How a kind Dutch stranger made me a hat

The world on my head!

By Caitlin Kelly

As I’ve admitted here, I spend a fair bit of my time on Twitter.

I’ve made some good friends, found a few excellent work opportunities and enjoy exploring a wide range of accounts, from a woman in Scotland who makes dyes from plants to a photographer currently in Antarctica.

Sometimes the algorithm takes you down a rabbit hole of the same sort of tweets, so a while ago I ended up seeing a lot of knitting, knitters and their many gorgeous creations.

Where I found a photo of an amazing hat with a map of the world, made by a Dutch women for her own pleasure. Not for sale.

MUST have it!

As someone who’s lived in five countries and been, so far, to 41, this was so me.

I dared to ask her if she would make one for me. She said yes!

We agreed the cost could never match the hours it would take and she graciously said she didn’t need the income.

Then…crickets.

Oh well, I thought, it’s the Internet. You never know, and it was a huge favor for a distant stranger.

But then, a few weeks ago, there she was again, and ready to mail it!

I asked if she might like one of my photos in exchange, and we emailed a selection of eight, offering it in color or black and white, at whatever size she preferred.

Unlikely but true — our neighbor across the hall now lives in Holland, was back recently, and will mail it there.

The hat is so perfect — part wool, part alpaca — so it’s very soft and very warm. It has every continent, each quite recognizable.

This kindness from a former stranger — now a distant friend — was such a lovely start to 2023.