Knit & felted lovat green diced balmoral

[usonian]

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

[Tobus]

Hey, a fellow mandolin player! In fact, a fellow bearded mandolin player who wears a kilt! Whoa... mind=blown.

(Oh, the Balmoral is nice too...)

[Dixiecat]

Wow. Very nice! I've recently taken up knitting bonnets as an activity to do while traveling. I've got that pattern but never tried it. I guess I'll have to now yours looks so good!

Good choice on the petersham. Petersham is not only more comfortable, but is made slightly different than grosgrain in that it's lacking the lock edges and as a result is more flexible and easier to apply when going around curves. In fact, petersham is what is almost always found on the inside of hat bands.

[creagdhubh]

Well done!

[usonian]

Tobus: My mandolin playing is terribly rusty these days, but I'm lucky to have one around for when the mood strikes. I've been focused on 19th century American banjo these last couple of years!

Dixiecat & creagdhubh: Thank you! It really is a nice pattern; she must have done some thorough trials with the guage and stitch count to get the size to come out just right after felting.

[David Thorpe]

Nice job on the bonnet. Is that a vintage Gibson F5 on the wall?

[usonian]

Nope, just a relatively recent Epiphone in the F5 style!

[Elf]

Wow, very inspiring job. The felting looks great, but of course there is no way of telling over the internet how stiff it feels on your head. Best wishes if you try the medium.

[usonian]

Thanks again, everyone! Elf, it's pretty darn stiff - I wore it until it was mostly dry yesterday and now it pretty much holds that shape even without my head in it; it is not remotely "floppy". But, I don't think it looks too strange while being worn. Here's another shot with a better view of the top:



If you look closely, you can see that the two skeins must have been from different dye lots; towards the center of the crown the color gets just a little bit darker. It wasn't noticeable before felting, but perhaps the water washed more color out out of one than the other.

[SlackerDrummer]

Fantastic job. One more push in the "I need to learn to knit" direction!