Project Cubbins: Hat 210 - Knights of the Round Table Edition

Day 210 / Hat 210: Forest green trucker-style hat with mesh back and foam front. White embroidery on front reads (in all caps): "Knights of the Round Table, Wayside Country Store, Arlington, VT," with knight mascot in the center.

Yes, this is the second Wayside-related hat in a row, but hey, the road to 500 is a long one and a cat's gotta hat where he can.

Who are the aforementioned knights? Despite the look of the mascot (which to me screams -- make that chants -- Midwest college football)  they aren't a sports team. The Knights of the Round Table are the group of (mostly) men who congregate at the large, round plywood-top table between the deli area and my dad's S-curve rolltop desk at the Wayside starting at 4:30 a.m. on any given morning.

A rolling, loose-knit fraternity of crotchety armchair politicos, the one thing you can count on about the knights is that to the one they've got opinions and those opinions will be shared, vented and batted about around that table.

Even if the tablecloth that covers it were stripped away the table wouldn't be much to look at, but it has backstory as deep (if not deeper) than those who cluster around it, having come from the Sandgate hunting camp of a famed hunter/fisherman by the name of Lee Wulff.

Over the years, the knights and I have not always seen eye-to-eye on things (usually politics) and I remember one morning years ago when I was opening the store one fellow (Ray Smith, I think) got me so agitated I accidentally poured two pots of water into the one-pot coffee maker.

Still, the knights have character and if there's one thing I like as much as fantastical headgear it's character, so today's sincere hat tip goes to the Knights of the Round Table at the Wayside Country Store.

Related:
PC 209: Eight Oh Moose
PC 208: Jingle Belle
PC 207: 6X Silverbelly

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 209 - Makin' a Moose of the 802 Edition

Day 209 / Hat 209: Pink baseball-style cap with black embroidery that reads "802" with brown embroidered moose detail in the middle of the "0."

For those of you unfamiliar with such things (I swear I've mentioned it in prior posts but looking back I see no evidence) 802 is the area code for the Green Mountain State. Yes, that's right --  the entire state.

And, despite there being several moose warning signs along the various and sundry byways of this southern stretch of the 802, I have never, in all my years here, actually seen a moose on the loose.

This was kindly snapped at the Wayside Country Store (where you can buy one of these bad boys for $16.99) by Liz Zakrzewski who is one of the store's employees -- and youngest child of a guy I grew up knowing as "Ted the Telephone Guy." (Go back and look at that mouthful of a last name and you'll know why ...)

So today's winter solstice hat tip goes to the Wayside -- with an assist to Liz!

Related:
PC 208: Jingle Belle
PC 207: Six X Silverbelly
PC 206: Jingle Baller [VIDEO]

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 208 - Jingle Belle Edition

Day 208 / Hat 208: Pink, sparkly Santa Hat with white faux-fur trim pomp-pom.

Gettin' my Christmas on in a big way today -- or at least headed in that direction at a high rate of speed -- with bells on.

Related:
PC 207: Six X Silverbelly
PC 206: Clone Trooper
PC 205: Jingle Baller

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 207 - Six X Silverbelly Edition

Day 207 / Hat 207: Gray Stetson cowboy hat with gray grosgrain hat band. Interior printing reads: "XXXXXX, Stetson, Made in USA," and size tag reads: "7 1/2." Brim measures approximately 3 1/2 inches and crown is 4 inches from brim to dimple. While I couldn't immediately identify this particular hat on the storied brand's website, I was able to identify the shade of gray -- which Stetson calls "Silverbelly."

This is the second loaner lid from Lisa B. (the first was yesterday's Clone Trooper helmet) and I wanted to make sure I included it in the Project before it got lost in the holiday shuffle.

It is also happens to mark the second Stetson to be featured here -- the first was some 157 hats ago with PC 50 back in July.

All those Xs mean this hat is what's called a "6X." So what does that mean exactly? I wasn't sure until I started digging. Here's what  found at Stetson's FAQ:

The quality of the hat body used to make a hat is the main factor that determines the X’s. In felt it is determined by the percentage of fur’s [sic] used in making the hat body. We use beaver, mink, chinchilla and other animal fur to make bodies. The mixture of which furs we use determines the X’s.

