Barony of Stormhold

A recent tradition in Stormhold, has been the giving of hoods to new members. It's a nice practical gift, and the May 2009 A&S competition is to make a 'hood of warmth' to donate to the Barony.

So, for people who are interested, here is a brief overview of hoods:

The most basic hood, is a long rectangle, seamed down one side, to form a cover for the top and back of your head. The Anglo-Scandinavian 'hood' made from silk from Coppergate, York is an example of a very simple hood.
See: http://genvieve.net/sca/vikingcap.html

If you shorten the length of the hood, then you begin to venture into coifs, another type of headwear, but if you lengthen it, then you run into a problem -- your shoulders are wider than your neck, so the 'hood' sits strangely.
The answer is to insert gores, which is where you find more variation in hood styles.
The simplest way to add gores, is to add them to the front and back of your hood. This is exactly how a hood from Viking-age arctic Norway was constructed. Two squares were inserted in to the front and back seams, making an angular but practical hat.
Please see the attached file, skjoldehamn.gif

The next innovation in hood technology, was to cut away fabric under the chin, so it would fit closer to the face. Well-known hoods such as the Bocksten hood, and some of the Herjolfsnes hoods show this feature.
See: http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/hoodtp2.html (12-14th c.)
and http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/bockhood.html (13-15th c.)

It was then realised, that having the gores in the front and back of the hood, while easier, didn't really address the fact that human shoulders stick out at the sides. So, the gores moved to the sides, like the late 14th century London hoods.
See: http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/sunnfjor.html
and http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/londhd1c.html
and http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/londhd1a.html
and http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~Marc-Carlson/cloth/londhd1b.html

Open Hoods
'Open' hoods, where the front isn't sewn shut, may be seen as an example of fashion trumping practical considerations, but it is worth mentioning because they do make for pretty headdresses.
14th century hood, Manesse codex: http://diglit.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/cpg848/0380
Luttrell Psalter 'milkmaids': http://www.wealddown.co.uk/Magazine/Spring%202006/magazine-spring-2006-part1.htm (Scroll about halfway down the page.)
15th century hoods: http://cadieux.mediumaevum.com/burgundian-hood.html

Other Inspiration
Karen Larsdatter's Linkspage on Hoods is fantastic, and full of all sorts of images that should get your creative juices flowing!
See: http://larsdatter.com/hoods.htm