Katinka dressed for chill

To mark today’s Winter Solstice, the Mercury kicks off a daily feature where we ask a Tasmanian about their favourite beanie.

THERE’S such a thing as beanie love, you know.

It takes hold of your heart from the minute you pull that knitted tea cosy over your head. It’s colour blind and fashionably questionable, but it envelopes you with warmth and confidence.

Katinka Challen has beanie love. The city retailer knits or crochets hundreds of beanies each year and can pump out one in about an hour.

“A chunky style knitted with a big hook, like I’m wearing, takes no time at all,” she said.

While hipster varieties have taken to wearing them year round, this time of year, the beanie reaches its peak.

“In recent weeks, I’ve been run off my feet. I can’t keep beanies on the shelf at the moment,” she said.

“I’ve been selling a lot of woollens because of the cold snap and also to [Dark] Mofo visitors.”

Ms Challen made her first beanie aged 10 with scraps of wool given to her by her grandmother.

“I don’t think it kept me that warm, it had so many holes in it,” she said.

Ms Challen has a couple of rules on beanies. Most importantly, pom pom size.

“The bigger the pom pom, the better,” she said.