Fans of Downton Abbey’s amazing fashions, rejoice!

Just in time for holiday gift-knitting, A Head For Trouble: What To Knit While Catching Crooks, Chasing Clues, and Solving Murders (20 Hats & Adornments Inspired by Lady Detectives of the Roaring Twenties) was released in October, 2014. It is available in both electronic and paperback format both here and on my website: www.julieturjoman.com

Knit something special for your inner flapper!

Those familiar with the Kate Shackleton mystery series by Frances Brody, know that Kate has a knack for finding the missing sons, husbands, and fathers of other women – dead or alive. Not much shocks her after serving as a volunteer nurse at the front during WWI, which is just as well since dead bodies turn up with regularity wherever she goes. Her photography hobby provides a useful smokescreen for her investigations, while her pragmatism, determination, and intuition keep her one step ahead of Scotland Yard.

This jaunty toque rejects fancy frippery in favor of neat I-cord trim and gleaming but simple brass buttons. A textured stitch adds substance to the head-hugging rise while the flat crown spirals inward from a stabilizing tucked edge.

SIZES:
S/M (M/L): Fits head circumference of 19-20 (21-22)“ 48.5-51 (53.5-56) cm Shown in size Small/Medium.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS:
Rise circumference: 21¼ (23)“ 54 (58.5) cm

MATERIALS:
Sundara Yarns Aran Silky Merino 200 yds (183 m)/3.5oz (100 g), 50% merino wool, 50% silk). Color: Wild Blueberries. 1 (2) skein(s).
US Size 6 (4 mm) 16” (40 cm) circ and set of 4 or 5 double-pointed needles, or size needed to obtain correct gauge.
Tapestry needle
Ten stitch markers, one in a unique color
Two 1” (25 mm) diameter decorative buttons

GAUGE:
22½ sts and 44 rows = 4” (10 cm) in Woven St, blocked.