PGwear Action Heavy Knit Beanie, Black with Zip Slit

Coarse knit hat with a face-covering option

The Action Heavy Knit is knitted thickly from pure acrylic and worn as a hat with the brim turned up, the griffin crest at the front. Unroll the brim, draw it down, and it covers face and neck.

At eye level a horizontal slit then runs across, fitted with a zip and a black binding. Open, it frees the eyes; closed, only a narrow stripe remains across the front. In black that binding hardly registers, and the hat looks as though it were made in one piece.

Why a zip

A permanently stitched eye slit always stands open, even when the piece is worn as an ordinary hat. Here it can be drawn shut and then disappears into the knitted surface. That is the difference from a simple balaclava: in everyday use the thing looks like a hat and stays one, as long as the zip is closed.

Heavy knit means heavy yarn

The yarn is thick and the stitches are coarsely set, which is where the name comes from. Air pockets form between the raised ribs and hold warmth. The knit is pure acrylic throughout.

When it fits

Black is the least conspicuous of the three colours and goes with any winter jacket. On the terraces, working outdoors or on the bike it covers cheeks and chin in one movement.

• brand: PGwear, model Action Heavy Knit
• colour: black
• coarse rib knit with turn-up
• material: 100% acrylic
• beanie and balaclava in a single piece
• eye slit with a zip