What Cap Are You Wearing Today?

[Zombie_61]

I would like to introduce you to my new Cordova Cap. It is an eight point cap with longer sides and a spiral stitched brim brim. The material is Casentino wool. The new gray/green joins a green cap (from my cap rack).

The wool comes from the Tuscan town of the same name, where wool-making has been a tradition since the Etruscans ruled there. The Casentino wool appears like it has pilling, but it is intentional. Intentional in order to make the wool both warmer and more durable. Abrasive instruments agitate the fabric to produce a rough finish, which is then smoothed out into something more uniform...

I like the colors and the "pilling"--that extra bit of texture makes the caps even more visually interesting, and brings to my mind the soft blankets of youth that helped to keep me warm at night. If only I had an extra kidney to sell so I could afford one...

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Today I am wearing a new charcoal Fox Brothers wool tweed cap. This medium/heavy suiting tweed has a soft hand. The luxurious wool tweed is very luxurious in the hand and to the eye.

Showcased in the above pic is the charcoal, green and light gray Fox Brother tweed caps.

This cap thread has many examples of different drapes of the fabric and styles. This is my go to style. The medium drape is shown in the above pic from several angles. The tweed does not fall down on the cap sides. This is my intension. The "mushroom drape," when it drapes down over the sweat is not a flattering look for me. Being truly a short balding guy, it does bring to mind the appearance of a "mushroom." Love to eat mushrooms, while I choose to not look like them.

I intended the charcoal to coordinate with my charcoal wool jackets.

This morning I put the cap to work with some outdoor chores. Love the cap.

The Fox Brothers silk liner is a classy feature to showcase the tweeds origin.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Either that's a different cap than the one I'm thinking of, or I simply hadn't taken notice of the blue chevrons in that pattern. Either way, I like it!

Thanks sir. The Dashing Tweed caps have enough hues to make it pair up with lots of stuff.

Wow, that's a great color!!

Thanks sir.

Love that shade of green ...

Thanks sir. Green is a frequently reached for shades.

Eric -
I really like the scale of the Cordova caps, that width looks great. And the fleecy, nappy finish works well with the fleece sweater, too! LOL

SD; Thanks sir. The Italian wool has become a fav.

Cheers to all, Eric -

 

[Frank Boskovich]

First pure beaver hat I made a couple years ago. No turnin back now. Please follow my hat page on IG and FB @timelessperpetual

 

[Short Balding Guy]

A cap can be art.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Zombie_61]

A cap can be art.

Cheers, Eric -

Especially in the hands of Keith Lo Bue. He definitely has a passion for caps, and for making something out of odds and ends.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Especially in the hands of Keith Lo Bue. He definitely has a passion for caps, and for making something out of odds and ends.

Agreed! His caps show his creativity and artistic eye. They do stand out. When I traveled recently I carried one of his caps and several others. I enjoyed the cap, but appreciated the "boring" others as I felt less conspicuous.

Cheers.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Hm, I got gelled hair.
And what to do with an early-Corona times multipurpose cold-weather scarf??

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Hm, I got gelled hair.
And what to do with an early-Corona times multipurpose cold-weather scarf??

I am glad I do not have hair, at least much. No worring about hair styles at my house. Caps and hats consistently fit. Bald people matter!


Yesterday I left the hosue early and returned home in the late evening. The Cordova Cap with Casentino wool (gray-green) did all day duty. In the strong rain going to and from lunch, lamb Rogan Josh, the cap did excellent. The raindrops beaded on the wool and I could shake it and have much of the water come off. I would not plan wearing the wool cap in the rain, but I know now that I do not have to protect it in my jacket from the rain. I have done this many times with other wool caps - protect them from unexpected rain.

In any case, I am enjoying the new cap.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[dkstott]

I'm wondering why you are concerned about wearing a wool cap in the rain.

 

[Zombie_61]

I'm wondering why you are concerned about wearing a wool cap in the rain.

