snoods-cauls-msg - 12/27/01
Snoods (netting) and cauls (cloth) close-fitting, non-hat women's headgear in period.
NOTE: See also the files: headgear-msg, netting-msg, veils-msg, belts-msg, gloves-msg, coronets-msg, chasity-belts-msg.
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From: Don Hicks <don-andrea-hicks at postoffice.worldnet.att.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Cauls, was Re: Circlets & Veils
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 06:53:17 -0700
DennisJKim wrote:
> renscribe at aol.com (RenScribe) writes:
> >I always wear a pair of cauls and a veil.
>
> Would someone please explain what a Caul is, & how to wear it/them (she
> mentions 2). I am trying really hard to get as much info on total look as
> possible. Thanks. Dennis
Maridonna says:
A caul is a *hairnet*. I have heard it called a *crispinette* in earlier
times.
From: liran at mail.tdl.com (lea bob )
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Hair-net help?
Date: Sat, 08 Nov 1997 02:08:09 GMT
Anna.Troy at bibks.uu.se (Anna Troy) wrote:
>I'm planning on making a hair-net for my mid-16th century persona but
>I'm unsure which technique I should use and I could use some general
>pattern help as well,
>
>Anna Biggs
i'm not an authority on this, BUT
what you're looking for is a "caul" & is made from cloth rather than
an open-work crochet (snood). mine are made from a strip of fabric
that finishes to about 1-1 1/2 " & decorated. pleated into that is a
circle of fabric (smallish - it shouldn't hang down). both the band &
the circle are decorated - i frequently sew cord, narrow velvet ribbon
or other small trim in a diamond pattern on it, catching it only at
the intersections & jeweling or pearling them.
in my experience, the biggest error i see on these is that they are
made too large & droopy. they should hold your hair close to your
head & clear your collar, not cover it.
to wear it, since my hair is relatively short, i've found that those
circular comb-things work well. i also sew three combs (one at each
temple, one at the nape of the neck) into the caul & flip it wrong
side out. stick in the two upper combs, flip the caul, tuck your hair
in & tuck in the bottom comb. it works for an entire day at RenFaire
& is comfortable.
liran
From: sclark at chass.utoronto.ca
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Womens headcoverings
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 1998 01:11:05 GMT
poohptdeux at aol.com (Poohptdeux) wrote:
> I am given to understand that snoods came very late in period. I am also given
> to understand that they were never worn alone, that in SCA period they were
> always covered by a hat.
If by "snood" you mean a hair net (snood is a 20th century term for them;
originally a snood was a hair ribbon used in Scottish dress), you will be
happy to know that they have been documented as early as the 13th century.
(Crowfoot et. al, _Textiles and Clothing_, HMSO 199-something--often called
one of the "Museum of London" books). These nets were made by the technique
of netting (rather than crochet) and were done on quite a fine scale. I
learned how to make them early this year; if you'd like to see a handout
from the class I taught at Pennsic, check out
www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5145/hairnet.html. If you don't want to
make your own, you can often obtain decent substitutes at beauty supply
stores.
> Also am I correct in the fact that unmarried women wore their hair down and
> uncovered. And Married women wore a barbette or a veil.
> Would a veil be appropriate for a widowed 13 century English woman. If it
> isn't what would be the right headcovering.
> Hannah Goodwin.
Also on my page, I have a scanned picture of how the hairnets were worn in
the 13th century. Essentially, you wore them with a barbette and either a
kind of "pillbox" cap or a fillet (a band of cloth, tapered out--kinda looks
like a crown--worn around the head). You could also drape a veil over top of
this. Also being worn in this period were the wimple and veil. And many 13th
century manuscripts do show young women with their hair down, often pulled
back at the neck.
For a widow--depends--are you a fashionable widow? If so, the hairnet with
the fillet and barbette would be fashionable by about 1230 or so. If you are
a more sedate widow, the veil and wimple would be the ticket.
Nicolaa de Bracton
From: <rebels8 at mindspring.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Snood patterns
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 08:22:08 -0500
I have found a "simplicity" pattern for a very nice snood. It is pattern
number 8735 "courtly love"
From: "Ellen Anglin" <anglin at mi.verio.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Snood patterns
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 06:03:48 -0800
Organization: Verio
I can crochet a snood- problem is I am not a knitter, or really a
crochet-er, and I am not familiar with standard notation for knitting and
crocheting patterns. I learned by watching a woman sitting in front of me
in court do one- after about ten minutes, I knew I could do one easily!
Forgive me if I am not very clear.
Crochet a chain about 6 stitches long- join it into a ring by stitching
thru the first stitch. Your ring should be smaller than the tip of your
pinky.
Chain off of this loop about six times. Anchor your chain by putting
your hook thru the ring, not thru any single stitch. Hook hold of your yarn
tail, and pull it thru so you have two loops on the neck of your crochet
hook. Pull a fresh loop thru these two so you are back to a single loop.
