Crochet a Vintage Sailor Hat

Between the wide 30 year time period of the 1930s through the 1950s, pattern publishers had a tendency to partially name their patterns after current events.    Many times the design style may have something in common with the subject, and sometimes, no real commonality at all.

A good example of this is the Crochet Sailor Hat, which started cropping up in the early 1930s in pattern books and magazines and albeit disappearing in title mid 1950's.   The correlation here?   Well, World War II of course.    Times were frugal, the populations were supportive and pattern companies, wanting to sell patterns, certainly played on the symbolism.  After all, who wouldn't want to crochet a hat so named in honor of a loved father, brother, son, etc.   Here are a few examples from my current pattern listings. 

Palm Beach Sailor - This design from 1934 and ties in both the sailor design (which it obviously is), and Palm Beach.   I'm not sure what, but apparently Palm Beach was either in the news, or perhaps, just the place to be. 

Wide Brim Cartwheel - Resemblance to a Sailor high is, well, NONE.   But, it was 1939 when Spool Cotton Company released this, and they had to a reference in.  And, how did they do that you might ask.  Well, in their official description.  " Look like a picture of fragile femininity in this luscious lace creation - a wafer thin sailor which you can wash just the way you do a lamp-shade"

Classic Sailor Hat - brought to us from the Spool Cotton Company in 1943. 

Sailor Beware - A design hat from Jeanette Styles, released in 1942.   The pattern has several variations, which could have led to a variety of names. 

Nylon Sailor Hat  - American Thread also get in the name game with this entry in nylon cord, in the early 1950s.  

Sailor Boy - Just a bit late for the Sailor Name Game, didn't stop Dritz from putting the name on this Beret in 1956. 

Now, that's not to say each of these designs don't have some merit.   They are all crocheted and they all have some commonality ... even if it's in name (or description) alone.  I have several thousand more patterns standing by to be processed and I've no doubt there will be more.    If you want to check to see if I have more, try a search of "Sailor" in my shop  (this will bring up other sailor-ish items as well).

Thanks for dropping by. 

Lorrie