Snoods for beginners and useful resources

Snoodtember is here! It's time to spend a fabulous month getting to know snoods a little better. Whether you are a beginner like me, or an experienced 1940s snood fashionista, I hope you can enjoy the program and expand your horizons in some way.

Today I'm focusing on getting us all going and ready to wear our snoods from day one. So let's start at the beginning.

From The Australian Women's Weekly 6 Jan 1940

What is a snood?

A snood is a type of headwear that encloses the hair at the back of the head. They are most commonly made of some kind of open net, often crocheted or knitted yarn, but can also be made of solid fabric. They can cover the whole back of the head, or be more of a low swag on the back of the neck with a band across the top. Around in various forms since the middle ages, they have moved in and out of popularity. Snoods were a major fashion trend in the 1940s, both in practical everyday use and highly decorated for evening wear.

If you are searching online for snoods, you will also see that the term has started being used for looped scarves of the infinity scarf variety, which makes searches a bit annoying!

Let's get all sentimental about snoods with Helen Frith! I love it. From The Macleay Chronicle, 8 May 1940

How do I put it on? What do I do with my hair?

Putting on a snood is relatively simple, depending how it is attached. Some will have an elastic around the opening, others will have a ribbon tie, like a drawstring, to be tied in a bow at the top. Some bobby pins can help hold your snood exactly where you want it.

Because you will have hair showing at the front, they are great for showing off fun vintage hair looks, all the fun curls and rolls and so on, but that can be a bit scary for those of us that are not strong in the ways of hairstyling. Vintage images often show the hair simply pulled back, and if you have a fringe (bangs) it works well too.

Here are some great resources for snood wear and hair, and in the style inspiration posts that are coming soon, you can get even more great hair ideas.

Casey has a great detailed post on how to wear a crocheted snood, and Brittany at Vavoom Vintage has a post on how to put on a snood, and 4 ways to do your hair (and a hat) with a snood. On the Chronically Vintage Youtube channel you can watch a video all about snoods in which Jessica talks all about snoods and how she wears them, and shows off some of her collection and their different features.

Youtube is full (OK not full, but there are plenty) of tutorials for hair styling with a snood, and they are also a great way to just watch someone putting one on, if you aren't confident.

From The Australian Women's Weekly, 6 Jan 1940

Where can I buy one?

There are a lot of fabulously talented people selling handmade snoods on Etsy, in a huge range of colours. I believe you can also get cheap ones elsewhere, but you know me, I believe in handmade and paying a fair price for things.

How do I make my own?

I'll be sharing how to make a fabric snood here on the blog this month in our Snood-along, but if you are keen to crochet or knit yourself a snood, here are some useful links:

• My sister has used this pattern to crochet two snoods, including one that I will be wearing this month, and it looks beautiful, I must say!
• My mum has also used this pattern and said it was nice and easy, and it came out looking wonderful too. I'm not sure but I think it is the same as this one shared by Bonita on Lavender and Twill. My sister tried this one two and also said it was quite quick.
• Brittany has a link post of 12 Free Vintage Snood patterns
• I found a lot of cute patterns by searching Trove, but I didn't know whether they were any good. I asked my sister to cast her eye over them, and the gave me such good feedback that we turned it into a guest post To whet your appetite, I can tell you that it includes the one pictured below.
• Want to tie a snood from a scarf? Casey has got you covered again.

According to the Weekly Times' Jacqueline, you can also net one, "using the same pattern you use for camouflage nets, or string bags" but I would guess not many of you happen to have a favourite camouflage net pattern on hand.

Snood with bow, from The Australian Women's Weekly, 21 March 1942

Remember you can see my own snood wearing efforts over on Instagram, starting today, and that you can join in using the hashtag #snoodtember and tagging me @tanithrowan, or by emailing photos to tanithrowandesigns@gmail.com or on Facebook.

If you have any other favourite patterns or any resources for snood wearing, please let me know in the comments.

Happy Snoodtember!