"They are just making things up and selling their predictions, " Mr. Kengkard, wearing a leopard-skin pattern hat, said in one recent TV appearance.

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Steinmann's spark grew from a simple pattern for a felted hat that her mother gave her.

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Using this fibre, weavers produce the pattern, the crown and the brim of the hat and complete the process by washing, bleaching, oven treatment, ironing and pressing.

UNESCO: MEDIA SERVICES