Chain off six more, anchor again. repeat 8-10times untill you have formed a
"Daisy" with close set petals. The original ring should be nearly covered
by the anchoring threads
Now chain off about 7 stitches- this will form the first petal of your
next row, and if the petals are not large enough, your snood will be more
tube shaped than a flat circle. This is OK, if you prefer a tube shaped
snood- (Good if you have very long hair) but keep it in mind as a design
option. If your petals are not large enough to lay flat, make your chain a
stitch or two longer. Don't be afraid to tear back and rework a row- these
go fast so you aren't losing much time.
Anchor your chain by putting your hook thru the loop formed by your
previous chain, not thru any single stitch. Hook hold of your yarn tail,
and pull it thru so you have two loops on the neck of your crochet hook.
Pull a fresh loop thru these two so you are back to a single loop, and do
your seven stitch chain again.
Anchor to the next petal of you daisy as before, and repeat until you
have made a full circle.
The next row should be make with chains that are slightly longer than
the one before it. after several rows, when the petals are getting too big
(Big holes in the snood- a matter of personal preference.) It is time to do
an increase row
Increases increase the number of petals around the edge of the item. Lay
the "Daisy" out flat, and mark it into quarters, or sixths, with safety
pins, or just note how many petals divide it evenly.
Go back to about six stitches in your chain (Small holes) Anchor twice
to each marked petal, so that you have two petals coming off of these,
instead of one. (They call this increasing) Go around a few more rows,
increasing the length of your chains slightly in each row, and every 3-4
rows, as needed, work in some increases (after a while you will be able to
estimate where they should go without making with safety pins.)
Make as large as you need for your hair length. The flat piece looks like a
big round fishnet doily. Your final row of petals should be small ones.
Anchor off the last one firmly. weave a ribbon or elastic in and out around
the edge, and you have a snood!
Tips- keep your stitches very loose so the snood is soft and elastic.
If you want to put beads into your work, string them onto your yarn before
you begin. Slide one into your loops when you loop around to anchor to a
petal. I have found that beading every other row provides plenty of
sparkle, without making the snood too bulky or heavy to wear.
Have fun and experiment- they don't take long to make, so don't be afraid of
tearing out and re-doing parts that don't turn out the way you want.
Mistress Ellen Greenhand
MKA Ellen Anglin
From: "Schumacher, Deborah (AZ15)" <Deborah.Schumacher at iac.honeywell.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Snoods
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 08:48:59 -0700
Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy
There had been a question whether snoods could be documented to our
period a couple weeks ago. I can't see the original thread from work, and
don't know if anyone brought this up, but in Medieval Woman calendar for
2000 the picture for March shows what to my untrained unresearched eye
sees as a beaded snood.
The illustration is "A Fashionable Lady of Wealth" (Detail)
School of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Portrait of a Woman .
Like I said I havent researched it, it just looks like it could be similar.
Zoe
Barony of Sundragon
Kingdom of Atenveldt
From: Eloise Beltz-Decker <eloise at ripco.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Snoods
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 17:51:39 -0600
On Thu, 30 Dec 1999, Schumacher, Deborah (AZ15) wrote:
> There had been a question whether snoods could be documented to our
> period a couple weeks ago. I cant see the original thread from work, and
> don't know if anyone brought this up, but in Medieval Woman calendar for
> 2000 the picture for March shows what to my untrained unresearched eye
> sees as a beaded snood.
> The illustration is "A Fashionable Lady of Wealth" (Detail)
> School of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Portrait of a Woman .
> Like I said I havent researched it, it just looks like it could be similar.
The trick with snoods, as I understand it, is to make them out of
net instead of crocheting them (crochet was only used as an embellishment
kind of thing until fairly late in our period - so far as I've heard).
Netting is actually quicker than crochet, once you learn how to do it. I
highly recommend Mistress Nicolaa de Bracton's site at
http://members.tripod.com/nicolaa5/articles/hairnet.htm
Eloise of Tree-Girt-Sea, she of too many crafts.
[web address updated - 12/27/01. Stefan]
From: noramunro at aol.com (Alianora Munro)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Snoods
Date: 31 Dec 1999 04:17:17 GMT
Beltz-Decker <eloise at ripco.com> writes:
>On Thu, 30 Dec 1999, Schumacher, Deborah (AZ15) wrote:
>
>> There had been a question whether snoods could be documented to our
>> period a couple weeks ago. I cant see the original thread from work, and
>> don't know if anyone brought this up, but in Medieval Woman calendar for
>> 2000 the picture for March shows what to my untrained unresearched eye
>> sees as a beaded snood.