A non-Stetson site (which, in all honesty, I happened to like simply because it referred to the the Stetson as "the Cadillac of hats") posits that the Xs were originally a price-point designation and that the mix of animal furs used by the company in its hats over the years has changed so much that it doesn't serve any purpose at all -- other than as a sales gimmick. (You can read the more nuanced discussion here.)

Never mind the Xs, though, today's tip o' the ten-gallon goes, as it did yesterday, to Lisa Boone.

Related:
PC 205: the Jingle Baller [VIDEO]
PC 204: Adam of Arabia
PC 199: The Hipster Before Xmas

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 206 - Lone Clone Trooper Edition

Day 206 / Hat 206: White plastic Hasbro Clone Trooper Electronic Helmet with gray and black accents and smoked gray visor.

After yesterday's hat I felt like I needed a non-holiday piece of headgear as a palate (pate?) cleanser and this loaner to the Project from co-worker Lisa Boone seemed like a good candidate.

Boone says of its provenance: "It was left at our house by one of my son's friends who was using as a protective helmet when they were playing Airsoft." (I felt like the world's most out of touch dude when I had to ask what this "Airsoft" thing is. Four words: one of them is "guns" and the other three are "spherical non-metallic pellets.")

I have to admit that when I started this post, I wasn't exactly sure what sci-fi property this referenced so , before I started digging I pinged my nerdwing (I just made that up -- it's a your wing man or wing woman for all things nerdish) -- my sister-in-law Kathleen with a photo to get positive identification.

'Thleen did not disappoint -- she responded in less than five minutes. After initially thinking this might be a "Star Wars" Boba Fett situation (which would have made for an awesome "Boba Fettish" headline) she pinged me back to let me know that while it is, indeed,  from the "Star Wars" franchise it's actually a clone trooper. Her e-mail included this actual line: "Apologies - subtle difference in the mouthpiece shape."

She also included supporting photographic evidence -- of a figure from her work pod's Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar.

So, while today's tip o' the helmet goes to Lisa Boone, the assist definitely goes to 'Thleen! (Best. Nerdwing. Ever.)

Related:
PC 205: The Jingle Baller [VIDEO]
PC 204: Adam of Arabia
PC 128: Skywalker Firefighter

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!  

Project Cubbins: Hat 205 - The Jingle Baller Edition [VIDEO]

Day 205 / Hat 205: Red and green polyurethane foam Christmas elf cap with red bell and Christmas light details. When a button on the side is pushed, a mechanism inside the cap starts playing the song "Jingle Bells" and the bell-festooned tip of the cap starts flopping back and forth like a beached carp. Interior tag reads: "Dan Dee Collector's Choice, made in China."

I chose this hat (which I believe was originally procured by 'Thleen)  for today since it's the annual  Features section holiday potluck lunch and this treads -- and then quickly crosses -- the festive/annoying line.

Since it's the motion of the millinery that makes this lid so magic, I couldn't resist including a video of it in full flapping glory (the fancy camera work is courtesy of the Bride).

It's embedded below, and if it doesn't put you in the creepy office party holiday mood then I don't know what will.



Related:
PC 204: Adam of Arabia
PC 202: Big Head / Tiny Cap
PC 189: Elf Off the Shelf

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!  

Project Cubbins: Hat 204 - Adam of Arabia Edition

Day 204 / Hat 204: White cotton keffiyeh held in place with a with blue- and gold-colored agal. Perhaps the oldest piece of headgear in my possession, my friend Eve brought it back for me as a memento of her trip to Israel and Egypt in the summer of 1985 after spending a year studying abroad in France (we'd met during my freshman year at UVM).

I've had this special piece of headgear ready for the Project since wearing it on Halloween, and when I heard that Peter O'Toole had passed away on Saturday, I knew it would be an appropriate homage to the"Lawrence of Arabia" star, who could rock the keffiyeh like no other actor before or since.

Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia."

