Snowsports Headphone Hat
Earbuds and skiing or snowboarding; they just don't mix. After an hour or two your ears can start to hurt, and if the earbuds get dislodged your options are limited. You can try and worm your gloved hand up into your helmet to fix them, or you can remove your whole helmet. Since both options are pretty annoying I had a quick look around online for toques with built-in headphones, but I didn't want to pay $35.00 plus shipping so I decided to make some myself. Plus, they are a pretty good way to listen to music when walking around in the cold too!
If you choose to listen to music while skiing, snowboarding or doing any other sport please use your common sense. Keep the music low enough that you can hear what's going on around you.
If you choose to listen to music while skiing, snowboarding or doing any other sport please use your common sense. Keep the music low enough that you can hear what's going on around you.
What You Need:
- An old toque
- An old pair of over-the-ear headphones or a super cheap pair
- Needle and thread, of a colour similar to that of the toque
- Fabric (I used felt) of a colour similar to that of a toque
- Pliers (or anything else you need to break apart your headphones)
- An old pair of over-the-ear headphones or a super cheap pair
- Needle and thread, of a colour similar to that of the toque
- Fabric (I used felt) of a colour similar to that of a toque
- Pliers (or anything else you need to break apart your headphones)
Removing the Speakers
- Take your headphones and carefully break apart the headband to reveal the wire connecting the two speakers
- Snap apart the speaker housings so that you can remove the speakers
- Remove the speakers, and the wire connecting them, from the body of the headphones and break away any excess plastic
- Snap apart the speaker housings so that you can remove the speakers
- Remove the speakers, and the wire connecting them, from the body of the headphones and break away any excess plastic
Preparing the Toque
- Turn the toque inside-out and put it on
- Roughly mark the location of your ears with something that shows up on fabric
- Take off the toque, but keep it inside out
- Roughly mark the location of your ears with something that shows up on fabric
- Take off the toque, but keep it inside out
Attatching the Speakers
- Place one of the speakers where you marked one of your ears on the toque
- Cut out a piece of fabric large enough to cover the speaker
- Place the fabric over the speaker and stitch around the edge of the speaker (stitch as close to the speaker as you can, because this is what will hold the it in place)
- Cut away any excess fabric
- Repeat the steps for the other speaker
- Put the toque on and make sure the speakers are in comfortable positions; if not, unstitch one speaker and reposition it
- Cut out a piece of fabric large enough to cover the speaker
- Place the fabric over the speaker and stitch around the edge of the speaker (stitch as close to the speaker as you can, because this is what will hold the it in place)
- Cut away any excess fabric
- Repeat the steps for the other speaker
- Put the toque on and make sure the speakers are in comfortable positions; if not, unstitch one speaker and reposition it
Tidying Up the Wires
- Take a rectangular piece of fabric and place it over the loose wire connecting the speakers
- Stitch around the edge of the rectangle
- Stitch around the edge of the rectangle