I’ll bet snow-capped pine trees and ice-crusted cars don’t spring to mind when you think of the Middle East, but that’s what we’re seeing in Amman as we tuck into the second straight day of fierce blizzarding. A perfect setting to tuck in with some simple knitting. 

Green Prophet’s re-tooled our beard hat recipe for more instant gratification! Simply make a one-size-fits-most beard and sew it on a ready-made hat.

In a couple of hours you’ll be geared up in knitted manliness and able to join the wacky crowds stumbling around taking frigid selfies in the mid-day darkness.

Amman is getting pounded with precipitation!  A solid week of rain followed by a bona fide blizzard has people on the street building snow men atop car hoods and firing snowballs at passing trucks.  But most of us have hung up our car keys and settled in for the storms.

How to knit a Middle Eastern beard:

Grab a ball of chunky weight yarn (or use 2 strands of worsted weight) and size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles.  This is a simple all-knit (or “garter stitch”) pattern.  Aim to create a dense fabric at an approximate gauge of 14 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm).

Cast on 36 stitches and knit 5 rows.

Row 6: knit 12 stitches, bind off next 12 stitches, knit last 12

Row 7: knit 12 stitches, cast on 12 new stitches, knit last 12

Rows 8-15: knit

Row 16: knit 2 stitches together, knit to last 2 stitches, knit 2 stitches together

Row 17: knit

Repeat these last 2 rows until 12 stitches remain, bind off.

Put on any simple knitted cap (I sourced some at the local flea market) and pin your beard to your preferred location.  Using thread to match the hat color, sew the beard securely in place.  If the chin is too loose for your liking, sew in some elastic thread – tighten to gather the chin fabric, and secure thread in place.

To wear the hat, push the beard up as if it was a visor.  Pull on hat, then pull down the beard and position on your chin.

For an investment of $3 and in under 2 hours, you can have the perfect protection from storms in your zip code (or the coolest warm holiday gift ever!). 

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