Knit cap

{{Short description|Headwear}} {{Redirect-multi|2|Touque|Tuque|the traditional chef's headgear|Toque|the Canadian city|La Tuque, Quebec|other uses|Toque (disambiguation)|and|Touques (disambiguation)|and|Tuque (disambiguation)}} {{Multiple issues| {{Original research|date=October 2021}} {{Unreliable sources|date=October 2021}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} thumb|A knit cap A '''knit cap''' is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool,<ref>{{cite web |title=Tuque |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tuque |website=The Canadian Encyclopedia |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=14 September 2022 |date=June 11, 2019}}</ref> it is now often made of synthetic fibers.

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 may be known as a ''beanie'' or a ''watch cap'', while in Canadian English, a knit cap is known as a '''{{lang|en-CA|toque}}''', touk, or ''{{lang|en-CA|tuque}}'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|t|uː|k}}).

==Construction== [[File:The only known example of an original 'Monmouth Cap',dating from the 16th century.jpg|thumb|The only known example of an original "Monmouth cap", dating from the 16th century]]

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 pom-pom or loose tassels. Knit caps may have a folded brim, or none, and may be worn tightly fitting the head or loose on top. A South American tradition from the Andes Mountains is for the cap to have ear flaps, with strings for tying under the chin. A special type of cap called a balaclava folds down over the head with openings for just the face or for the eyes or mouth only.

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,<ref name="Carlson">{{cite web |last1=Carlson |first1=Jennifer L. |title=A Short History of the Monmouth Cap |url=http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/jennifer/Monmouth.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126123125/http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/jennifer/Monmouth.htm |archive-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> the earliest type of knitted wool cap was produced in the Welsh town of Monmouth.<ref name="Waters">{{cite web |last1=Waters |first1=Michael |title=What Do You Call This Hat? |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/toboggan-tuque-knit-hat-regionalism |website=Atlas Obscura |date=2017-07-24}}</ref>

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|date=May 2022}}

Each hat was made weatherproof by felting, a process which reduced its size.<ref name="Riley">{{cite web |first=M. E. |last=Riley |title=17th & 18th Century Knitted Caps & Scots Bonnets |date=2003 |url=http://www.marariley.net/knitting/caps.htm |website=Marariley.net}}</ref> The distance from the centre to the hem in this example varies between 5 and 6 inches (150 mm).<ref name="Thies">{{cite web |last1=Thies |first1=Jennifer |title=Knit Monmouth Cap |url=http://genvieve.net/sca/monmouthcap.html |website=Genvieve.net |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref> Thousands of Monmouth caps were made, but their relatively low cost, and the ease with which the knitting could unravel, means that few remain.

thumb|left|upright|East German fisherman in 1963 wearing a knit cap

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 onward 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|date=May 2022}}

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,{{weasel inline|date=July 2025}} 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|date=May 2022}}

A knitted cap with ear flaps is sometimes called a '''toboggan''', or '''sherpa'''.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} The term ''{{vanchor|toboggan}}'' is also sometimes used for knitted caps in Southern American English.{{r|Waters}}

Members of the United States military commonly refer to a knitted cap as a '''watch cap''', as it is the headgear worn while "standing watch" on a ship or guard post. In Western Pennsylvania English (Pittsburghese), it is known as a '''tossle cap'''. It may also simply be called a ''winter hat''.

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''', '''chook''' and '''dut''' (in Hartlepool, England)

=== Balaclava === {{Main|Balaclava (clothing)}}

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 British Empire as an ''Uhlan cap'' or ''Templar cap''.<ref name="Chico">{{cite book |last1=Chico |first1=Beverly |title=Hats and Headwear Around the World: A Cultural Encyclopedia |date=2013 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-6106-9063-8 |pages=35–36 |chapter=Balaclava}}</ref> During the Crimean War, handmade pull-down caps were sent to the British troops to help protect them from the bitterly cold weather before or after the Battle of Balaclava.<ref name="Shepherd">{{cite book |first=John |last=Shepherd |title=The Crimean Doctors: A History of the British Medical Services in the Crimean War, Volume One |publisher=Liverpool University Press |year=1991 |pages=296–306 |isbn=0-8532-3177-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HpCgkcvNiLcC&pg=PA296}}</ref> The cap became popularly known a ''Balaclava helmet'' or just ''balaclava'' among the soldiers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Figes |first1=Orlando |title=The Crimean War : a history |date=2012 |publisher=Picador |location=New York |isbn=978-1-2500-0252-5 |page=304 |edition=1st Picador}}</ref>