>> The illustration is "A Fashionable Lady of Wealth" (Detail)
>> School of Lucas Cranach the Elder. Portrait of a Woman .
>> Like I said I havent researched it, it just looks like it could be similar.
The item shown in that painting is what is more commonly called a "caul" -- a
head covering made of cloth (usually silk or linen, depending on time, place,
and social class). When most people say "snood" they mean the netted item,
although for both items the use is similar.
> The trick with snoods, as I understand it, is to make them out of
>net instead of crocheting them (crochet was only used as an embellishment
>kind of thing until fairly late in our period - so far as I've heard).
One day soon, I hope, the H-Needlework FAQs will be available for reference (I
know some are in progress and one about crochet is in draft form). Until I can
point you to those, however, if you trawl through the back digests of that
list, you will find many discussions about the age of the technique, with
sources, citations, and all the rest. Crochet is not mediaeval or even
Renaissance; the first examples don't seem to appear before the late 18th or
19th c., IIRC. Mediaeval hairnets were sometimes finished with fingerlooped
braids or tablet-woven edges, but crochet was emphatically not part of the
picture.
>Netting is actually quicker than crochet, once you learn how to do it. I
>highly recommend Mistress Nicolaa de Bracton's site at
>http://members.xoom.com/nicolaa/hairnet.html
Hear, hear. Netting underwent something of a revival in the 70s and there are
numerous how-to books of that vintage, often in local public libraries. The
technique is the same -- just stay away from avocado green jute. ;-)
Alianora Munro, Bright Hills, Atlantia
From: more2luuuv at aol.com (More2Luuuv)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Snoods
Date: 31 Dec 1999 09:12:50 GMT
>There had been a question whether snoods could be documented to our
>period a couple weeks ago.
I have been told that certain hair net type headdresses are period.
I like the big open stitch crocheted snoods because they closely approximate
what I have seen in portraits. Also I live in a hot and humid climate area so
wigs and heavy headdresses are out of the question.
A snood is the best solution for me, because it covers most of my hair which is
just to the shoulders in a "bobbed" cut, warm black with a brilliant
violet-plum overlay to it that shimmers in the bright light (definately NOT a
period hairdo!) And it keeps my hair up and off my neck in the heat and
humidity and it looks periodish enough to pass for my purposes.
I am not interested in learning netting, but I am willing to purchase some
netted snoods. I finally found a great retail source for beautiful crocheted
snoods and got my gold thread and pearl snood I had been coveting for ages!
If anybody wants to make some post-holiday cash and is willing to net me a
couple of nice netted snood type headdresses, maybe one in black and one in
gold, I am definately interested.....
Tracy
From: noramunro at aol.com (Alianora Munro)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Snoods
Date: 01 Jan 2000 17:24:37 GMT
CJ <Zoe at Antir.com> writes:
>Looking at the picture it really did look like a snood, so I have a few
>questions. Were the cauls done with some sort of cutwork I can see the
>subjects hair clearly through the large holes. Any suggested resources
>on this? Were cauls beaded? (I know I know if it doesnt move it can be
>beaded, and if it does move hit it over the head and bead it anyway)
I have the calendar in my lap and open to the picture in question right now. I
do not see the subject's hair through large holes; what I see is a golden
yellow silk (possibly cloth of gold) caul with an overlaid black lozenge
pattern (which could be produced by a variety of techniques, including
embroidery) and pearls sewn onto it. The caul has a "headband" portion into
which the hair cover portion is sewn, and which is the same golden colour as
the rest of the piece, but has a floral pattern on it. A bit of the lady's
hair is visible over her ear, where it tucks into the caul., and appears to be
an ash blonde colour, distinct from the colour of the caul. Over the caul she
wears a red bonnet trimmed with black and white feathers
Cauls might be beaded; I've seen no evidence for the use of cutwork on them but
someone else may have. Blackwork and whitework embroidery were used for
ornamentation, too. They're all over the place in 16th-c. portraits,
especially German ones like this one, so the best advice I can give on finding
out how they were decorated is to go look up books on Lucas Cranach and people
like him.
Alianora Munro, Bright Hills, Atlantia
Having had sufficient experience with princes, now seeking a frog
From: Charlene Charette <charlene at flash.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: netted cauls
Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 03:40:56 GMT
Ysabiau wrote:
>>>
I'm wondering if anyone out there knows of a book or website showing examples
of Elizabethan netted cauls (snoods). I've recently learned how to do netting,
and would like to see some examples of period headwear to get a better idea of how to finish the caul and how to decorate it. I'm guessing pearls/beadwork
and gold or silver embroidery may have been used. "Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe
Unlock'd" mentions "cawles of fine nettworke" and describes some examples, but
it's easier for me to figure out how they were made by looking at them.
<<<
http://www.dnaco.net/~aleed/corsets/headwear/snood.html
--Perronnelle
<the end>