I want to surprise my gentleman friend with a "Boonie Hat" like the one he wore in combat during the war.

I don't know his hat size.

How can I figure it out without giving away the surprise?

MisterSnarky
(this post isn't as awkward as it might seem to those who don't know me-- I'm not actually a "mister")

Do they have another hat that they wear that you can sort of size, maybe take a string and measure it around the band?

Well Heeled has some suggestions:

1. If you wear a hat (like an adjustable baseball cap), take it off of your head and jokingly put it on his head.

2. Make a balloon animal and put it on his head to see if it fits.

3. Play cowboys and Indians - make him the Indian so he can wear the headband the with feather sticking up.

4. Similar to #3 - do some kung-fu fighting and make him wear the headband.

TG

PS Well Heeled cannot get over

I'm not actually a "mister"

.

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PS Well Heeled cannot get over

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I'm not actually a "mister"

Yep. I'm a regular, everyday, good-old-fashioned "miss" with strange taste in trail names.

I've been enjoying the confusion I've caused all these months.

Miss MisterSnarky
(a bit of a sadist)

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Well Heeled has some suggestions:

1. If you wear a hat (like an adjustable baseball cap), take it off of your head and jokingly put it on his head.

I don't wear a hat, but I've suggested that we should get some of those hats or headbands with flashlights on them like the naturalist had a Ruffner Mountain (they had a really cool wine and cheese hike and party at night on the mountain). He thought it was a good idea but told me that there was no need to measure his head since those things are adjustable. He still let me pretend to measure his head, but I didn't have anything to measure with. I'm afraid another attempt will DEFINITELY show I'm up to something-- this is, up to more mischief than usual.

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2. Make a balloon animal and put it on his head to see if it fits.

Aren't balloons flexible and stretchy? I'm sure I'd mess this one up and get him a boonie hat that was too small. This one's for someone more skilled and less clumsy than me.

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3. Play cowboys and Indians - make him the Indian so he can wear the headband the with feather sticking up.

This sounds like fun on so many levels, but he'd probably interpret the request to play cowboys and indians as one that should be made sometime after the wedding night (chastity is important to us). And I've only just gotten him to buy me a KEY ring. I've got a long way to go before I get an ENGAGEMENT ring. On the upside, the keyring is a really nice one. It's from the Indy 500 Racetrack gift shop.

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4. Similar to #3 - do some kung-fu fighting and make him wear the headband.

Awww, he'd claim to be too old for any more martial arts and pretend to be scared I'd whoop him! Plus, I better not engage in any scheme that would wipe me out so bad he'll have to call an ambulance (makes it hard for me to be dainty and alluring if I am throwing up my lunch).

That gives me some ideas to work with, though. Thanks Trekkie Gal and Well Heeled.

MisterSnarky
I love my confusing trail name and I'm not gonna give it up.

(please don't call me "Mister")

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Miss MisterSnarky
(a bit of a sadist)

A conversation between a masochist and a sadist:

Masochist: "Hurt me."

Sadist: "No."

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He still let me pretend to measure his head, but I didn't have anything to measure with.

If you have a string (not stretchy) then use it, and measure the string afterwards (just mark the beginning and end of where you used it to measure). I used to do with with kids I knew, if I was knitting them a hat - except I could say something goofy like "I'm measuring your head to see if you are smart enough to have this piece of candy" (or something to that effect). Of course, they had completely forgotten about the string after I said "candy" or whatever the bait was ;-))

Maybe you can make him watch a really boring movie with you, and when he falls asleep, measure then ;-)) Just don't fall asleep first!

Or tell him you are contemplating a gift for another man in your life (dad, brother, cousin, uncle?) and can you measure his head, as it looks like he is about the same size as they are? And you can even do several measurements, like head, chest, waist, etc, to make it look like you aren't sure what you are purchasing yet (leave an outdoor gear catalog lying around ;-)).

Mama Fox

Your experience may differ but, in the book "Knitting Rules!", Stephanie Pearl-McPhee says that roughly speaking an adult's head circumference is three times the width of their outstretched hand from thumbtip to little fingertip.

If you measure his hand, he'll think you're getting him gloves and you'll surprise him.

Knit Wit

One of my kids' favorite shows is Cyberchase on PBS. It's a math show, and one episode had a thing about body proportions. I can't remember what it said, but you could measure different body parts with string, and it would be proportional to other body parts. (remember, this is a kids' show, so no dirty minds allowed). Here's a link to watch the section of show. Maybe it will help. My computer is too slow to try to watch it, and my husband is asleep, so I don't think he would appreciate hearing it right now either. Hope it helps.

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/forreal/301_for_real.html

Christie

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no dirty minds allowed

Everybody knows that big hands and big feet mean...................................big shoes and big gloves.

ooh! ooh! this is the greatest.

length of his outstretched arms divided by three ought to do it!


that was soooooooooo cool!

MisterSnarky

oh boy that one's awesome, too!

THANKS!

MisterSnarky

A conversation between a masochist and a sadist:

Masochist: "Hurt me."

Sadist: "No."

Hey Ox, you been spying on my life or what man?

*smirk*
Tee