Free Civil War Knitted Hood Pattern

OPERA HOOD (Godey's Magazine, December 1856)


Materials--Three ounces of pink or blue eight thread Berlin wool; a pair of large wooden knitting needles; two tassels, and one and a half yards of sarsnet ribbon, the same color.


CAST on 220 stitches, and knit a piece about seven inches deep. Cast off 50 stitches at each end of the knitting, and then do another piece of fourteen rows, knitting two stitches together three times at the end of every needle. After this, knit thirty rows, only decreasing by knitting two together once at the end of every needle. Now cast off ten at the beginning of each of the next two needles; knit eight rows more, decreasing one stitch at the end of each needle, and cast off. With single Berlin of the same color make a crochet lace for the back of the neck. Draw up the back; sew on the lace; add bows and floating ends for the back, and tassels at each end of the front. This front is intended to be rolled round, and tied underneath the chin. It will be found extremely simple, and most comfortable, not only for leaving a theatre or ball-room, but for travelling. It has the further advantage of being by no means unbecoming.



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A few notes on this pattern:

• This is a good project for the beginning knitter who knows how to cast on, cast off, and decrease.
  


• Once you get past the mind-numbing knitting of 7" at 220 stitches per row, you'll be done in no time.
  


• For yarn, I used a DK weight yarn and feel like it provided a good gauge and length for the ties without having to alter the pattern.
  


• For needles, I cast on with size 10 needles and knitted with size 8. I returned to the 10s to cast off the 50 stitches on each end, switching back to the 8s for the center of the row.
  


• I used a wide, double faced satin ribbon for the back (sarsnet is a type of silk).
  


• For the tassels, I used a fingering weight wool to match the ribbon and made two 3" tassels, wrapping the yarn 100 times for each tassel.
  


• I didn't bother with splitting the yarn to make a "single berlin." I just made two chains of about 50 stitches with a size E crochet hook.
  


• For the brim, I simply tacked the bottom edge of the brim where the tassels attach, putting right sides together and gathering. The rest of the brim simply fold back softly from the face.