Beanie FAQ | Red Hat Factory

Beanie FAQ

Do you ship with tracking

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

How does your patching guarantee 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 fun way to maintain the beanie as long as possible, making it a keepsake.

Why hand knit beanies? Why not just use machines?

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.

The beanies seem so small when I open them

Many of our beanie models look very small when you unpack them. That is because of wool’s nature — it’s not “pre-stretched”, and has to start out tight. It shapes itself around you head after little time. If you lend it 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.

Why are all the beanies knit with 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.

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.

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 are the beanies rolled up above the ears

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.