Lincoln Presidential Library

I’ve mentioned the research Jane and I did at the Lincoln Presidential Library and finding the pattern for the Spanish Opera Hood. I took the finished hood over to the Library to show the librarians who helped us. While there, they asked if we could bring some items they could put in the display. Here’s what it looks like (click to see a larger image):



They did a little write up about the display:

Jane and I want to do a vintage knitting camp and the research we are doing is to prepare for it. The idea is to have a long weekend of knitting and exploring the knitting in the time of Lincoln, seeing how things were done in the time and learning some of the techniques and patterns of our 19th century counterparts. Jane has a true gift for organizing and we both share a love of vintage knitting - stay tuned for more information.

If you want to try your own Spanish Opera Hood, just click on the link for the pattern.

And just as a bonus (because I like how the photo came out), here’s a shot of the Old State Capital where Lincoln served in the State Legislature. On the opposite side of this square is where Lincoln’s law office was.

By the way...
I would really like to know who hit the button on the time machine. The last thing I knew, it was April (which the last time I checked, belonged to the season Spring) but when I walked out the door this morning, it was to clean snow off my car, wear my wool coat, wool sweater and walk around through arctic winds. I don't remember getting into the Tardis (it's bigger on the inside, you know) and being flung back into December.

Ready for the Opera

Done! I’m done!

I thought the “Feather Border” was going to defeat me but I finally got it. I don’t know if this ever happens to you but I can look at something and look and look at it and not get it. But if I put it away and come back to it, often, all of a sudden, it makes sense. That’s what happened here. Once I came back to it, all of a sudden I couldn’t believe why it had seemed so hard.

There was no real instruction for putting it all together so I had to go by the picture to add the ties and pompoms but I think it looks pretty close.

I’ll try to get the pattern written up and posted sometime this week. I definitely have a couple of things I want to riff off of this.

Hood as Scarf

I finished the lining and was testing it out last night when I laid it over my shoulders to carry it back into the living room. And like all the best ideas...whaaalaa.

It has a very interesting look as a scarf and, made larger, would make a very interesting shawl. Of course there would have to be some alterations but those are easily done. I don't know if it's the colors or the shape that makes this look very civil war era to me as a scarf. But I tell you what. When I finish this, I'm going to use a slightly heavier yarn and see how it comes out.

Progress

I’ve made some progress on the Opera Hood. Enough progress that I was modeling it to a group at knit night tonight and suddenly realized that everyone in the café was watching me with this blue and grey thing on my head!

Never mind. I’m still very pleased with it so far. This is a picture after a light blocking. In this yarn and gauge it’s too small for me but would certainly fit a young girl. The blocking, as it always does for lace weight, causes it to make sense.

The grey sections you see at the top will form the place where they will be tied at the neck which will make the side sections fall over the shoulders. The bottom of the grey triangle will fall down the back.

I have the tip of the lining yet to make and then the top section to figure out. So far, so good, I think.

Olé!

Several weeks ago a friend and I spent time looking at 19th century patterns and found a particularly fetching pattern for a “Spanish Opera Hood.” The lovely librarians at the Lincoln Presidential Library made a copy for us and I’ve finally gotten to trying it out. I pondered over what yarn to use and did a little research into the various types of yarn and what this particular pattern calls for. I ended up using some Alpaca Cloud yarn from Knit Picks just because I had some left over and I thought it would have a nice drape and I wasn’t exactly aiming for historical accuracy at this point. I was more worried about using some scraps to test the accuracy of the pattern.

Here’s what the pattern looks like from the Peterson’s book. Very fetching, don’t you think?!

And here’s what I’ve done so far. The size isn’t really right but just because of the yarn I’ve used but so far so good with the pattern. Now I’ve got to pick up around the gray border and do the ‘lining’ which evidently is a mirror of this section. After the lining, I’ll just have to do the little extra bit at the top and I’m done! That’s all. Ha!

I've got some changes I would make to some of the procedures but only out of convenience, not because the pattern isn't clear. For instance, next time I shall use a provisional cast-on so I won't have to pick up all those stitches for the lining (263 stitches, to be exact). Also, I shall use a fingering or dk weight yarn, which is actually closer to what the pattern calls for and a little bit larger needles. I'm working on my US 4s right now (as I almost always do with lace weight yarn). I do really like the drape of the alpaca, though.

Only 1 mistake in the pattern so far, too. But it was really only a typo and was very obvious, so I don't think that really counts.