Dating from the 15th century, the earliest type of knitted wool cap was produced in the
Welsh town of
Monmouth. The earliest surviving example of a "
Monmouth cap" is held by
Monmouth Museum and was knitted from coarse 2 ply wool. The cap was made by casting on at the lower edge and knitting in the round towards the top. The crown consists of a classic rounded top, with the last remaining stitches cast off. The yarn tail was wrapped around just below the castoff stitches to gather them, leaving the little lump commonly, but inexactly, referred to as a button. The doubled brim was formed by picking up stitches inside the body of the cap, and worked down to the original cast on. The cast on loops were picked up, and a 3 needle bind-off worked to finish and join the inner brim to the outer cap, ending with a little loop. Each hat was made weatherproof by felting, a process which reduced its size. The distance from the centre to the hem in this example varies between 5 and 6 inches (150 mm). Thousands of Monmouth caps were made, but their relatively low cost, and the ease with which the knitting could unravel, means that few remain. Historically, the wool knit cap was an extremely common form of
headgear for seamen, fishers, hunters and others spending their working day outdoors from the 18th century and forward, and is still commonly used for this purpose in the northern regions of North America, Europe, Asia, and other cold regions of the world. Being found all over the world where climate demands a warm hat, the knit cap can be found under a multitude of local names. In parts of the
English-speaking world, this type of
knitted hat is traditionally called a
beanie. However, in parts of
Canada and the US, the word 'beanie' can additionally be used to denote a
different design of brimless cap, which is floppy and made up of joined panels of
felt,
twill, or other tightly woven cloth rather than being knitted. A knitted cap with ear flaps is sometimes called a
toboggan, or
sherpa. The term '''' is also sometimes used for knitted caps in
Southern American English. Members of the
United States military commonly refer to a knitted cap as a
watch cap, as it is the headgear worn while "
standing watch" on a ship or guard post. In
Western Pennsylvania English (Pittsburghese), it is known as a
tossle cap. It may also simply be called a
winter hat. Other names for knitted caps include
woolly hat (
British English) or
wool hat (
American English);
bobble hat,
sock hat,
knit hat,
poof ball hat,
bonnet,
sock cap,
stocking cap,
skullcap,
ski hat,
sugan,
chook and
dut (in
Hartlepool, England)
Balaclava The pull-down knit cap that goes from the crown over the ears and around the neck, with a hole for the face, was known in the army of the
British Empire as an
Uhlan cap or
Templar cap. During the
Crimean War, handmade pull-down caps were sent to the
British troops to help protect them from the bitterly cold weather before or after the
Battle of Balaclava. The cap became popularly known a
Balaclava helmet or just
balaclava among the soldiers.
Scandinavian tophue In
Scandinavia, caps resembling a typical knit cap with a pom-pom have been in use since the
Viking Age and possibly earlier. The terms (
Danish), (
Norwegian), (
Swedish) mean 'top cap', and refer to the pom-pom. The Viking-age
Rällinge statuette, possibly a depiction of the god
Freyr, wears what might be a pointed cap with pom-pom. Early caps were probably sewn or made with
nålebinding, but were knitted from the 17th century onwards, when knitting became known in Scandinavia. Inspired by the
phrygian cap of the
French Revolution, it became largely ubiquitous during the 18th and 19th century. It is still found in many of the Scandinavian
folk costumes for men.
Canadian toque, tuque or touque In
Canadian English, a knit cap is more commonly known as a
toque (pronounced ; also spelled
tuque or ''
). It is traditionally made of wool and worn in the winter, though in recent years knit toques'' have resurfaced as an extremely popular daily fashion item. They are used all year round, not only outdoors for weather but as an indoor fashion accessory.
Toque is also commonly used across
New England, especially among the working class. In Michigan's
Upper Peninsula, it is called a
chook or
chuke. , illuminated composite photograph showing men wearing toques. From
Lady Dufferin's personal album. c. 1872–1875. The term
tuque is French Canadian. It is widely known in
Québecois culture as can be seen through its usage in
La guerre des tuques. The
Canadian-English term was assimilated from the
Canadian-French word
tuque, and first appeared in this context around 1870. The fashion is said to have originated with the , French and
Métis fur traders, who kept their woollen nightcaps on for warmth during cold winter days. This spelling is attributed to a number of different sources, one being from
Middle Breton, the language spoken by
Breton immigrants at the founding of
New France. In Old Breton, it was spelled
toc; in Modern Breton, it is spelled
tok, meaning simply 'hat'. The French Canadian term likely has its origins with the long hats that were worn by the
Voyageurs as they traversed westward on the rivers of North America. The term was picked up by the
Blackfeet and entered
Chinook Jargon, spreading to the
Pacific and the
Klondike. Another source suggests that it is a Francization of the Spanish
tocar, to touch, as the long "end of the sock cap" of the Voyageurs hung down and touched their shoulders; yet another source suggests that the word is borrowed from "the old Languedoc dialect word
tuc" meaning "summit" or "the head of a mountain". The Canadian English spelling of
toque, on the other hand, is borrowed from the original usage (see
Toque). Toques include conical or plumed hats from previous centuries, the
tall white hats worn by chefs, and modern snug hats. This spelling (
toque) also appears in the 1941
Dictionary of Mississippi Valley French as a "style of hair-dressing among the Indians". This was a tall, conical hairstyle not unlike the shape of the Voyageur cap described above. Dictionaries are divided on the matter of spelling, with the
Gage Canadian preferring
toque and the
Nelson Canadian listing
tuque (the
Nelson Gage of a few years later would settle on
toque). The first
Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles lists separate entries and definitions for both
toque and
tuque which cross-reference each other. An illustrative line drawing is presented with the latter. Perhaps most importantly, the
Canadian Oxford chose
toque, and as the
Canadian Press Stylebook bows to the
Canadian Oxford as the final word in spelling, most Canadian publications have followed suit. Though the requirement of the
toque to have a pom-pom or no can be a hard line for some Canadians, most of the country agrees: one of these three spellings must be "correct," no matter what the hat's shape may be. As the
Canadian Encyclopedia claims, "We all know a tuque when we see one, [we just] can't agree on how to spell the word." The toque is similar to the
Phrygian cap, and, as such, a red tuque during the 1837
Patriotes Rebellion became a symbol of
French-Canadian nationalism. The symbol was revived briefly by the
Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) in the 1960s. Despite this, the toque is also considered a symbol of
Canadian identity, due to its ubiquity among English and French Canadians alike. It is also notable for having been the headwear of
SCTV's
Bob and Doug McKenzie. The word is also occasionally spelled
touque, though this is not considered a standard spelling by the
Canadian Oxford Dictionary. In 2013,
CBC Edmonton launched a poll to ask viewers how they spelled the word. The options given were
toque,
tuque or
touque. Nearly 6,500 people voted, with Edmontonians remaining divided on the issue.
British bobble hat In England, a knit cap may be known as a
bobble hat, whether or not it has a yarn "bobble" or
pom-pom on top. Bobble hats were traditionally considered utilitarian cold-weather wear. In the early 21st century they were considered popular only with
geeks and
nerds. A surprise rise in popularity, driven initially by the
Geek-Chic trend, saw them become a fashionable and with a real fur bobble, luxury designer item. In the late 20th century, in the United Kingdom, they (like the
anorak) were associated with utilitarian un-fashionability or with older
football supporters, as they had been popular in club colours during the 1960s and 1970s. Along with the pin-on
rosette and the
football scarf, the bobble hat was seen as traditional or old-fashioned British
working-class football regalia. with typical knit cap,
Hans Gude 1896 == See also ==