Crossword Puzzle Hats

There are two kinds of crossword solvers, and the difference is the pen. One kind uses pencil, keeps an eraser handy and does perfectly well. The other kind uses ink, on paper, with total commitment and a small amount of crossing out that does not need to be discussed. These hats are mostly for the second kind. They are for the solver who takes the grid personally — who has a four-letter word for every clue, including several that would never appear in a published puzzle and are said out loud at the kitchen table. And for the purist who holds the only rule that matters: looking up one answer, just one, is still cheating, and the puzzle does not count. The crossword is one of the few daily rituals that has survived every change in how people read, and the people who do it every morning take it seriously in the most enjoyable way. These crossword puzzle hats make good gifts for them: embroidered on unstructured dad hats, in newsprint black and white and a few quieter colors for a Sunday morning with coffee and a pen.