A watch cap is a close fitting hat that sailors wear to keep their heads warm in cold weather when it is their turn to be on watch. Dianne Read-Jackson found that the first recorded use of the term watch cap is from 1835 and the caps were originally knit in Navy Blue.  She designed this cap in grey and black to suit the mood of the poem that inspired her.  It is for those times when:

The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!

You will want to knit one for your favorite mariner or landlubber to keep their head and ears toasty warm.

Designer: Dianne Read-Jackson

Finished Measurements
9 ½ inches edge to crown

Materials
[MC] Drops Karisma Superwash Wool [100% Superwash Wool 105m/115yds per 50 gr skein, 10 WPI]; color: Grey #21 2 skeins
[CC] Drops Karisma Superwash Woolf100% Superwash Wool; 105m/115yds per 50gr skein, 10 WPI]; color: Black # 53; 1 skein
1 set US 4/3.5mm double-point needles
or
2 US 4/3.5mm circular needles

Gauge
20 sts = 4″ in stockinette stitch

And for those who are feeling celebratory just to be alive (and not in a swound):
Wedding Punch

1 1/2 c sugar
1 quart strong hot tea
1 c lime juice
1 quart orange juice
1 quart club soda
Fresh mint leaves

Dissolve the sugar in the hot tea. Mix with the juices and pour over ice. Just before serving, add club soda and mint leaves. May be spiked with rum if desired.