work fine for windy cool days on the ocean, or high altitude hikes on a cloudy days.

Is everything actually made in Norway?

We hand knit every beanie in Norway, with yarn purchased from one of Norway's oldest yarn mills. This mill offers both Norwegian and internationally sourced wool.
We have purposefully selected yarn types sourced from South America and Australia, not to save money — the price points are approximately the same as for Norwegian wool — but because wool from these climates are softer, and less likely to itch.
If you want genuine Norwegian wool, and are ready to risk the itch, contact us and we'll see what we can do.

Do you ship with tracking?

Yes we do. We ship for free worldwide with tracking.

How does your warranty work?

If your beanie unravels under reasonable circumstances, within the first 10 years of its life, we will patch it for you for free. But you have to pay for shipping both ways. This is a way to maintain the beanie as long as possible, making it a keepsake.

Why are there loose threads in my beanie?

When a beanie is finished, the thread is attached by sowing it into the finished product several rounds. Sometimes that end thread comes poking out — most often on the inside, as we try attaching it that way. It doesn't mean it is coming loose. If it comes out on the outside, try pushing it back in — use a needle if needed. The beanie will not unravel — and if it does, please refer to our guarantee.

Why do you opt for wool?

We did not choose wool — hundreds of years of Norwegian tradition chose that for us. It is an amazing insulator, with the special feature that it pulls moisture away from your skin. Norwegians have sworn to wool both historically, and in modern day outdoors apparel. You just can't beat the natural fiber that is wool.

Does your Mom and Grandma really knit all the beanies?

It all started with my mom, then my grandma joined the team. My mother designs all the beanies (sometimes with input from me), and we recruit as many knitters as we need from around Norway. But it is always hand knit, the traditional way, and quality controlled by my mom.

How much of a pay cut does the knitter get?

We are not sharing numbers, because that would require giving you an understanding of our entire production cycle, including admin time, marketing, recruiting, packaging, shipping and so on.

But every knitter is happy with the pay (otherwise they wouldn't have worked with us), and they know the brand, the website, and the final price.

Why knit by hand? Machines are faster.

Hand knitting is the genesis and the core of our company. We hand knit because we are here to honor and tell the story of our Norwegian heritage. Generations after generations hand knitting wool apparel to keep their families warm. And the tradition is still alive and well. Also hand knit beanies comes with a personal touch and history that machine-knit goods just can't match.

Why was my package sent from Sweden?

I (the Son) actually live in Sweden, while my Mom remains in Norway and handles all the logistics over there. We ship large batches to Sweden in order to offer better shipping times and to be able to include tracking in the free shipping alternative.