Late Victorian Bicycle Hat-Alice

Description

This adorable hand knit and felted hat is made from hand dyed Canadian Dorset wool. It features a hand knit and felted bow and a wool felt rose.

The style was inspired by The bicycle craze of the late Victorian period which propelled women’s fashion into a more functional era. In Maria Ward’s 1896 manual, Bicycling for Ladies, It was recommended to choose a sensible hat.

This hat is nothing if not sensible. I did take some liberties and make the hat a little more sensible than the styles worn in the late 1800s, by deepening the crown to provide extra warmth on the ears. I’m quite sure the pioneer female bicyclists of that era would approve.

The Alice hat has the look of a structured felt hat, but the hat is soft, stretchy and foldable.

Each hat is made to order, so please provide your head size. To measure your head take a soft tape measure and measure the circumference of your head just above the eyebrows, tips of the ears and around the largest part of the back of the head. Repeat a few times, to be sure you are getting the same number. A small head size measures 21-21.5”, a medium head measures 22-22.5”, a large head measures 23-23.5” and extra large is over 24”. All sizes are normal.