A lot of people believe wool caps and hats will shrink if/when they get wet. Others say that water won't cause that unless you add heat to try to dry them faster. Until recently my only experiences have been with the truly cheap thin wool felt hats you'd find in a costume/souvenir store, and every one of those shrunk over time, so... I'm now the happy owner of a few higher quality wool hats, so I'll probably find out for myself whether or not they'll shrink.

 

[dkstott]

I understand the concern with wool fedora's.

But I thought wool caps were essentially impervious to the elements.. especially the variations of Tweed, etc..

I've been wearing my Sterkowski, Gamble and Gunn caps in rain and snow with no shrinking. I dab the excess water off with a towel and then set the cap somewhere away from heat to dry..

 

[Zombie_61]

I understand the concern with wool fedora's.

But I thought wool caps were essentially impervious to the elements.. especially the variations of Tweed, etc..

I've been wearing my Sterkowski, Gamble and Gunn caps in rain and snow with no shrinking. I dab the excess water off with a towel and then set the cap somewhere away from heat to dry..

Impervious? There's no such thing. What you're doing is caring for your caps properly. A lot of people wouldn't think of that and would likely throw theirs into the clothes dryer, then whine and moan when they come out half of their original size.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

"A lot of people believe wool caps and hats will shrink if/when they get wet. Others say that water won't cause that unless you add heat to try to dry them faster. Until recently my only experiences have been with the truly cheap thin wool felt hats you'd find in a costume/souvenir store, and every one of those shrunk over time, so... I'm now the happy owner of a few higher quality wool hats, so I'll probably find out for myself whether or not they'll shrink."


That has been exactly my experience. The Department store caps, wool ski caps over the years and even a couple of the custom caps I first got all suffered distorted shapes.



I am careful of how I dry the cap. That is my learning.



"Wool fibers are made out of protein scales. The combination of heat and movement makes the scales expand and catch on each other, which binds the fibers closer together. The closer the fibers get, the more the wool shrinks."



With the recognition of the info above I am careful of getting the cap soaked due to damage to the liner, wear on leather sweat and possible distortion or even shrink as the cap dries. Caps, IMO, should be worn for my normal activities (town and country) and I needed a way for the to dry slowly and keeping them with their intended shape. I searched for years and finally acquired a cap block. I thank my stars that Keith, Well Dressed Head, identified on available. That block has done duty on many dozens of occasions.


I understand the concern with wool fedora's.



But I thought wool caps were essentially impervious to the elements.. especially the variations of Tweed, etc..



"I've been wearing my Sterkowski, Gamble and Gunn caps in rain and snow with no shrinking. I dab the excess water off with a towel and then set the cap somewhere away from heat to dry.."



With no to small amount of water and slow drying in vented space you have the ability to keep them nice for years. I am also careful to blot the wool. I used a towel vigorousely on a cap and discovered that I had started to pill the fabric. My efforts had me breaking fibers - DUH! My take was the wool material was not a tough material and should be gently worn. My Casentino wool should be much, much more durable than the cap I spoke about above.

All of the above said, "in the day," a person just wore the cap and air dried it. They used harder worsted wool materials and they were plenty durable. My 1st world problem is that I can wear my caps hard as I can shape/dry the cap while just wearing a different cap.



Yesterday I wore the green Casentino wool in yet another rainy/sleet day.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Today I wore a Dashing Tweed cap made by Cordova.

Spring, the season of new beginnings, will come to my neighborhood. Today I am thinking of all things green as we receive some wet snow.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Zombie_61]

Today I wore a Dashing Tweed cap made by Cordova.

Sharp cap--wonderful pattern on the fabric, and really nice proportions!

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Sharp cap--wonderful pattern on the fabric, and really nice proportions!

Thanks sir.

Last night I was out on a walkabout in a Fox Tweed cap. Light snow was falling by the time my dog and I were heading back inside.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[Trenchfriend]

A new black Elbsegler from Galeria (Karstadt-Kaufhof) storebrand.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Fox Brothers Polo white wool cap yesterday for some work efforts.

Cheers, Eric -

 

[M Hatman]

All the wool talk made me think of this....

Or do they?!?!
Do sheep start out as big as a cow? Hmmmmmmm