I thought I had just about wrapped up my Christmas knitting plans (not the actual projects, mind you, just the plans), when I came across this pattern for a hat. A hurricane hat. I always try to get my (wonderful and joking) step-grandfather something quirky for Christmas, and this was too good to resist. (For next year I’m thinking of this.)

Why? Well, when Irene hit Vermont earlier in the year, my mom and I had to pause and consider the sheer weirdness of talking about hurricane damage to places where she lived. Truly all that was normal in the world had been turned upside down when her Florida-dwelling daughter was sympathetically listening to the list of (thankfully largely minor!) damage in Vermont.

So, I couldn’t resist making my step-grandfather a hurricane hat, to commemorate this strange, strange year. And help keep is head warm. Here it is!