hats and knitting

So I've been ruminating on hats a bit. I'm really quite fond of the silly little bowler-esque hat that spoon guy is wearing (previous post). And that particular hat seems to wander through a number of period paintings. Mostly, I'd like to know what it's made of. I'm guessing wool? Perhaps felted wool? Hat-making, you see, is one of those slightly intimidating parts of the costuming process. I have a thought though, which is that I could knit this thing. I went through a phase a couple of years ago wherein I would knit giant shapeless things and then felt them into smaller, also rather shapeless things (like handbags mostly), then block them into shape and foist them onto people since goodness knows I don't actually use anything I make. The key point is that if you knit them huge enough, necessitating that you felt them a lot (thereby filling your washing machine with scary little drowned mouse looking bits of wool and your house with the stench of wet sheep), the stitch definition just about disappears, particularly if the yarn has a bit of a halo, as in one with a touch of mohair. As in, Lambs Pride. Which reminds me, Anita, do you have any black wool? (Shopping at Anita's house is the very best way to acquire yarn.)

Speaking of knitting...I wonder whether their stockings (netherstocks?) are knitted or linen or wool or what. I could do any of those, provided I have enough time. And the knitting could wander about with me, unlike the rest of the costuming stuff. Maybe I should also be looking for natural wool in a gauge larger than sock yarn.

Ok that was astoundingly boring, but I'll leave it anyway. So that later I may have the pleasure of looking back and saying "I thought I would do what???"