My hands were feeling idle after finishing my kilt, so I decided to see if I could find a good knitting pattern for a balmoral bonnet. There are some free ones out there, but I wound up purchasing this one by Anne Caroll Gilmour because the photos looked good, and I prefer the style and shaping to the flatter/wider brim "flying saucer" balmorals I've seen. The pattern is well worth the $6.95 cost. Instructions are clear, include stitch counts for three different sizes, patterns for dicing or two different celtic knot patterns, and result in a very nicely shaped hat.

It just so happened that I had about a skein and two thirds of Lion Brand worsted wool yarn on hand. It was purchased long before I got into this DIY highland dress phase or had heard the color described at 'lovat green.' I decided to go with classic black, white, and red dicing because I thought the red would play nicely against the green. (Here's hoping this thread doesn't turn into an argument about military affiliation or Hanoverian loyalty!) Instead of stark white I used an oatmeal color which is a little more subtle.

The pattern results in a comically huge hat (especially when you make the large size, which I did to accommodate my huge head):



To felt the wool, you just throw it in the washing machine in a small load with a few rugged articles of clothing (like jeans) for friction. This was the first thing I've ever felted, and I think perhaps I let it go a little bit long; it's pretty heavy and stiff. The size feels just about perfect, though. I may try the 'medium' instructions next time so it might shrink to the right size before getting quite as stiff.

I recently stumbled across Jock's excellent blocking instructions, and with the damp felted hat fresh out of the washing machine I was able to skip right to the shaping stage.

Anyway, here it is so far:



I don't have a "stock" commercially or professionally made balmoral on hand for comparison, but I'm pretty pleased. I ordered some petersham ribbon for the band instead of using polyester grosgrain; the petersham is a cotton/viscose blend and should be rather more comfortable. I'll post photos with the band and ribbons when they're attached.

For anyone on the DIY fence: unlike making a kilt, this can be a relatively cheap and quick undertaking! I would consider myself a fairly novice knitter. I've done a couple of scarves, a few stocking and watch caps, but that's about it. (I lack the attention span for anything much bigger than a hat, it seems!) This pattern is pretty straightforward; if you know how to do garter stitch, knit in the round (either on circular or double-pointed needles), change colors (if you want to do dicing) increase and decrease that's pretty much all you need. A sewing machine is quickest to attach the band & ribbons but there's no reason they couldn't be sewn on by hand.

-A