Please help me find this hat: STARZ Outlander

**Highland Lassie** · 15th October 14, 11:41 AM

Evidently Dougal's hat is a one off according to Terry Dresbach, the costume designer for the show. I love it too! Here's a link to Terry's blog:
http://www.terrydresbach.com/dougal-mckenzie/

awabbit September 12, 2014 at 6:59 am Thank you Terri, for bringing Diana’s words to “life.”
My question for you is: the grey/blue bonnet Dougal wears is not an ordinary bunnet(bonnet)/tam.
Nor is it a beret.
I have been looking for such a large diameter chapeau to wear when it gets cold.
On me, Basque berets are too small, too tight and look silly when worn “cocked” or worn straight across.
Is this a cap that you designed or is there something like it which can be purchased today?
Thank you for your reply!
Anne in North Hollywood, CA
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terrydresbach September 12, 2014 at 7:32 am Hi Anne, we had those especially knit, and filled (felted).

**Pleater** · 16th October 14, 03:30 PM

I am busy at the moment, but - somewhere - I have some fairly fine grey yarn which I know will felt, and I can experiment with making a similar cap. I think it will have a finished diameter of about 12 inches.

Usually I crochet them in a fairly thick yarn so they will cock up in the usual style, which is not the right sort of construction for that cap. It needs to be soft enough to flop, so the felting will be a process of trial and error too.

I just can't resist a challenge.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**Highland Lassie** · 16th October 14, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by Pleater

I am busy at the moment, but - somewhere - I have some fairly fine grey yarn which I know will felt, and I can experiment with making a similar cap. I think it will have a finished diameter of about 12 inches.

Usually I crochet them in a fairly thick yarn so they will cock up in the usual style, which is not the right sort of construction for that cap. It needs to be soft enough to flop, so the felting will be a process of trial and error too.

I just can't resist a challenge.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

Anne....if you can manage that feat let me be the first in line to buy one from you! LOL!

**Pleater** · 17th October 14, 11:57 AM

Right oh - I might have to discus my status with Steve Ashton re selling here in the mean time - I found my 12 inch diameter cap and pulled into the same shape as the one required and although it resisted the reshaping to some extent it has the right sort of coverage for my 23 inch head - but of course they can be made to any size once the first few trials are done.

I usually make my caps 11 inches across - measurement of ear tip to ear tip. The extra inch was to make a cap to hold the X marks badge with proper style, and balmoral fashion, with a ribbon at the temple rather than have that weight over my eye.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

**Benning Boy** · 17th October 14, 12:14 PM

The initial issue of US Army black berets were 11 inches in diameter. My old one lays down over my right ear, but doesn't come down much past the band in the rear. Of course the stiffener on the left prevents it from being slouched excessively. A 12 inch diameter, without a stiffener ought to come close to being right for those with smaller heads. The big berets here http://southpacificberets.com/argent...oinas-lana.php are close to 12 inches in diameter. However if I were to have a big floppy bonnet knitted just for me, I'd ask for 13 inches, the measurement over the top of my head from ear-to-ear.

**Pleater** · 20th October 14, 07:23 AM

found the camera lead - how's this for size?

**KiltedKnome** · 20th October 14, 07:44 AM

I think that is a great looking hat, Pleater!

**Pleater** · 20th October 14, 09:18 AM

I think it is pretty close to the right size for me to wear as a floppy cap - but I need to make the same sort of thing in a finer yarn and lightly felted knitting.

Anne the Pleater

**hoosier8** · 8th November 14, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by Benning Boy

An expedient solution, if you aren't concerned with matching the color, are the larger diameter berets to be found here:

http://southpacificberets.com/

Look particularly at the Argentinian and French Chasseur styles. It's a good company to do business with, and shipping is fairly fast, considering the point of origin is New Zealand.

Gloria at Historical Caps could probably reproduce it for you. http://www.historicalcaps.net/index.htm She made me one in a very similar shade, Hedwick wool, and finished it the diameter I asked for.The cap in your picture is at least 12-inches in diameter, I'd say. Her delivery time is pretty fast, and the cost reasonable.

Keep in mind a bonnet as in the picture will not have a lined headband, and if knit of unworsted wool will be somewhat scratchy to wear. But, I believe unworsted wool, like Herdwick, is the only thing that will give you the full look of that bonnet.

Perhaps it's on Youtube, but if you can check out the bonnet worn by Errol Flynn in the early scenes of Master of Balantrea you might find additional inspiration for a floppy bonnet.

I believe Gloria made the Scots Bonnets for the Outlander series. They rough up and age all the clothing for the show.

**Pleater** · 9th November 14, 02:11 PM

The yarn I chose for the first attempt was probably never going to be a good choice - I have got a nice neat pinwheel of 8 sections and it would probably be better to have made the increases at random - or rather using prime numbers as separation as I do when making crochet ones. The yarn is not going to felt and hide the shaping. Ah well - it is a start, it has given me some numbers to work with - but the tiny needles and the light weight yarn do take time.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: