A Balaclava Helmet Pattern

From the Dundee People’s Journal, 6th March 1915.

[This pattern was given in a section called ‘Aunt Kate’s Postbag’, evidently in response to a request from a reader.]

A Balaclava Helmet.

For the helmet take 6 ozs. super wheeling or double knitting wool.  Set of knitting needles, size 9.  * Cast on 25 stitches on one needle, knit the first row plain; second row, knit 1, make 1, knit 23, make 1, knit 1; third row, knit 1, make l, knit 25, make 1, knit 1, and go on making 1 at the beginning and end of every row till there are 45 stitches on the needle; knit plain backwards and forwards for 5½ inches.  Now take the other two needles and repeat from * (this is to make the flap for back and the front); now join the two flaps, and knit round and round, 3 plain and 3 purl for 4 inches.  Then place on a piece of string 21 stitches; this should be 4 plain ribs and 3 purl ones.  Put the remaining stitches on two needles, leave off ribbing, and knit backwards and forwards quite plain for 38 rows; this will be about 4 inches.  Now knit 15 stitches, take 2 together, knit remainder plain; next row the same, so on thus until you have reduced to about 42 stitches, then knit 9 stitches only, and take 2 together; work thus until you have reduced to 25 stitches.  Reduce 4 times in each row till 3 stitches remain.   Now resume the four pins, take up the loops at the ends of the plain rows, also the 21 stitches on the string; count them round; there should be 114 in all, including the three remaining on the pin; if there are too many or too few, take 2 together, or make 1 or 2.  Next, rib round and round as was done at first, taking care that the ribs match on to those which were on the string; it is easier to knit plain the first row till these stitches are reached and then commence ribbing.  Work thus for 2½ inches.  Cast off rather loosely.

[These instructions are very different from the helmet pattern given in a previous post here.  This helmet has the front and back flaps, which the other did not, and the shaping seems very different in this case.   It seems that Balaclava helmets were not official issue, and so there was not standard pattern.]