The Motoring Hood is the perfect vintage meets modern accessory, with its flattering hood and attached scarf for extra warmth. Style with your winter coat or layer with a knitted cardigan or sweater. These hoods were worn widely in the 1920s and 1930s as the perfect cover-up when zooming around the countryside in open-top cars, and in the 1940s as a highly practical cover-up as outerwear took on added functionality in wartime Britain.

This quintessential vintage pixie hood is knitted flat in two separate pieces; the hood knitted in one piece with shaping added at the centre back for a more comfortable fit, and also a separate scarf knitted in a rectangular strip. Both are knitted in 1x1 rib stitch. Once knitted, the centre back seam of the hood is sewn up and then the front of the hood is folded back providing an attractive frame to the face. The scarf is then sewn in place over the bottom edge of the hood. The scarf can easily be made longer to suit personal taste but do note more yarn will be required to do this. Knit the hood first, after which knit the scarf until all your yarn has been used - leaving a small amount for sewing up of course. The completed motoring hood does not need to be blocked to size, however it would still benefit from being washed before the hood is worn.

This simple hood is a great beginner friendly pattern, as well as a reassuringly simple knit for the more experienced knitter.

Motoring Hood is knitted using Susan Crawford Excelana North fingering weight a soft worsted spun pure wool, perfect for replicating this historic garment whilst being suitable for wearing next to the skin. We have shown our hood knitted in Persian Grey but you could knit your hood in any of the wonderful shades of Excelana here.

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The pattern is available in one size to fit an adult head.

The pattern contains full written instructions as well as clear schematic diagrams.

A yarn kit is available at Susan Crawford Vintage.

Pattern Information

Sizing
192cm x 46cm (75.5-18in)

Yarn
Susan Crawford Excelana North Fingering weight, 100% British wool (159m / 174yds per 50g skein)
3 x 50g skeins shade Persian Grey

Gauges
32 sts and 32 rows = 10cm(4in) measured over single rib (unstretched)knitted flat, without blocking. We obtained this gauge using 3.75mm needles.
Suggested Needles
3.75mm (US 5) straight needles or circular needle, 80cm in length

Notions
2 removable Stitch markers

Techniques
Basic knit and purl stitches, Shaping, Sewing up