Bonnets

Bonnet is a sweet and traditional headdress for a baby. Knitted from hand-dyed merino yarn, the bonnets evoke an irresistible desire to take “just a couple more pictures” of the little one - so cute they are!

In addition to their cute appearance, bonnets bring warmth to the baby and, depending on the model, also airiness. Bonnet is perfect for everyday use when a baby or toddler needs wind protection for their ears or extra warmth for a nap. The Silmus bonnets are made of breathable merino wool, which is hand-dyed by natural methods.

What is bonnet?

Bonnet is a bit like traditional baby hats, but is fundamentally different in design. The baby bonnet could perhaps be called a Hilkka in Finnish, but the model is best described by the English word “bonnet”. The baby bonnet can be either head-shaped or angular, making the model a cute antenna resembling  design on the head. Kinos bonnet is decorated with a wonderful tassel!

The bonnet can either be knitted or crocheted, but most often the bonnet is knitted. Our specialty is two crocheted bonnet patterns (Kinos and Helmi), whose airy knit surface feels comfortable at the baby's head.

The birth of Bonnet from yarn to dyeing

Silmu Knitting favors small entrepreneurs in its business and supports craftsmanship. The entire Bonnet manufacturing process from yarn to finished knitting takes place within Europe.

Bonnet's merino yarn is obtained from a small German spinning mill, where mulesing-free merino sheep's wool is made into yarn. A small production plant maintains high quality and is a responsible employer. Knitted Bonnet's wool yarn is unprocessed: it is therefore subjected to nothing more than the carding and spinning required to form the yarn. The yarn is not exposed to strong chemical processes or is not subjected to plastic treatment like superwash wool.

Untreated, natural-colored merino yarn leaves Germany onwards for Sweden. There, Silmu Knitting's partner and small entrepreneur dyes merino yarn. Hand-dyed merino yarn gets its shade from natural mineral colors. The mineral dye is attached to the yarn with vinegar, thus avoiding a heavy, chemical process and possible chemical residues.

The ecological dyeing process does not strain nature or the health of the dye, which means that the yarn production is on a sustainable basis. There are no chemical residues left in the hand-dyed yarn that could later cause hypersensitivity on the child's skin. The yarn's gentle and as natural as possible processing process ensures that the bonnet feels comfortable on the baby's and child's skin and is safe to use.

Want to knit Bonnet yourself? Buy the easy Taimi-Bonnet pattern here or the DIY Kit with yarns and tools here.

Want to try knitting with untreated merino yarn? Buy ecological yarns from this link.