Knit cap
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
A knit cap is a piece of
Found all over the world where the climate demands warm clothing, knit caps are known by a variety of local names. In American English, this type of hat is known as a beanie or a watch cap, while in Canadian English, a knit cap is known as a toque, touque, or tuque (pronounced /tuːk/).
Construction
Most knit caps are tapered at the top. The stretch of the knitting itself hugs the head, keeping the cap secure. They are sometimes topped with a
Some modern variants are constructed as a parallel sided tube, with a draw-string closure at one end. This version can be worn as a neck-warmer with the draw-string loose and open, or as a hat with the draw-string pulled tight and closed.
Other names and history
Dating from the 15th century,[2] the earliest type of knitted wool cap was produced in the Welsh town of Monmouth.[3]
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.[citation needed]
Each hat was made weatherproof by felting, a process which reduced its size.[4] The distance from the centre to the hem in this example varies between 5 and 6 inches (150 mm).[5] 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
A knitted cap with ear flaps is often called a toboggan, or sherpa.[citation needed] The term toboggan is also sometimes used for knitted caps in Southern American English.[3]
Members of the
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, or chook.
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
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 tophue (Danish), topplue (Norwegian), toppluva (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.[9]
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.[10]
Canadian toque, tuque or touque
In Canadian English, a knit cap is more commonly known as a toque (pronounced /tuːk/; also spelled tuque or touque). It is traditionally made of wool and worn in the winter,[11] 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
The term
The
The French Canadian term likely has its origins with the long hats that were worn by the
The Canadian English spelling of toque, on the other hand, is borrowed from the original usage (see
Dictionaries are divided on the matter of spelling, with the Gage Canadian preferring toque[20] and the Nelson Canadian listing tuque[21] (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.[22] Perhaps most importantly, the Canadian Oxford chose toque,[23] 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.[24] 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."[25]
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.[a] 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.[24] Though touque was voted most popular in that instance, there is almost no formal usage to support its popularity. In some sections of Canada, a tuque with a brim on it, commonly worn by snowboarders, is nicknamed a bruque (a brimmed tuque).[26]
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.[3]
Bobble hats were traditionally considered utilitarian cold-weather wear. In the early 21st century they were considered popular only with
In the late 20th century, in the United Kingdom, they (like the
In popular culture
Knitted caps are common in cold climates, and are worn worldwide in various forms. They have become the common headgear for stereotypical dockworkers and sailors in movies and television. Bill Murray wore this type of hat in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, possibly as a parody of the red tuque (or Phrygian cap) worn by French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.
Everest from the series PAW Patrol wears a teal knit cap with white trimmings that she is rarely seen without.
Characters in the animated series
Edd from Ed, Edd n Eddy wears a black, loose knit cap almost every time he's on screen, which covers something on his head that he's embarrassed about.
The guitarist for the
Famous instances of tuques (the Canadian knitted cap) in pop culture include:
- the SCTV characters Bob and Doug McKenzie, whose signature outfits included a tuque.
- Bonhomme Carnaval, the mascot of the Quebec Winter Carnival wears the traditional red tuque and Ceinture fléchée of the province's original French settlers.
- Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier, who wore a toque over his helmet during the 6th annual National Hockey League Winter Classic on January 1, 2014.
- The 1984 Québécois film La guerre des tuques (The War of the Tuques), which is about an enormous snowball fight.
- Jacques Plante, the Hall of Fame goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team throughout the 1950s, was one of the more notable wearers of the tuque.
- José Théodore, another Canadiens goaltender, wore a tuque on top of his goalie mask during the 2003 Heritage Classic game (which was played at temperatures below −15 °C or 5 °F).
- La Tuque, a town in Quebec named after a nearby hill that resembles a tuque.
See also
- Animal hat
- Balaclava (clothing)
- Barretina
- Beanie (seamed cap)
- Bonnet (headgear)
- Cap
- Chullo
- Do-rag
- Monmouth cap
- Phrygian cap
- Pussyhat
Explanatory notes
- ^ An image of an 1837 Patriote in a Phrygian cap can be seen in images of the published FLQ manifesto.
References
- ^ "Tuque". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ Carlson, Jennifer L. "A Short History of the Monmouth Cap". Archived from the original on 26 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d Waters, Michael (24 July 2017). "What Do You Call This Hat?". Atlas Obscura.
- ^ Riley, M. E. (2003). "17th & 18th Century Knitted Caps & Scots Bonnets". Marariley.net.
- ^ Thies, Jennifer. "Knit Monmouth Cap". Genvieve.net. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-6106-9063-8.
- ISBN 0-8532-3177-X.
- ISBN 978-1-2500-0252-5.
- ^ "Statyett (statyett av frö) av brons" [Bronze figurine (seed figurine)] (in Swedish). Stockholm: The Swedish History Museum. Inventory number 14232.
- ISBN 8-2458-0324-3.[page needed]
- ^ "Tuque | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
- ISBN 0-19-541816-6.
- ^ "tuque" at Dictionary.com.
- ^ "toque" and "tuque" at Merriam–Webster Online.
- ^ Dollinger, Stefan (April 2017). "Toque". Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles.
- OCLC 40940496.
- OCLC 937943426.
- ^ "Hey hosers - what do you call that cap on your head?". CBC (Poll). 7 December 2013.
- ^ ""toque" in Mississippi Valley French, eh?". Chinook Jargon. 5 January 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- OCLC 734052878.
- OCLC 39032668.
- OCLC 60266.
- )
- ^ a b "Thousands vote on correct spelling of Canadian knit cap". CBC News. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ^ "Tuque | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ Little, Gordie (14 March 2010). "Toque, tuque, bruque: What's the difference?". Press-Republican. Plattsburgh, N.Y.
- ISSN 0140-0460.
- ^ "Strickmütze mit Bommel – nicht nur für Kinder eine tolle Idee" [Knitted hat with a bobble - not just a great idea for children]. Stirnbänder.com (in German). Archived from the original on 27 January 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ]. It was a navy blue and white striped bobble hat, quite like a million others worn by football fans everywhere.
- ISBN 0-415-05023-5.
The bobble-hat and scarf brigade were rarely attacked directly, though lads wearing scarves were sometimes considered fair game.
- ISSN 1894-1427.