In the Autumn 2018 issue of SpinOff magazine, there is a very interesting article
about a hat that was 'discovered' during the reconstruction in the hospital
of Fort Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Canada.
When they uncovered the early 1700's hospital latrine they also uncovered this hat~
the conditions of the latrine were perfect for preserving this handspun and hand knit hat
due to the use of lime . One can only speculate on how the hat got there
but they did solve the mystery of the pattern for this hat and it was included in the article!
Since I had recently dyed and spun wool very similar to the one used in the article,
I thought it would be an interesting knit to try.
The construction was unlike any hat I had made;
the brim was purled in the round and then turned up to the right side of the hat to form the brim
--quite the opposite to how we knit them today!
I was tempted to chuck all that purling and do it 'right'!
Then I remembered why I was knitting it and relaxed
and allowed myself to be taught something new instead of doing it my usual old way.
Always a good frame of mind!
The hat has a very different shape from our beanies of today but once on,
it takes the shape of the head very nicely (my DH was a willing guinea pig).
I have enough yarn left to make a hat using today's patterns which will make a good comparison!
Who knows where my creation will end up in 300 years!!!!
What a story! I may have picked a different name than "latrine hat!"
ReplyDeleteHow interesting - the construction is unique, and I'm glad you persevered.
ReplyDeleteWow. That's amazing. It's rare to find preserved fabrics!
ReplyDeleteYour hat looks fantastic, but I sincerely hope it doesn't end up in a latrine!
Very interesting looking hat. It does look warm though. Hope your hat has a better life story. LOL
ReplyDeleteInteresting story!
ReplyDeleteI miss Spin Off. I really should subscribe again. I loved all the back stories. I think the hat is just perfect and looks great in handspun. It must have been a fun knit.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would share the name of the hat with people considering the color of the yarn. LOL! Love the look of the yarn though, so cozy.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the title of this post, I thought it was a typo! Lol. That yarn is beautiful.
ReplyDelete