Don’t let the name fool you, this sleeping cap is what we today would refer to as a toque or a beanie. The name balaclava stems from the Crimean war where the British wore these to keep warm and seemed to refer to any warm head covering, not simply what we in modern times think of as a balaclava. They were also an item for which plenty of patterns were made available during the first world war.
This cap is also made long enough to be pulled over the eyes to sleep. If you are in a trench or you have an operation happening under to cover of darkness, it would be nice to sleep when you are able. And tugging down the rim of your cap to sleep seems rather smart.
The original pattern even states the method of wearing this specific headwear as ‘May be worn in the daytime with ribbing turned up, or as a sleeping-cap pulled down’.
Now, with the colder weather on the horizon, a warm cap seems like a lovely thing to make. So without further ado-
Abbreviations and terms:
- K1; Knit one
- P1: Purl one
- Knitting plain: knit stitch
Materials: .
- Aprox. 100g of worsted weight yarn
- 4mm double pointed needles or cabled needles
- A darning needle
Instructions:
Setting up – Cast on 96 stitches. If using dpns, divide so there’s 32 stitches on each needle. If you use cable needles, put a stitch marker every 32 stitches.
Knit a k2p2 rib for 25 rows. This will be the folded brim of your hat
Then knit a k6p2 rib for another 22 rows
Decreasing – Knit plain, decreasing by knitting two stitches together at the end of each needle/section. Repeat this until you have a total of 12 stitches left.
Use a darning needle and pull your yarn through these stitches to close the cap.
Weave in ends and you’re done!
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