A knitted cap is originally made up of wool, to protect one from cold weather. In the 18th century, the woollen hats were an intriguing part of the traditional outfits for sailors, hunters, and fishermen who spent their days away from home.
These caps are especially found in the cold areas under a variety of local names. As most of these beanie hats are tapered over the top, some are provided with soft balls or pom-pom. The hats consist of a soft folded edge and can either be worn tight or loose at the top.
Here Are The 3 Reasons Why Beanies Have Balls On Top:
Beanies have balls on top because:
Historical Factor (been worn like this for hundreds of years)
Popular With People who wear beanies
Functional
Below we have researched and explained the history of beanies, the balls and the reasons why they exist on this hat. Thank you for reading.
What is a Beanie Hat?
Beanie caps are familiar among almost everyone and are loved to quite some extent but it is more than just a name.
What is a Beanie?
A beanie is a soft and delicate cap hugging the head. They may have a folded cuff and can be plain as well as decorated with tools such as tassels, buttons, and pom-poms. Beanie caps are classified into alternative names like knit caps, skull caps, ski caps, and tossie caps.
What makes up a Beanie?
Beanies can be made up of various materials like knits, cotton, synthetic materials, viscose, fleece and more. The application of these substances in the making of these hats makes them multi-seasonal.
How does the fitting of the Beanie work?
These hats are found in various forms from being loose on top to tight on the head.
Who can wear a Beanie?
The hats are considered to be mostly unisex and are available for men, women as well as children.
The History of pom-poms
It is to be wondered why winter hats carry pom-poms over them. They are very fashionable in their true sense and can be regarded as a constituent of decoration in the modern decade, but previously, they had a purpose. Besides, these fluffy softballs being an exclusive fashion feature in the test timeline, they hold history and were once certainly important.
The pom-pom is a word that is believed to have originated from the French word pompon which means a small ball made of fabric. These bobbles appeared over the top of the hats in the age of the Vikings (800-1066) where a god is shown to be wearing a cap with a ball on it. This statue was discovered in 1904 on Rallinge in Sodermanland. The important discovery attached pom-poms to somewhat a religious or cultural sentiment. Facts say that these balls have been present for a long period of time.
In the later centuries, the European soldiers included the application of pom-poms over their hats for a definite purpose. The soft fluffy balls signified the regiments and ranks of the soldier. As well as in Rome, the clergyman had square peaked hats known as birettas. The colour of the pom-poms over the top of the hats symbolized the wearer’s order.
Furthermore, these soft fluffy balls over the beanies are believed to have historical origins:
• The greatest of the rulers, Napolean Bonaparte had his men wearing woollen bobbles that signified the regiments of the soldiers.
• The Scottish Highland and the Hungarian cavalry regiments were also found to consider the use of these fluffy balls to let them act as a distinguishing mark inside the regiment.
• The 18th century was marked by the great depression and witnessed the most popular Scottish clothing- The floppy beret with a woollen ball on the top. Pom-poms were economically a viable establishment in comparison to the jewelled trinkets and tassels.
• The Roman Catholic clergy were found wearing colourful birettas for a long time. The colour represented rank and jobs.
• French sailors included pom-poms over their Beanies to not hurt their heads on the low ceilings of the ship during flooding.
• The traditional garments of both men and women in South America were found to be decorated with various coloured pom-poms to dictate their marital status.
Reasons Why Beanies Have Balls
Pom-poms and their popularity
The Great depression was believed to be compensated to a certain extent. During these rough times, the pom-pom trend flourished among the common people and became an important clothing accessory. They were inexpensive in comparison to other decorative products and attributed to the cheaper way of cloth embellishment.
Late Michael Nesmith, from the Monkees, who was a popular celeb in the 19th century also popularized the Beanies with balls over the top. Even he was found to wear those at the time of his concert to make them a main item in the clothing section.
Pom-poms are Functional and Fashionable
The small fluffy balls are functional in the way that they were instrumental in separating the serving companies of the soldiers through the application of various colours. They were also worn by the Scottish Highland Regiments which concluded that not only are these balls an accessory of fashion but they serve a great significance in the military.
Besides, having considerable importance in various fields, pom-poms are fashionable. The skilful and experienced knitters provide these balls to the beanies to give them more character. The earlier section of people was believed to use them either to make their clothes look more attractive or to hide the imperfection such as improper stitchings. These balls over the hats also dominated the fashion trends during the 18th century depressing times. Known to be inexpensive, people used them in their clothing to make them attractive.
The pom-poms are common in modern-day Beanies. They mostly serve the decorations as their application of them gives complementary character to the outfit. The amateur knitters can use them to provide a finishing look to their Beanies. Modern-day caps come in various sizes and colours, are made up of various materials and are either hand-stitched or machine-made.
Nowadays, they do not have many functions as before. They rarely signify anything more than just fashion adding a little finishing to the winter products. The application of these fluffy balls at the top of the woollen caps is hence not just for fashion and serves several purposes.
