Mid-16th Century Knitted Cap

Darlings, I am back this week with a short, fun post for the knitters in my life!

Now, I don’t knit. Still, I can’t help but be fascinated with fancy knitted things. I am very interested in construction of items. And I love a hat.

I love, love, love a hat.

So when I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and they gave me the opportunity to view a knitted 16^th century cap closely, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The hat is supposed to be English and it certainly looks like a hat that would have been worn in England during the 16^th century.

Detail from a portrait of Thomas More by Holbein the younger. 

This type of flat cap would have been worn by a wide variety of men, from working class to upper class.

Portrait of an Unknown Man at his desk, by Holbein the Younger.

This flat cap is 9 3/4” by 9 1/4” and sits just under 3.5” tall. This hat is interesting in that, contrary to those found on the Mary Rose, it is not heavily fulled. It is still possible to see the stitch work. Perhaps the individual who wore this hat didn’t need it to be as waterproof as the sailors needed theirs to be.

The cap is also interesting because it has two brims that overlap in front and back. Often called a split brim, this brim slightly overlaps. It appears to have been knitted to that shape.

Photo courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

 

The cap hat is also equipped with a knitted liner, made of a lighter color of wool. The liner adds structure and stability to the top, as well as making the cap more water resistant; indeed, the wearer could have removed the liner and washed it as well.

It was really interesting to see this knit cap, and I hope the photos can aid those who wish to reproduce it!

 

Biblioraphy:

Victoria and Albert Museum, 2018. Man’s Knitted Cap. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O315507/cap-unknown/ accessed July 14, 2018.