SALE - DURING JANUARY 2017 GET THIS DESIGN FREE WITH ANY OTHER PURCHASE OF EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE USING COUPON CODE : VIOLET

This pattern is based on a very plain man’s bicycle cap from 1886, with many changes to transform it into something I absolutely love. It can actually be made to any size, using any weight yarn, but for best results use a single ply Aran weight. The crown is worked in a spiral of hdc stitches, then the brim is worked downward, including a Star Stitch row and post stitch ribbing for textural interest.

This is the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes inspired designs - its inspiration being Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story:

The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist

In this fascinating tale, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson come to the aid of the charming Miss Violet Smith - music teacher and ardent bicyclist. Therein lies a complex nugget of a story: a tale of stalking, abduction, diamond mines, disguised fortune hunters, and a felonious marriage ceremony performed in a lonely wood by a defrocked clergyman! Holmes himself called it “a curious, and in some respects, unique case.”

But perhaps even more intriguing than this twisted tale is the apparently irresistible attraction of Miss Violet Smith herself. Having had “several admirers” before, she is now affianced to one Cyril Morton (an enterprising electrical engineer) and has recently moved near Surrey, being engaged by a Mr. Carruthers to teach music to his son. And it is not long before she encounters a new string of admirers…

First, Mr. Carruthers’ friend - the dreadful Mr. Woodley – propositions Miss Smith and attempts to make “odious love” to her. Then Mr. Carruthers himself falls for her and proposes marriage. Soon after, while cycling alone she is stalked by a mysterious bearded bicyclist, which finally sends her to 221B Baker Street in search of help.

Not surprisingly, the susceptible Dr. Watson immediately falls under her spell, repeatedly referring to her as “beautiful,” as well as “tall, graceful, and queenly.” And apparently even Sherlock Holmes himself is not immune to her charms, saying “it is part of the settled order of Nature that such a girl should have followers” - soon abandoning the case of a well known tobacco millionaire to follow the penurious, yet pulchritudinous, Miss Smith to Surry.

What is the explanation for Miss Violet Smith’s apparent ability to fascinate all who cross her path? How does she unwittingly enchant every man she meets, be they heroes, villains, or electricians? Is it her “spiritual” face, her fresh complexion, her “graceful” demeanor? Or perhaps, there is another reason…

We are not told of her exact clothing, but possibly such an ardent cyclist would be wearing one of the “bicycle caps” which were so popular at the time? And surely Miss Violet Smith would be most alluring in such headgear, especially if the crown contained a spiral stitch pattern designed to mesmerize all who gazed upon it - a “curious, and in some respects, unique” cap.