To tell you the truth, I wasn't actually sure until I started poking around the interwebs  this morning that it was a keffiyeh --  I'd always associated that term with Arafat's distinctively patterned signature number -- but according to the Wikipedia entry for the headdress:

"British Colonel T. E. Lawrence (better known as Lawrence of Arabia) was probably the best-known Western wearer of the keffiyeh. He wore a plain white one with agal during his involvement in the Arab Revolt in World War I." 

A little trivia for you: it apparently takes its name from the city of Kufa (currently in modern-day Iraq near Najaf) and alternative names for it (the headdress, not the city) include ghutrah and shemagh.

While today's hat tip goes to my dear friend Eve for the memento from many moons ago, we feel it necessary to momentarily doff our keffiyeh in the memory of the later, great Peter O'Toole.




Related:
PC 203: Tree Squirrels
PC 202: Teeny Tiny Elf Cap
PC 201: Fish-Morphic Millinery

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!  

Project Cubbins: Hat 203 - Trees on My Mind Edition

Day 203 / Hat 203: Brown knit hat with three horizontal stripes of light brown and one of white with brown intarsia letters that spell out the word: "TREES." Additional details include white pom-pom on top and light brown embroidered squirrel. Interior tag reads: "Goorin, Est. 1895. Sample not for resale, made in China."

This is just one of the many pieces of fine-looking headgear I snapped up today at the Goorin Brothers sample sale (despite the admonishment in the tag I did buy it - and  the others) in downtown Los Angeles today.

Rest assured you'll be seeing the rest of the lids in further installments of the Project, but after today this hat is off my head, out of my hands and in the mail to one Ms. Margaret Waldock -- former flame and loaner of hats 194 ("Knights in Gray Plastic") and 192 ("Leaning Letter Lid").

See, I take these headgear loans very seriously, and when MW sent me a box o' hats she sent a whole hat trick's worth - but the box arrived open, damaged and with only two hats inside. The missing hat, I'm told, was apparently the kind one uses to insulate one's self from the cold seasonal weather common on the East Coast this time of year and Ms. Waldock had hoped I'd send it back post-haste.

Due to what I can only assume was its theft while in U.S. Postal Service custody (personally I'd have made off with the chada - hardly as practical but much more of a conversation starter) I am unable to "get it back safe and sound" (as I promise below), but my hope is that this hat might be some measure of recompense.

I thought the "TREES" hat was an appropriate choice since MW in her efforts on behalf of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation (she directs the foundation's environmental grants) probably spends a good deal of time thinking about trees and the like. (Yes, come to think of it you could say she went from hugging me to hugging trees.)

So today's hat tip goes to she who speaks for the trees (and the fields, and the rivers and park lands) -- thanks Mags!




Related:
PC 202: Big Elf - Tiny Cap
PC 201: Fishy Headwaters
Walter White's Heisenberg hat from 'Breaking Bad' is back for the holidays


OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 202 - Tiny Hat, Big Elf Edition

Dry 202 / Hat 202:  Red and green felt elf cap barrette with jingle bell detail. Loaned to the Project form the Bride's accessories vault.

She bought this two Christmases ago at the Claire's after-Christmas sale at the University Mall in South Burlington, Vermont, during a visit with my sister and her family. (We had dinner at Applebee's if I'm not mistaken.)

"Let it never be said that I can't find something to buy in any corner of the world," notes the Bride.

It should be noted that as I lack anything hair-wise for the barrette to clip to, this photo required the use of a quite long -- and painful to remove -- strip of Scotch brand cellophane tape.


Related:
PC 201: Convertible Fish Head
PC 200: Rollin' Toward 500
PC 199: The Xmas Hipster

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 201 - Convertible Fish Head Edition

Day 201 / Hat 201: Pink and white corrugated paper fish decoration with pink foam top fin and plastic eye details that folds out into a full-blown hat!

Possibly the coolest of the series to date, this piscatorial piece of headgear was loaned to the Project by our Travel section editor Catharine Hamm (who previously provided PC 71's hachimaki). She says she picked this sea creature up back in October at the Village Venture Arts & Crafts Faire in Claremont, Calif.