=== Scandinavian tophue === thumb|upright|Danish farmer wearing traditional clothing, including red ''tophue''

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 {{Lang|da|tophue}} (Danish), {{Lang|nl|topplue}} (Norwegian), {{Lang|sv|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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statyett (statyett av frö) av brons |trans-title=Bronze figurine (seed figurine) |url=https://historiska.se/upptack-historien/object/109037-statyett-statyett-av-fro-av-brons/ |publisher=The Swedish History Museum |id=Inventory number 14232 |location=Stockholm |language=sv}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Thuve">{{cite book |last1=Thuve |first1=Lillill |title=Norske luer |date=1998 |publisher=Orion |location=Oslo |isbn=8-2458-0324-3}}{{page needed|date=October 2021}}</ref>

===Canadian toque, tuque or touque === {{Distinguish|text=the brimless hat called a toque}}

In Canadian English, a knit cap is more commonly known as a ''toque'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|t|uː|k}}; also spelled ''tuque'' or ''{{lang|en-CA|touque}}''). It is traditionally made of wool and worn in the winter,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuque {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tuque |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref> 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 New England, especially among the working class.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, it is called a ''chook'' or ''chuke''.{{r|Waters}}

[[File:Toboggan Party.jpg|thumb|left|''The Toboggan Party'', Rideau Hall, illuminated composite photograph showing men wearing toques. From Lady Dufferin's personal album. c. 1872–1875.]]

The term ''tuque'' is French Canadian. It is widely known in Québecois culture as can be seen through its usage in ''La guerre des tuques''.

The Canadian-English term was assimilated from the Canadian-French word ''tuque'', and first appeared in this context around 1870.<ref>"toque" and "tuque" in Katherine Barber, ed. (2004), ''The Canadian Oxford Dictionary'' (2nd ed.), Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-541816-6}}.</ref><ref>"[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tuque tuque]" at Dictionary.com.</ref><ref>"[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toque toque]" and "[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuque tuque]" at Merriam–Webster Online.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dollinger |first=Stefan |date=April 2017 |title=Toque |url=http://apps.plotandscatter.com:8080/dchp2/entries/view/toque |website=Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles}}</ref> The fashion is said to have originated with the {{lang|fr|coureurs de bois}}, French and Métis fur traders, who kept their woollen nightcaps on for warmth during cold winter days. This spelling is attributed to a number of different sources, one being from Middle Breton, the language spoken by Breton immigrants at the founding of New France. In Old Breton, it was spelled ''toc''; in Modern Breton, it is spelled ''tok'', meaning simply 'hat'.

The French Canadian term likely has its origins with the long hats that were worn by the Voyageurs as they traversed westward on the rivers of North America. The term was picked up by the Blackfeet and entered Chinook Jargon, spreading to the Pacific and the Klondike. Another source suggests that it is a Francization of the Spanish ''tocar'', to touch, as the long "end of the sock cap" of the Voyageurs hung down and touched their shoulders;<ref>{{Cite book |author=Casselman, Bill |title=Casselman's Canadian words : a comic browse through words and folk sayings invented by Canadians |date=1999 |publisher=McArthur |isbn=1-55278-034-1 |oclc=40940496}}</ref> yet another source suggests that the word is borrowed from "the old Languedoc dialect word ''tuc''" meaning "summit" or "the head of a mountain".<ref>{{Cite book |first=Wayne |last=Grady |title=Chasing the chinook : on the trail of Canadian words and culture |date=1999 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=0-14-027787-0 |oclc=937943426}}</ref>

The Canadian English spelling of ''toque'', on the other hand, is borrowed from the original usage (see Toque). Toques include conical or plumed hats from previous centuries, the tall white hats worn by chefs, and modern snug hats.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 December 2013 |title=Hey hosers - what do you call that cap on your head? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/hey-hosers-what-do-you-call-that-cap-on-your-head-1.2455217 |website=CBC |type=Poll}}</ref> This spelling (''toque'') also appears in the 1941 ''Dictionary of Mississippi Valley French'' as a "style of hair-dressing among the Indians". This was a tall, conical hairstyle not unlike the shape of the Voyageur cap described above.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-05 |title="toque" in Mississippi Valley French, eh? |url=https://chinookjargon.com/2019/01/05/toque-in-mississippi-valley-french-eh/ |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=Chinook Jargon |language=en}}</ref>

