Product Description
This extraordinary looking hat has a firm historical basis and was particularly favoured by sailors between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. The shaggy thrum surface makes it exceptionally warm, and able to repel a lot of weather. Today, yes, it does look just a little bit like a cuddly pet monster, but we won't hold that against it!
Like all my range of historic patterns, this comes with supporting references and notes to place these hats in context.
Yardage will vary a bit depending on how heavily you thrum your cap, best to use a yarn you have plenty of for this part, just to be on the safe side.
Thrum Cap by Sally Pointer
What is Being Made
The Thrum Cap is a historically inspired knitted hat designed by Sally Pointer, suitable for sixteenth through eighteenth century costume recreation and historical reenactment. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a warm, textured cap featuring thrums—short lengths of yarn that create a distinctive shaggy, pile-like surface. The hat style was in widespread use from the mid-sixteenth through eighteenth century and is particularly appropriate for portraying sailors across this broad historical period.
Techniques Used
This knitting pattern employs traditional thrumming techniques combined with basic knitting construction. Thrums are short lengths of yarn, frequently obtained from off-cuts of warp thread used in weaving, which are knitted into the hat during manufacture or knotted on afterwards to create the characteristic textured surface. The pattern notes that when these caps are somewhat fulled, or felted, they become exceptionally warm and insulating, making them highly functional as well as historically accurate.
The construction method is straightforward and accessible to knitters with foundational skills. No fancy or complex stitches are required, making this an ideal project for intermediate-level knitters who want to explore historical techniques without advanced stitch work.
Stitches Used
The pattern focuses on basic knitting stitches suitable for knitters with fundamental skills. While specific stitch names are not detailed in the pattern excerpt provided, the emphasis is on simple, traditional stitching combined with the thrumming technique rather than decorative or complex stitch patterns.
Materials
- Yarn Weight: Aran weight yarn is used for this project
- Needles: Five double pointed needles are required for construction, allowing for seamless circular knitting in the round
- Additional Materials: Thrums made from yarn lengths, which can be sourced from weaving off-cuts or prepared yarn scraps
Pattern Details
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Designer: Sally Pointer
Format: Downloadable PDF pattern for personal use
This pattern is ideal for historical reenactors, costume enthusiasts, and knitters interested in traditional techniques and period-accurate headwear.
Specifications
| Brand: | Independent Designer |
| Yarn Weight: | Aran |
| Designer: | Sally Pointer |
| Craft: | Knitting |
| Format: | Downloadable PDF |
| Languages: | English |
| Number of Patterns: | 1 |
| Skill Level: | Intermediate |
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your experience.