KILLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As temperatures in New England start to drop, knitting operations at Killington-based AllieCaps are just heating up.

“We love the outdoors,” said Allie Cooper, the company’s founder. “Our inspiration always comes from the outdoors and our love for skiing, specifically. That’s like… our bread and butter.”

Cooper learned how to knit when she was seven years old. However, she really got hooked when playing college hockey. “We used to be on the bus forever, so I started knitting my teammates’ hats and scarves,” she said. “I tried mittens; mittens are really hard.”

Post-grad, Cooper swapped her skates for skis. Settling into a winter in Killington, she learned the ins and outs of the Green Mountain lifestyle. That includes the music.

“I started making trucker hats,” Cooper said. “I actually started my business on Phish Lot.” Bouncing around the lot, her trucker hats were a hit with Phish fans. As popularity grew, she took to the ski resort parking lot to peddle some warmer, knitted wares. Soon, she was in local shops and featured in events.

“And eventually, my big event that I did was up here in Killington for the women’s World Cup,” Cooper said.

Of her dozens of knit beanie designs, “The Superstar” is a tribute to super skiers. “Mikaela Shiffrin actually has this beanie,” said Cooper, holding up the red, white, and blue hat.

But you don’t have to be a record-setting skier to wear one of her hats. The merino wool base will keep anyone warm. “It’s super breathable. It’s just like a base layer that you wear skiing. It allows your skin to breathe, allows your head to breathe, and keeps you nice and toasty,” Cooper said.

The kicker? The popular hats are still knit by hand. Cooper’s mom — also known as the Chief Knitting Officer, or CKO — oversees a network of knitters across New England. They’re the ones keeping AllieCaps in stores and on heads.

“Most of our knitters have a couple hats that they really focus on so that they’re consistent in sizing and all that,” Cooper said.

The hats come in infant, child, and adult sizes and all boast huge, handmade poms that owners can easily swap out. Beyond the beanies, AllieCaps offers trucker hats, sweatshirts, and hand-embroidered knit sweaters.

As cold weather approaches, demand for the winter wear is ticking up. “My mom keeps track of how many hats she makes a year, and she’s usually right around 1,000, which is insane,” Cooper said. You won’t find her selling hats at Phish concerts anymore. “I want to go enjoy the music and have fun and not worry about trying to make money.”

You can, however, find AllieCaps online and in stores. They’re in stock at the gift shop inside the Lookout Tavern in Killington, and at their seasonal store near New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee.

Cooper says she also loves working with businesses to create custom AllieCaps for whatever they need.

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