Black hat merry-go-round

It's that time of year when going outdoors without a hat is foolish - all the more so if you are bereft of hair. I have a wide array of headgear, but when temperatures are not low enough to warrant a furry trapper's hat with earflaps, a black knitted watch-cap hat does the job. Probably the most popular item of male hear wear in Poland, and indeed in the UK, in winter - in black, or very dark grey or very dark navy blue. In wool or acrylic, branded or generic, they adorn the heads of a significant part of the male population in winter.

Trouble is, I keep losing them.

But then, I keep finding them.

I don't know if I ever bought a single one. This winter season alone, my win/loss on black knitted watch caps is three/two.

First one I found by Pitshanger Park in November. Lying in a gutter on Meadvale Road. I picked it up (it was sodden with rain), took it to my father's, where I washed it, dried it and proceeded to wear it whenever I was outside. A month later I lost it, also in London. I suddenly realised it was my Tube stop, got ofp the Central Line train at Queensway, and forgot to check that I had it with me. That night was freezing. Walking back hatless from Perivale station, I regretted its loss, trying to make amends by wrapping my scarf around my head, turban style. When lo and behold, I found another black watch cap lying conveniently on the footbridge over the Western Avenue.

It was slightly frosty, but otherwise clean and dry; my scarf returned to my neck and my head was kept warm in a more conventional manner. Nice one this - Karrimor brand. But then I lost this one when getting ofp a bus in Warsaw as I was engaged in a chat with my sister-in-law. Again, I didn't notice it slipping off my lap as I dashed for the doors. Never mind, there's another two found black knitted watch-caps at home to chose from!

The day before yesterday, the lady sitting next to me on the northbound Metro left her knitted hat behind her seat as she alighted from the train at Centrum, the stop before mine. But in beige - for me, no, so I left it.

Yesterday, as the 209 bus emptied at Metro Stokłosy (lit. 'hundred sheaves'), I noted that a black knitted watch cap had been left on the seat by the door. As I was the last person to leave the bus, I picked it up. Easy go, easy come.

With regards to peakless knitted caps, the  watch cap is the most universal. Originally worn by US Navy sailors on watch, it has a deep rim which can be turned down over the ears when needed. The similar docker's cap is less deep, while the beanie is longer, made of thinner material and worn like an oversized sock on the heads of Millennials. A watch-cap with a peak is a skip-cap; it is also knitted, but with a rim at the sides and rear than can be pulled down over the ears, while still retaining the peak. More of a US Air Force item for ground crew wear, so olive green.

A good watch-cap should not be round, but with a definite front-back crease. However, best to refer to the US Navy website for official guidance...

Description 
Made of navy blue wool, closely knitted, bell shaped, pullover style, 11 to 12 inches long, 8-1/4 inches wide at bottom, with 5/8 inch border. 

Correct Wear  
The watch cap will worn with a single fold approximately 3 1/2 inches - 4 inches diagonally from the base of the back of the head, across the ears and on the forehead with the bottom of the fold one fourth of an inch above the eyebrows.  The watch cap will be worn snugly on the head.  Rank/rate  insignia is not authorized to be worn on the watch cap.  When authorized by appropriate authority, will be worn during cold weather conditions that may result in personal injury if not worn.

I'm sure I'll lose another few watch caps over the years, but will find even more. Look out for them wherever you are!

My father and my son, both endowed with a full head of hair, obstinately refuse to wear anything on their heads even in mid-winter (my father's only concession is to wear a Home Army beret for the Warsaw Uprising commemorations in August). However, hats I have many (indeed my father posited that I went bald precisely because I was into wearing hats from an early age). I blame genetics. Will you go bald? Check your maternal grandfather!

UPDATE 2.03.2018: Since writing this post, I've found another two, both black, one man's one woman's.

This time last year:
Skarzysko-Kamienna and Starachowice, by train

This time two years ago:
The world mourns the loss of David Bowie

This time four years ago:
Where's the snow?

This time six years off:
Two drink-free days a week, British MPs urge

This time seven years ago:
Depopulating Polish cities?

This time eight years ago:
Powiśle on a winter's morning

This time nine years ago:
Sunny, snowy Jeziorki

This time ten years ago:
Eddie's giant soap bubble