Balmoral Bonnet

[Pleater]

It looks about right - but you really need to have it on your head and tilted to the angle you find most pleasing, and which keeps it in place even when the wind blows. Take a look in the mirror and judge it then. It isn't difficult to add to or take out from width or height once you have the first couple done, and it is difficult to decide that there is no need to make another one. There is always a bit of left over yarn that would just do to make the dicing or the band of the next one.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Old Hippie]

I usually crochet mine to make a thick fabric without all the bother of felting and make them wide enough so that even if worn tilted I can fix a badge or broach to the lower disk.

Anne, I'm not gonna let you off that easily! What sort of pattern/instructions do you use for a crocheted balmoral? I learned some simple crochet when my mum got too old to make pot-scrubbers and dishcloths any more. I've been looking at the simple things I know and thinking, "Must be a way to crochet a round potscrubber that would fit the top of my head..." I went to a crafting shop and looked at crochet books but of course most of the ones I found had very lady-like projects in them or flouncy hats for little girls. Knitting I have yet to pick up, simple or not.

[Pleater]

Ah - well both my grandmothers were crafty sorts, they had cooking recipes which involved 'as much butter as you can spare' and instructions such as, 'add milk, or water' and would knit, crochet or sew with just a tape measure and a scrap of paper for making notes which made no sense after the garment was finished.

I'm afraid that my way of working a balmoral is to use fairly thick yarn, or several thinner threads, and a hook which will make a fairly firm but not too thick fabric in double crochet - that is the English term, start in the centre top by winding the yarn several times around a fingertip and crocheting around, pull a loop through the ring then pull another one through the two loops. Second round is twice into each of the first round, then gradually do fewer increases so as to make a flatish disc. I usually do very slightly too few increases so the top forms a bowl when worn a few times. I don't count the non decreases, just do an increase when I notice that the stitches are pulling to one side of the previous ones. I go under the loop of the stitch, not into it, for a firmer fabric.

Once the disc is large enough I do a few (2 or3) rounds without alteration and then start to decrease, that is pull loops through the next two stitches then pull a loop through all three loops on the hook. I usually make the decreases separated by a prime number of stitches, starting off with 19, then reducing to smaller primes as the hole gets smaller. It normally results in the decreases being separated rather than coinciding.

Once the hole is small enough to fit my head I do single crochet, pull a loop through the loop of the stitch and the loop on the hook each time so as to make a firm band, then finish off with a small chain stitch loop and single crochet around right around the chain so as to make something to hang it up by or tie it by so the wind can't take it.

That is about it really.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Old Hippie]

Ah - well both my grandmothers were crafty sorts, they had cooking recipes which involved 'as much butter as you can spare' and instructions such as, 'add milk, or water' and would knit, crochet or sew with just a tape measure and a scrap of paper for making notes which made no sense after the garment was finished.

I'm good with that. A friend of mine wanted a bread recipe and so I wrote down exactly what was on my recipe card. My notes assume that "add liquid until consistency is correct" is useful information, and I completely leave out stuff like "raise until doubled, punch down, raise until doubled again, shape loaves, raise..." because everybody knows that stuff. I'd get along with yer grans just fine, I think.

I'm afraid that my way of working a balmoral is to use fairly thick yarn, or several thinner threads, and a hook which will make a fairly firm but not too thick fabric in double crochet...

Oh, OK. I can see that. What my mind's eye is showing me is something a little closer to a beret or tam, because I'm...no, wait. I am seeing how you create a band, thanks.

Hmmmm...something to think about. Thanks again for taking me through it.