Old Style Balaclava ?

[Doug C]

Anyone know where I can get an old style balaclava ? Basically I don't want synthetic, prefer wool.. but nothing real thick or coarse. Also, the one I'm imagineing will not be super snug to the head and the face opening fairly large (or maybe that's a result of the ones I've seen having been stretched by their wearers?).. basically something you'd see on an old mountaineer!

 

[shazzabanazza]

Have you looked in thirft stores or on ebay?

 

[Speedster]

Doug, maybe something here: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...hats-for-the-mountains.&p=1147263#post1147263

 

[Methuselah]

I think old mountaineers had old mountaineer's wives to knit them
We have a Knitting patterns book from the 40s - it has instructions for one which I can scan if you want?

 

[Doug C]

Have you looked in thirft stores or on ebay?

I've checked ebay and nothing but modern ones... and our thrift stores are terrible around here, I give my chances in those a zero.

 

[Doug C]

Doug, maybe something here: http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...hats-for-the-mountains.&p=1147263#post1147263

Thanks for that link speedster, it's got some that I may end up settling with if I can't locate one closer to my ideal..thank again.

 

[Doug C]

I think old mountaineers had old mountaineer's wives to knit them
We have a Knitting patterns book from the 40s - it has instructions for one which I can scan if you want?

I think you may be right about the mountaineer's wives things... they were probably sold too in small shops in alpine regions during earlier days. It's just that there seems to be a huge amount of people who knit as a hobby or small business, you'd think a few of them would be offering such a thing... as practical as they are.

 

[Doug C]

This is pretty close to what I'm after :



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[Edward]

Ah, not the three-hole ski mask type (aka: The Northern-Ireland National Costume in some quarters ), then?

I remember wearing a fair few of the open-face balaclavas as a kid, not seen them for years, though. If memory serves, the last one I had was pure wool and was bought in a place in Belfast called The Scout Store (general camping supplies plus Scout organisation bits and pieces - scarves, merit badges, etc). Might be worth a try in some camping places now, though most modern camping places have gone over to ghastly synthetics for everything.

Hmmn... maybe military surplus places? Might also be worth checking out somewhere that does repro uniforms for WW1; I have the image in my head of a lot of the Brit Tommys wearing balaclavas in the trenches?

 

[FlArchaeologist]

I think old mountaineers had old mountaineer's wives to knit them
We have a Knitting patterns book from the 40s - it has instructions for one which I can scan if you want?

Yes, please scan and upload! I started knitting last summer, and doing a balaclava like Pitt wears in 7 years in Tibet is on my to-do list for this year....

Cheers,

 

[HeyMoe]

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=knitted+balaclava+&_cqr=true&_nkwusc=knitted+balacalava&_rdc=1

 

[Doug C]

Yes please do scan it (I can send my email via pm if necessary)... I'd hate to have to wait for something to be knitted.. after I've located someone who could do it at a decent price, but it may well be worth it too.

 

[Doug C]

Thank everyone who replied, I just located exactly what I'm looking for - check it out.. :http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopexd.asp?id=4746&bc=no