Central Asian embroidered hats

I am a hat fanatic. No matter the season or the occasion, I've got the perfect thing to wear. You might call my dozens and dozens of hats a collection, though I usually don't think of them in those terms. They're just part of my wardrobe; what I wear. 

My hat collection is something entirely different. The hats in my collection are not for wearing; most don't fit my head, small as it is, anyway. Not that these hats are pristine; they've all been worn in the past and show it. Most are early 20th century from Central Asia and all are little masterpieces of Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Turkmen needlework, specifically embroidery. 

They are all caps; what we would call a pillbox or a skullcap compared to the ubiquitous American baseball  cap. I found them while traveling and on the Web, and most came with little or no information. What I've discovered is that such caps are worn by men, women and children throughout Central Asia. But, as you might suspect, they are made and embroidered by women.  

Most of the examples in my collection are Tekke or Yomut hats worn by two of the sub-tribes who form the major ethnic group in Turkmenistan. I have a couple of Uzbek hats, including one with gold couching on the top. 

The collection also includes three Pashtun children's hats (detail, directly below) from the Swat Valley in Pakistan. They are all done in cross-stitch embroidery with beads and other adornments including a zipper used at the bottom edging. 

If you do any kind of needlework, then — like me — you'll probably agree that the inside is as interesting as the outside of these hats. Some exteriors have very geometric patterns while others are more curvilinear and organic. The colors also vary widely with some sporting bright blues and oranges while others are very muted. It's possible that those pale colors are the result of fading — it's not completely clear. Most designs use a type of chain stitch.

The textile in the background of the photos is a small Kurdish kilim rug from the Hoy area of Northwest Persia from Marla Mallett Textiles. Some of the hats pictured are from Marla, some are from Indigo in Minneapolis. 

Comments

[jo]

Linda,
That is an amazing collection, both for the implication as well as their actual past usage. ( or do you wear them from time to time?)
How do you display them? Under glass?

From a fashion point of view I have always been enamoured by the head gear the men wear in Afghanistan. Very flattering look, with the thick rolled edge between top and brim.
But these objects you have are so decorative and representative of a time when things of lasting beauty were created as a matter of course.

I thoroughly enjoyed this post of yours. It is worthy of being included in one of the fibre magazines. Is 'Fibrecraft' still going?

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Joco — first, I love your picture of the sheep!

I don't actually wear the hats; most are just a bit small for me. Some are actually children's and the one with the feathers is a baby hat. But they are so wonderful.

I have displayed them just out on bookshelves and sometimes cleared out a shelf in my china cabinet so they would be behind glass. I tend to not leave them out for long periods cause I try to keep them out of the sun so they won't fade. In a way that's probably a bit silly as they were all worn and used once on a daily basis.

They are quite lovely and it is so wonderful to see things like this that are all handmade. All these cultures change and lose those skills as they modernize which is sad. It's too bad that there doesn't seem to be a way to have progress and preserve craft traditions.

Thanks for all those kind words. You are perhaps thinking of the magazine 'Fiberarts' which is still going.

[jo]

Hiya Linda,

You're quick off the mark!
BTW, seeing that you stopped by: never mind the rams, but what did you think of good old Goethe??
Did you know he was such an impressive botanist and scientist? I was amazed. Talk about renaissance man, two centuries late.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Joco — I turned off the computer and went to bed before your Goethe comment arrived. I have to say that the information in your post was all new to me, but I am not surprised. Years ago I remember discovering Goethe's work in color theory and saw images (paintings, perhaps?) of the interior of his house which he had decorated himself. It was then I realized there was much more to the man than I had known.

[Pamela]

Gorgeous. Didn't Nureyev wear hats like these?

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Pamela, I believe you are correct. It seems I remember of photo of him wearing one on a recent post by House of Beauty and Culture (?).

[Central Asian Textiles]

Your Blog on Central Asian Textileshas very beautifully defined the various types of Central Asian Textiles which is very knowledgeable for me as I have a great interest in the various kinds of Central Asian Textiles. Similar to your article is a website named http://www.uzbekalive.com that is offering a variety of hand dyed Online Fabric Store which looks really beautiful. There is a wide variety of Central Asian Textiles which is really commendable! The colors, designs, Patters of the fabrics are really heart throbbing.

[Reehan Ul-Haq]

Hi Linda,

You have a very nice collection. I wear a kashmir hat all the time which I have now had for 9 years. I have trawled the web but can't find any where from where I can purchase another Kashmir hat or similar. Please can you tell me where on the web you bought your hats.

Thanks,
Reehan

[Herb G]

Two weeks in Turkey and couldn't find a hat that both spoke to me and fit me. I prefer the flat top style that I'm told is primarily Turkmen. Can you suggest a web site or better yet a store in NYC where I might find one I like and that fits?