Knitting patterns for recreating 16th-century coifs and stockings

Man's coif, knitted of silk. Part of the burial clothing of Ferdinando I Orsini (d. 1549), Duke of Gravina, at San Domenico Maggiore, Naples.

Mathew Gnagy has available in his online shop knitting patterns for three 16th-century garments, for the clothing historian or serious re-enactor.  All are designed to be worked in modern wools, either sock/fingering weight or sport weight.

One is a 16th-century stocking pattern "based on surviving examples from Italy. The style is based on a fine gauge silk stocking, but here, we give you the same construction and beautiful detail in a gauge that knits up quickly and resembles wool stockings from the era."

The other two patterns are for an under-coif and a coif with ear-flaps, based (though he does not say so here specifically) on the 1549 Orsini coif pictured above, and its mate. Although the two coif patterns are available separately, they are meant to be worn as a set.

While these are not period patterns, there can be little doubt, judging by Gnagy's meticulous research and high standards, that these patterns will provide excellent examples for the modern knitter of what a period knitted stocking or coif looked like!

"Melon hood for summer wear"

"Melon Hood for Summer Wear" by Mrs. Jane Weaver, Peterson's, August 1859

A melon hood looks from the illustration to be similar in general effect to this opera hood from Godey's a few years later --

Godey's lady's book, v.65, (Jul.-Dec.1862), p.122

The "Five O'clock Hat"

The "Five O'Clock Hat" from the book or booklet "Chic Hats" (1938).  The pattern is available free from Vintageous (old link here).

Four muffatees from Workwoman's Guide, 1840

Four muffatee patterns from A Workwoman's Guide (2d. ed., 1840), p.262; illustrations on pl.21. Note that the third muffatee is clearly not shown in Fig.26 (which is of a sock, the "Child's Long Sock" from p.257), but presumably Fig.46.

Here are four muffatee patterns from A Workwoman's Guide. The first is worked in three rows of knit stitch and three rows of purl ("turn stitch"). The illustration clearly shows an edging, though none is given in the pattern; you could work a selvage as you knit, or add a border afterwards.

The second is in garter stitch ("plain knitting") -- 28 ridges ("ribs") in the original, though of course this should be adjusted to suit the wool and the wearer. This illustration also clearly shows an edging in addition to the fringe added at the end.

The third muffatee -- "extremely pretty"! -- is worked in a two-color rib, with a 3-stitch border in garter stitch in one color, worked as you go. Note that two-color rib will produce vertical stripes, while the illustration appears to show horizontal ones.

The fourth muffatee is worked in alternate sections of garter st and double knitting, though the sequence given is perhaps not as clear to the modern knitter as might be desired.