Dictionaries are divided on the matter of spelling, with the ''Gage Canadian'' preferring ''toque''<ref>{{Cite book |last=De Wolf |first=Gaelan T. |title=Gage Canadian dictionary |date=1998 |publisher=Gage Educational Pub. Co. |isbn=978-0-7715-1981-9 |oclc=734052878}}</ref> and the ''Nelson Canadian'' listing ''tuque''<ref>{{Cite book |title=Nelson Canadian dictionary of the English language : an encyclopedic reference. |date=1997 |publisher=ITP Nelson |isbn=0-17-604726-3 |location=Scarborough, Ont. |oclc=39032668}}</ref> (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.<ref>{{Cite book |title=A dictionary of Canadianisms on historical principles |date=1967 |publisher=W.J. Gage |oclc=60266}}</ref> Perhaps most importantly, the ''Canadian Oxford'' chose ''toque'',<ref>{{Cite book |date=2004-01-01 |title=The Canadian Oxford Dictionary |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780195418163.001.0001 |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195418163.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-541816-3 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="cbc">{{cite news |date=December 10, 2013 |title=Thousands vote on correct spelling of Canadian knit cap |publisher=CBC News |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/thousands-vote-on-correct-spelling-of-canadian-knit-cap-1.2457737 |access-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tuque {{!}} The Canadian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tuque |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}</ref>

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.{{efn|An image of an 1837 Patriote in a Phrygian cap can be seen in images of the published FLQ manifesto.}} 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.<ref name="cbc" /> 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).<ref name="Little">{{cite news |last1=Little |first1=Gordie |title=Toque, tuque, bruque: What's the difference? |url=https://www.pressrepublican.com/opinion/columns/toque-tuque-bruque-whats-the-difference/article_4059edcd-0a7c-5ac4-b639-598f45cb98d7.html |work=Press-Republican |publication-place=Plattsburgh, N.Y. |date=14 March 2010}}</ref>

=== British bobble hat === thumb|upright|A 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.{{r|Waters}}

Bobble hats were traditionally considered utilitarian cold-weather wear. In the early 21st century they were considered popular only with geeks and nerds. A surprise rise in popularity, driven initially by the Geek-Chic trend, saw them become a fashionable and with a real fur bobble, luxury designer item.<ref name="Walker">{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Harriet |title=So big and bold you can't miss it . . . the bobble hat is back on top |work=The Times |publication-place=London |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/so-big-and-bold-you-cant-miss-it-the-bobble-hat-is-back-on-top-sq77gqg8ps9 |date=2014-12-20 |issn=0140-0460 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Strickmütze mit Bommel – nicht nur für Kinder eine tolle Idee |trans-title=Knitted hat with a bobble - not just a great idea for children |url=https://www.xn--stirnbnder-v5a.com/strickmuetze-bommel/ |website=Stirnbänder.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127185930/https://www.stirnb%c3%a4nder.com/strickmuetze-bommel/ |archive-date=27 January 2021 |language=de |url-status=dead |access-date=14 October 2021 }}</ref>

In the late 20th century, in the United Kingdom, they (like the anorak) were associated with utilitarian un-fashionability or with older football supporters, as they had been popular in club colours during the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name="Kelly">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/columnists/article784228.ece |title=Showing a lot of bobble |first=Danny |last=Kelly |work=The Times |date=January 2, 2006 |page=7 |issn=0140-0460 |publication-place=London |quote=My Mum had knitted My New Hat {{sic}}. It was a navy blue and white striped bobble hat, quite like a million others worn by football fans everywhere.}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="Murphy">{{cite book |first1=Patrick |last1=Murphy |first2=John |last2=Williams |first3=Eric |last3=Dunning |title=Football on Trial: Spectator Violence and Development in the Football World |publisher=Routledge |year=1990 |isbn=0-415-05023-5 |page=154 |quote=The bobble-hat and scarf brigade were rarely attacked directly, though lads wearing scarves were sometimes considered fair game.}}</ref> Along with the pin-on rosette and the football scarf, the bobble hat was seen as traditional or old-fashioned British working-class football regalia.[[File:Nisse-mann.jpg|thumb|upright|Scandinavian tomte with typical knit cap, Hans Gude 1896]]

== Explanatory notes == {{notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

== External links == {{Wiktionary|knit cap|watch cap}} * {{Commons category-inline|Knit caps}}

Category:18th-century fashion Category:19th-century fashion Category:20th-century fashion Category:21st-century fashion Category:American fashion Category:Canadian fashion Category:Canadiana Category:Caps Category:Culture of Canada Category:Fur trade Category:Maritime culture Category:Winter clothes Category:Victorian fashion