Mammen Nalbound Largess Hats, Posting the Second

Hats! Hats! Hats! So many hats!

Nero ensures quality control

 

Not sure when I started making these, but I have turned out a bunch over the years. Time stamps on photos tell me at least early 2018.

*Disclaimer. These are historically plausible items. The Norse practiced nalbinding, and similarly shaped items have been found (milk strainers). But we have not found this style of hat in graves. However the deceased would have been dressed in their "Sunday best" when laid to rest. They certainly wouldn't have been buried in their work clothes. This is plausibly a work hat, worn to feed the livestock, or cut firewood. I find it to be a very capable hat for those tasks.

I came up with a little formula. All done with Mammen stitch and tensioned to my thumb.

CO = Cast on

N2TSL = Nal two through same loop, make two stitches in the same loop

N x STS = Nal X stitches, make X number of plain stitches

Rx = Round X

 

CO 12 STS over slip knot, join making sure the tail tightens the loop, don't tighten until at least round two

R1: (N2TSL), repeat until end (24 sts total) Place marker in stitch one, move marker with each round.

R2: (N2TSL, Nal 1 STS), repeat until end (36 sts total)

R3: (N2TSL, Nal 2 STS), repeat until end (48 sts total)

R5: (N2TSL, Nal 3 STS), repeat until end (60 sts total)

R6: (N2TSL, Nal 4 STS), repeat until end (72 sts total)

R7: (N2TSL, Nal 5 STS), repeat until end (84 sts total)

R8: (N2TSL, Nal 6 STS), repeat until end (96 sts total)

R9: (N2TSL, Nal 7 STS), repeat until end (108 sts total)

R10: (N2TSL) Plain stitch for the rest of the round (109 sts total)

Nal plain rounds until desired length. Eight inches from point to brim is my usual.

Weave in ends.

 

Need a different size? Add or subtract an increase round as needed. For my own personal I do an extra increase round in order to get a bigger diameter.

 

Most recent hats as of this posting.

 

 

 

Really fond of this color combination. One of the original hand written labels.

 

 

 

 

Bigger batch, including two extra stripy hats as a commission.

 

Rahja inspecting.

 

 

 

 

Photo didn’t show the purple very well. Hulk smash!

 

 

Larger batch, including a commission for a Cap of Maintenance.

 

 

 

 

Ezabi inspecting the progress.

 

 

 

 

Two, and an almost complete third.

 

 

Spiral. Same formula for two or three color spirals. However for ease of work I will use stitch markers. Remember for two colors each one will only do half of an increase round, three colors will do a third.

 

 

 

 

Ezabi looking pretty.

 

 

Ezabi isn’t sure about hats in a hat.

 

 

 

Always more color combinations.

 

 

 

Happy little accidents, changed colors too soon on the brown, got extra stripes.

 

 

Nero checking out the hats before packaging.

 

 

 

Stripes and colors.

 

 

 

Pretty photo op. The dark grey heather has to be my favorite, looks great with all the colors.

 

 

Three color spiral. Note all the stich markers to keep track of increases. Easy to get lost if you don’t have those for the multi colors.

 

 

 

Ezabi helping again.

 

 

Nero has claimed the hats for his own.

 

 

 

Early hats with handwritten labels.

 

 

 

Yuri inspecting.

 

 

Second three color commission in progress.

 

 

 

Being a huge fan of Halloween, this orange hat made me very happy.

 

 

Rahja is not impressed.

 

 

 

*Intense stare*

 

 

Early hats waiting for the labels to be written.

 

 

 

Very spring. Flowers are returning.

 

 

Two talented artists and lovely ladies received hats at West An-tir War 2018.

 

Ren fair table 2022.

 

 

There was a children’s book I remembered in which a cap merchant has an entire stack of caps stolen off of his head by monkeys. So I made a stack of hats.

 

 

 

Hat recipient at West An-tir War 2018.

 

Yuri inspecting.