In the summer months, hats are worn to protect the head from the sun rather than to conserve warmth. As such, the idea of a knitted hat may seem like a winter project. Not so! Here are five good reasons to knit a hat any time of the year.

A knitted hat is a lightweight accessory that offers style. While one can go completely wacky with design, it is also possible to create an understated accessory if that is more to your liking. You will be noticed if you don a hat to complete your outfit, and this is a great way to work some vintage style into your OOTD. How about a cloche to match flapper-like makeup? Or a Juliet cap to literally top off some boho style?

Skin cancer awareness has made hats practical as well as stylish. All hats offer protection from the sun, but a hat with a brim obviously is a better choice. While creating a sunhat will involve using wire to keep the brim from flopping, the technique isn’t that difficult to learn. One of the nicest parts of a DIY accessory is that you can control the width of the brim, a godsend if you are short and don’t want the hat to overpower your stature.

Hats are quick to knit; you might finish a simple cap in a weekend, but even a complicated pattern will not take more than a couple of weeks. This means that you can play with a new technique in a small way. Have you ever wanted to try out entrelac? Or perhaps a complicated lace pattern? Either is doable for five inches or so. You can even knit a flat piece and then sew up a back seam. If you’ve never tried knitting in the round, a hat makes a great first project, and you’ll be amazed at how much easier lace or stranded knitting can be when you always work on the front.

The petite nature of a hat project means that this is a great time to splurge on quality materials. A Ravelry search produced brimmed hat patterns that use three hundred yards of worsted weight wool. Why not spend thirty dollars on a linen yarn? If you wear the finished project once a week, you’ll amortize the expense in less than a month.

If you hate the idea of a gauge swatch, here is a great reason to love hats. Buy an extra ball of yarn, and knit a hat before starting that larger project. While you might not get an exact gauge if you use different knitting techniques, you’ll get a better idea than you would with no swatch at all. You’ll also be able to see how the yarn behaves while knitting. If you then wash and block the hat, you’ll have still more information! You’ll also either have a lovely hat, or else you will have saved time from a larger failed project.

Have I convinced you yet? The world is divided into people who wear hats and those who do not. Why not let your passion for knitting pull you onto Team Millinery?