1856 Knitted Hood

Now that Thanksgiving is over it seems to be Christmas all around. Everywhere I look there are white twinkling lights, big wreaths tied with enormous red ribbons and, of course, there are plenty of Christmas trees! We put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving and are slowly working on getting the rest of the house, inside and out, festive for the holidays. 

I thought it would be nice to do a post about the knitted hood I finished a few weeks ago. Of course, the first sunny day we have had all week is warm enough for t shirts and shorts, not wool! But Anne wanted to dress up anyway, so we took a few pictures. She's so fun. :) 

This hood is the 1856 knitted opera hood that is so popular in reenacting circles. I got my pattern from Ephemeral Chaos and made it up just as the pattern stated, except with size 7 needles instead of the larger ones called for. This made the hood come out smaller than usual - perfect for Anne. 

I am not a fast knitter or a very good one but I appreciated how easy this hood was to make. It's all plain knitting (which does get monotonous) but it worked up warm and thick. It took about 2 weeks of knitting at night to get it done, after a false start where Anne pulled off the first four inches of knitting so she could use it as a scarf for her doll. (well, it could work well for a scarf! I can't blame her.) 

The back is pretty where it is gathered to fit the neck. I like the silhouette. It is quite flattering, at least from an 1860's point of view. 

I hope she will have occasion to wear it before Christmas - if this warmer weather holds, Christmas caroling in period attire will be an absolute must. :) 

Love,

Sarah