Although I've tried to give you an idea of what it looks like before and after in the above photos, it's the kind of thing that begs for a video of the transition from decoration to headgear which, at first, made me sad that I'd left my trusty iPhone at home today.

Then I found the below video on Youtube which is even better for several reasons. First, dude man has a British accent. Second, he seems deadly serious about his demonstration. Third, at the end of the video he puts the hat back on in a way that makes me laugh really, really hard.

So, today's hat tip goes to Catherine Hamm for her gracious loan of an awesome creation -- and random Youtube video guy for bring a little lid-related levity into my day.



Related:
PC 200: Rolling Like a Stone Toward 500
PC 199: The Hipster Before Christmas
PC 198: Total Rykiel

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 200 -- Rolling Like a Stone Toward 500 Edition

Day 200 / Hat 200: Black, baseball-style snap-brim hat with red button on top, red, black and white embroidered Rolling Stones lips and tongue logo on front, red and white embroidered "50" on wearer's left and "The ROLLING 5T0NES" embroidered on back. Interior tags read: "The Rolling Stones 50 Years" and "2013 Musidor B.V. Under license to Bravado Merchandising. All Rights Reserved."

Video: "Project Cubbins: The Road to 500"

Loaned to the Project by Team Boucher, I felt it was an appropriate milestone hat for number 200 since the Mick and the boys have reached a milestone of their own, rolling as they have for a full half-century now -- well 51 years at this point (the band formed in London n 1962)..

I couldn't resist including a little background on what may be the most famous logo in rock 'n' roll. Designed by Jon Pasche in 1970, and first appearing on the band's Sticky Fingers album, the original artwork is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, which bought it at auction for $92,500.

Here's an excerpt fro the V&A Museum's website:

"Pasche was commissioned to produce the logo after Jagger approached the Royal College of Art in London in 1969 to help him find a design student - the Stones had been frustrated by the bland designs offered by their record label Decca Records. Subsequently, Jagger visited Pasche's degree show and this led to discussions for a logo and other work for the Stones's own label, Rolling Stones Records, after the group's contract ended with Decca Records in 1970."

So it's a hat tip to Team Boucher, a shout out to the Stones as I keep on rolling toward 500 hats.

Oh, and I don't usually tip my hat hand but I've got to say tomorrow's hat is going to be something really, really special.

Related:
Hat One: Let the Games Begin
Hat One Hundred: Natty Boater
Hat One Hundred and Fifty: Austin-Powered Beanie

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 199 - The Hipster Before Christmas Edition

Day 199 / Hat 199: Black-and-white-striped woven fedora with black grosgrain hatband screen-printed with the smiling visage of Jack Skellington from "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas." Interior tags read: Disney Parks, Authentic, Original" and "100% straw, Made in China."

Another loan to the Project from the magical millinery holdings of Team Boucher, I'm not sure what amazes me more: the fact that is is just one of several  available options for an authentic Jack Skellington themed fedora (go ahead, search the interwebs, we'll wait) or the fact that the movie came out twenty years and two months ago.

Oh, and if anyone happens to own one of these Goorin Brothers Walter White Heisenberg pork pie hats, I'd love to borrow it for the Project.

So today's hat-tip goes to Team Boucher who just keeps bringin' it!

Related: 

PC 198: Total Rykiel
PC 190: Makin' Census
PC 128: Skywalker Firefighter

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 198 - Totally Recalled Rykiel Edition

Day 198 / Hat 198: Fuzzy black knit beret with gold "SR" pin detail and interior tag that reads: "Sonia Rykiel Paris, made in France."

This is the last (at least for now) of the bountiful headgear series served up to the Project by Ingrid "How Many Hats?" Schmidt, and one that she brought into the office then took away and then, at my urging, brought back for its close-up.

Consider it the recalled Rykiel.

A sincere doff of the beret to Ingrid for her tireless efforts at populating the Project!

(Oh, and if you look hard enough you can see the number 198 in the upper left of the photo on the whiteboard - the contrast was not as good as I'd hoped but it's there!)

Related:
PC 131: Black, Hairy Beret
PC 176: Luxe Leather Beret
PC 185: Sparkly Barry Beret

Q: OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 
Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 197 - Winter Laker Lid Edition

Day 197 / Hat 197: Purple, gold and white striped cuffed knit  hat with shag pom-pom in the same colors. Details include an embroidered Los Angeles Lakers logo on one side of the rolled up cuff, and a purple Adidas logo on the other.

Interior tags read: "100% acrylic," "adidas.com," and one tag simply bears the NBA logo and the Los Angeles Lakers logo side by side.

A cold-weather Lakers lid both a nod to the unusually cold L.A. weather (I actually had to scrape my car window this morning - the horror!) and the Lakers superstar point guard Kobe Bryant's return to the basketball court for the first time since tearing his left Achilles tendon back in mid-April.

It wasn't exactly a triumphant return for Bryant, and the Lakers ended up losing to the Toronto Raptors, 106-94, but I'm confident that Bryant -- like the L.A. weather -- will be warming up to what we're used in no time at all.

Oh, and since this cozy piece of headgear was pilfered from the Bride's hat-stash, she gets today's obligatory hat tip.


Related:
PC 196: Antler Clause
PC 157: Let's Go Lakers!
Kobe Bryant on boxing shoes, muses and sutures, Nike unveils the Kobe 9 shoe

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 196 - Antler Claus Edition

Day 196 / Hat 196: Red Santa Claus cap with white trim, functional bell on top as well as a pair of reindeer antlers (and two tiny brown ears if you look carefully enough) festooned with functional blinking Christmas lights.

This is one of my favorite pieces of holiday headgear of all time not only because it's a guaranteed attention-getter but also  because I was wearing it at Heather's annual holiday party some years back while my sainted mother was visiting from back east and my mom hilariously noted: "I birthed that reindeer!"* made a comment along the lines of: "I gave birth to that reindeer and wasn't easy."

(I wish I could recall the exact exchange. If any of you out there -- and you know who you are -- remember it with any more specificity, please let me know and I'll amend accordingly. My lack of recall from that seasonal shindig is now approaching legendary status.)

So today's tip o' the hat goes to my long-suffering  Momma Reindeer. And since her birthday was yesterday she gets a sincere tip o' the birthday cap as well!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, if you happen to bag me in season, you've got yourself a 12-pointer -- and a one-way ticket to the naughty list!

* [Updated 12/9/13, 9:19 a.m.] A sincere antler-wag in the direction of my sister-in-law 'Thleen for being first to provide an accurate account of the exclamation which is even funnier than I'd recalled.]

Related:
PC 195: Flannel State of Mind
PC 189: Elf off the Shelf
PC 188: Yule Yarmulke



OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 195 - Flannel State of Mind Edition

Day 195 / Hat 195: Green and purple flannel baseball-style cap with multicolor fabric patch on front that reads: "Vermont Flannel" with a large letter V. Interior tags read: "The Vermont Flannel Co., Dedicated to world comfort" and "Made in U.S.A, One size fits all."

The Vermont Flannel Company is a family-owned business based in East Barre, Vermont (Barre is pronounced like Manilow's first name, not Roseanne's last name in case you're a flatlander) and have been making their cut-and-sew collection of flannel pants, shirts, scarves pajamas and whatnot there for two decades. Although this particular hat style is not currently listed at the Vermont Flannel Co. website, there are a range of things in the same purple and green plaid (with thin stripes of red and white) pattern dubbed "Vermont."

As a side note, plaid and tartan are often used interchangeably here in the U.S., with the word tartan usually used when referring to a pattern representing a family or Scottish clan. In Scotland  "plaid" refers to an item of clothing and not a pattern (the word "plaid" actually derives from the Gaelic word for blanket.)

This hat was loaned to the project by one Ms. Roberta O'Donnell of Montpelier, Vermont, and is fresh out of the hands of our U.S.P.S. delivery person who dropped it at the doorstep less than an hour ago. It's a pretty well-traveled lid because Roberta was kind enough to offer up the hat to the Project back in August and I was supposed to pick it up from her daughter Kate while I was in NYC for Fashion Week (Kate works near one of the frequent runway show venues). I missed that hat hand-off and Roberta reclaimed the lid in November, took it back to Vermont and finally popped it in the mail.

