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A Modern Bonnet

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February 2013

My entry for :iconknitting-and-crochet:'s Jane Austen Contest (and just in time!!)

Let me tell you a bit of a secret: I am missing out on something huge.

I love literature, adore prose, and devour poetry. Antiquities and luxury from bygone eras make me swoon. Tales of long distance romance, horseback rides, and flower gardens can reduce me to blissful girly tears faster than you can say "pass my lace-edged hankie, please."

But I have never read anything by Jane Austen.

I have often obsessed over Regency fashions. I have books and books on the subject! I have scrolled through pages and pages of fashion plates online. I have scoured used book stores for histories of clothing and the people who made the outfits famous.

But I have never read anything by Jane Austen.

I have been known to sit in the craft book section of Barnes & Nobles for many hours look at the glossy pages of Austentatious Crochet or Jane Austen Knits, drooling over the minute detail and feminine flourishes achieved by the designers contributing to the books.

But I have never read anything by Jane Austen.

I think you get the point. I know I should have read Austen's work long ago, but I haven't. I know most every book-loving girl's heart pitter-patters for the intoxicating romance that is Mister Darcy. I am sure mine will too, once I find my unread copy of Pride and Prejudice and actually read it. I have made a vow to do it. Now.

About this project... As you may have guessed, I am a sucker for anything old fashioned and hats just happen to be a particular weakness of mine. I enjoy looking at old engravings of women's hair styles and fashion accessories just as much as looking at the dresses. The period from which Jane Austen hails certainly held a high respect for a well-made head covering. One trend in the hats of the era, was the emergence of the "turban style" hat. Normally made of lace or silk, this was a much more casual (but still refined) accessory that found its way into popularity. While looking at some etchings of turban-style hats, I was inspired to try my hand at making one.

These hats normally featured two contrasting materials: a solid and a lace, perhaps, or two different muted colors of silk. They also had a tie or bow that helped secure the net-like hat to a woman's head. I found the style very similar to the "slouchy beanie" that is so popular today. Why not combine elements of both? Why not construct a "modern bonnet" suitable for the toughest city girl, or the most delicate country dove. In my opinion, it suits either just perfectly.

How it was made:
I was not clever enough to write out a pattern as I went (because I worked on a lot of this hat on a long car trip), so this one is truly one of a kind. The brim is half-double crochet in the back ridges only to create a knit-like ribbed effect. The body of the hat is crocheted in various stitches to offer a subtle, lacy appearance without being overbearing. There are rows of singles, chains, shells, fillet, doubles, half doubles, and v-stitches to create wonderful texture and drape. The grey segments are a worsted weight of unknown origins (most likely acrylic) and the navy segments are superwash wool from my dear =KnitLizzy. :meow:

I'm quite pleased with how this came out.

Now...to go find that book....
Image size
1200x1200px 2.06 MB
© 2013 - 2024 the-carolyn-michelle
Comments43
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Kayla-san's avatar
THIS. :icongrumpy-catplz:

Those colors and stitches hbiunwomonib WOMAN. WOMAAAAAAAAAAAAN :heart: :iconexplodelaplz: