Balmoral Bonnets

[room2ndfloor]

My friends in Maryland, where it is supposed to snow this week again, wearing the Balmoral bonnets I made for them, using Mrs. Gilmour's pattern. The husband wears a blue-tartan kilt on special occasions.
Blairs in Balmorals.jpg

[ASinclair]

Very nice. I was admiring the one you made for Hawk, as well. I really like your Balmoral bonnets.

[Bluescelt]

Very nice! My wife has been felting handbags lately and it is amazing to me how much the items shrink! I think I may need to get her the Anne Carroll Gilmour pattern.

[room2ndfloor]

Right, these are knitted to three times the final size, then fulled down to size and hand-shaped. Here is Mrs. Gilmour's pattern on Ravelry.com, available for download. Mrs. Gilmour gave clear, easy-to-follow instructions, much superior to most knitting patterns.
[URL="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/classic-highlanders-balmoral-bonnet"]
For most of mine, I also dyed the yarn before knitting the bonnet. A couple of these, I have used small lengths of yarn, without bothering for a neat splice and not wearing in any ends, either. The fulling process makes these small irregularities disappear.

[Elizabeth]

Very nice! Almost makes me want to learn to knit.

[Elf]

Great job. Also thanks for the link to instructions. Of course, as all of us DIY folks, I will have to file this away for later. But definately worth it. Again, thanks.

[SemperFyffe]

Mrs. Gilmour has other really great pattern's as well. Her kilt hose are especially beautiful! Great job on the balmorals room2ndfloor! They get very addictive don't they? I get into a mood where I have to see one done in this color and that color.... I now have more skeins of yarn than I have time to sit and knit. I am curious about your dying your own yarn. Do you have any suggestions on how to get started? This is something that I have started growing interest in but see the danger of another addiction looming ahead. Happy knitting!

[room2ndfloor]

I am curious about your dying your own yarn. Do you have any suggestions on how to get started? This is something that I have started growing interest in but see the danger of another addiction looming ahead. Happy knitting!

You're so right, dyeing wool is another form of wool addiction........... I'd say go with the Jacquard Acid Dyes, available from Dharma Trading online. You'll need a large non-reactive pot you can heat on the stove, which you will dedicate to dyeing and never use for food again. It is helpful to have a laundry sink and some space for open-air drying.

All the wool-handling cautions apply, so that you don't make felt unless that's your intention.

There is a certain odor involved: wet wool, vinegar, and the pigments themselves. Many's the time when my children came home from school and sniffed, "Is that dinner I smell?" As soon as the wool dries, the odor is all gone.......I might be insensitive to it, since my family made pickles, sauerkraut and other yummy but odoriferous food.

For years, I had a spot for hanging up my just-dyed yarn that was just above an air vent from my furnace. Air does not have to be extra warm, just circulating.....It is best if you do not get too invested in a certain standardized outcome, just enjoy the process and let the colors become what they will be. You can even buy yarn that's on a deep discount because it is an ugly color, then overdye it beautifully with a darker color. (Said she, with the personal motto, "Smart women never pay full retail.")

If you look in my albums, I dyed the green for my husband's Shepherd's plaid hose..... I love the look of Mrs. Gilmour's fancy-stitch kilt hose, however my own strength is in my color work so that's where I have put my efforts.

More, I would be happy to send a private message. I don't want to get too far off-topic for this forum.