To not-so-eloquently paraphrase a line from Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," this little lid had many miles to go before it sleeps.

So a sincere hat tip to Roberta O'Donnell back in the 802 for today's warm and cozy winter-appropriate lid!


Related:
PC 194: Knights in Gray Plastic
PC 193: The Cool Pakol
PC 124: VA Reunion Edition


OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 194 - Knights in Gray Plastic Edition

Day 194 / Hat 194: Metallic gray plastic armor helmet with functional visor. The second long-distance loaner from Margaret Waldock whose accompanying note mused that perhaps it was too "costumey" to merit inclusion.

To that   say: "Pshaw!" I have yet to meet a hat too costumey, over-the-top or inappropriate to include in the march to 500 pieces of headgear. (Have you not seen the Carmen Miranda fruit bowl atop my head?)

A little armor-related (as opposed to armor-plated) trivia for you: It's long been contended that the modern-day military salute has its roots in the motion of a knight raising the visor of his helmet. (In fact, until this very moment I held this to be gospel truth.) But the Metropolitan Museum of Art (whose extensive arms and armor collection I spent several hours poring over last I was in NYC) calls that connection "uncertain."

The topic actually merits its own entry on the museum's Arms and Armor—Common Misconceptions and Frequently Asked Questions page which puts forth both the visor theory and a second one that the salute originated during the Roman Republic as a way of showing the right hand did not conceal a weapon.

"Although these theories are compelling (and romantic), there is actually little evidence to support either of them as the direct origin of the modern military salute," notes the museum which hedges its bets by concluding "the truth may lie somewhere in the middle."

But one thing is certain -- that I offer a hale and hearty salute to Ms. Waldock for her contribution to the Project!

Related:
PC 193: The Cool Pakol
PC 192: Check out the chada
PC 189: Elf Off the Shelf

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 193 - Cap From Kabul Edition

Day 193 / Hat 193: Light brown wool pakol, with interior tag that reads: "Durdana Khan Cap House" Shop #1, Bazar Islamabad Peshawar City." This lid from afar was purchased from a vendor in Kabul, Afghanistan, by the brother-in-law of my co-worker Chris Reynolds who generously loaned it to the Project for today's installment.

"My brother-in-law could tell you what he was doing in Afghanistan, but then he’d have to kill you," says Reynolds (which means he's likely an insurance agent or something along those lines).

I'd never heard of a pakol before so I did a little searching. Among the things I discovered: Before beng fitted, the hat resembles a bag with a flat, round bottom. The sides are then rolled up to form the rounded brim of the hat. The Wikipedia entry says " It is seen as a hat of the Afghans including the Pashtuns, but also of other ethnic groups of the Hindukush mountain range such as Chitralis, Nuristanis and Shamaliwals of Afghanistan."

A nifty feature of the pakol is that, in cold weather, the sides can be rolled down to cover the ears.

Today's tip o' the pakol goes to Chris Reynolds for the loan of the lid - and the lesson!

Related:
PC 64: Beijing Brolly
PC 192: Check the chada
VIDEO: "Project Cubbins: The Road to 500" a Christopher Reynolds Original

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 192 - Leaning Letter Lid Edition

Day 192 / Hat 192: Gold-colored plastic hat in the shape of a Thai chada (ชฎา). Generously loaned to the Project by one Ms. Margaret Waldock.

It took me a few minutes of searching the interwebs (using the phrase "pointy Thai hat") to come up with the name and back story on this type of hat which  knew I'd seen before.

Based on a piece I found in the Bangkok Post, it is a largely ceremonial piece of headgear that can be traced to dancers performing in an ancient mask performance called khon in the royal court in the early Ayutthaya era (Ayutthaya was, I discovered with a wee bit more searching, a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767).

According to the Post, "It eventually became the headwear of Siamese ambassadors to Europe during King Narai's reign."

