This headpiece has very little finish work, can be constructed with a small amount of yarn, and can be worn as a warm winter accessory if knitted in wool.

The lace pattern is inspired by the waves on big water (oceans or the Great Lakes) and the delicate garter edging with slipped stitches will keep things from curling up too much. It’s the perfect thing for fussy young ladies that don’t like headbands pressing on their hair or barrettes pulling to harshly.

Though Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park focuses most on Fanny Price, it is her younger sister left behind in Portsmouth that always captures my imagination. She is left in poverty, desperation, and an overcrowded, loud home. Despite these circumstances, however, she blossoms into a delightful young woman. She has a strong desire to learn new things, is always quick to offer kindness and support, and seems to endlessly look for the good in things.

Susan would be a person who would knit out of necessity, and likely would draw inspiration from the seaside area she lives in. I would hope that she would choose to look to the waves and endlessly changing tide, as opposed to the fishmonger’s tables that were no doubt also a significant part of the landscape. Fanny goes back to visit her family in chapter 40 of the novel, and I imagine that Susan would perhaps have something so simple as a headpiece such as this to offer her dear sister upon her return.