In the same article, Pachat Tiptus, senior exhibition coordinator at Museum Siam is quoted as questioning whether the chada is actually "truly Thai."

''Chada is seen to represent Thainess in advertisement posters," Pachat is quoted as saying. "But when a foreigner arrives in the kingdom, does he or she see anyone wearing a chada on the street?''

Another piece of Thai trivia? Apparently the 14th letter of the Thai alphabet, daw chada (ฎ) is named after this headdress.

Today's earnest hat tip goes to Margaret Waldock - thanks for the loan of the leaning learning lid!

Related:
PC 191: Mele Kalikimaka
PC 190: Head Counter
PC 189: Elf Off the Shelf

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 191 - Mele Kalikimaka Edition

Day 191 / Hat 191: Woven straw hat with multi-colored tropical floral detail around the edge. Attached tag reads: "Hat, one size fits most!" on one side and "Intended for Adult Novelty Use Only," on the other along with details about the company that made it -- Amscan Inc. (the company's website includes the tagline: "The Party People.")

This hat -- along with the coconut bra I'm wearing (look closer) and a pineapple-shaped adult sippy cup were among the items I was recently and quite inexplicably handed by enthusiastic hat wrangler Ingrid Schmidt (who has, by now definitely qualified for platinum-level membership in the MHDC). The girl done gone out and bought the hat for use in the Project!

The ensemble makes me think of one of my favorite things -- Hawaii (well, two if you count "Gilligan's Island") -- and how the Bride and I recently discussed how we'd love to spend at least one Christmas in the former Sandwich Islands.

It would be a Mele Kalikimaka indeed.

Related:

PC 190: Makin' Census
PC 189: Elf off the Shelf
PC 188: Yule Yarmulke
OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 190 - Head Count Edition

Day 190 / Hat 190: Trucker-style cap with green mesh back, green foam-covered bill and white foam front panel with red printing that reads: "United States ® Census 2010 2010census.gov." Additional detail includes braided green cord across bottom of front panel and interior tag that reads: "Nissun, Product of Taiwan, Assembled in China."

Video: "The Road to 500 Hats"

On loan to the Project from Team Boucher. Tracy says this hat came into the family's possession during a trip to Florida back in the 2010 Census days. If I recall correctly (you'll have to excuse the slight case of vacation brain), Tracy's mother-in-law was a U.S. Census volunteer and the hat comes from her involvement with the effort.

Related:
PC 180: Megamindful
PC 128: Skywalker Firefighter
PC 61: Taken to Trask (Industries)

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!

Project Cubbins: Hat 189 - Elf Off the Shelf Edition

Day 189 / Hat 189: Green- and red-striped elf cap with white pomp-pom on top and beige pointy ear detail on each side. Interior is green (rayon? nylon? who knows) with tag that reads (I'll spare you the all caps): "Do not wash or dry clean, spot clean only. Not a toy, for decoration only. Made in China."

This is another of the holiday hats recently pulled from cold storage, and even though the hat looks nothing like the ones pictured, for some reason it always calls to mind the 12/10/2005 "Saturday Night Live" Glengarry Glen Christmas sketch featuring Seth Meyer, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Fred Armisen and guest star Alec Baldwin as an elf named Winter's Breath. (Favorite line: " Screw you, THAT'S my name! And you wanna know why, Mister? 'Cause you rode a hedgehog to work, and I got here on a talking moose. THAT's my name!)

You can watch it below or click here to read a transcript of the sketch -- in my opinion it ranks among the funniest of the shows many, many Christmas sketches.



Related:
PC 188: The Yamaclaus
PC 187: Binary Balaclava
Project Cubbins' First Video: The Road to 500

OK, nice hat -- but what exactly is Project Cubbins, anyway?

A: One man's homage to Dr. Seuss and his second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholemew Cubbins," which is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its publication in 2013, Project Cubbins is an attempt to document the wearing of a different hat or piece of headgear every day for 500 consecutive days. No do-aheads, no banking of hats, no retroactive entries. PC started on May 27, 2013 with Hat 1. 

Got hats? If you loan 'em, you'll get e'm back safe and sound!