Many years ago, I fell under the spell of The Fair Isle Jumper painted in 1923 by Scottish artist Stanley Cursiter (1887–1976). In my mind, the young woman wearing the Fair Isle jumper & fetching little cap became the “Mona Lisa of Edinburgh.” I was very drawn to the beautiful depiction of Shetland knitwear of the era. In drafting the charts for the color band, my goal was to stay true to Fair Isle tradition while honoring the artist’s interpretation of it. The cap is knit in the round from the inner band hem to the crown, with simple shaping and a slightly open gauge to give it just the right amount of drape.

Materials
Jamieson & Smith 2-ply Jumper Weight, 100% Shetland wool yarn, fingering weight, 125 yards (114.3 m)/25 gram (0.9 oz) ball, 2 (3) balls of #202 Off-White (MC) and 1 ball each of #FC34 Aqua (A), #14 Light Blue (B), #FC55 Dark Plum (C), #43 Medium Plum (D), and #72 Light Plum (E)

I used a small amount of fingering weight baby camel for a softer inner hem liner.

Needles, circular, 16 inches (40.6 cm) and set of double pointed, size 3 (3.25 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge
other extras:
Tapestry needle
Stitch marker
Bowl or plate for blocking
Crochet hook, size C (2.75 mm) for optional tassel keeper
Strong binding yarn (parcel string, for example), 2 yards (1.8 m) for optional pom-poms
Stiff hairbrush for optional pom-poms

Finished size: Small/medium (suitable for children and small adult head sizes) 20½-22½ inches/ 50.8-57.1 cm and adult medium/large 22¾-24 inches /57.8-61.0 cm circumference
Gauge: 28 sts and 36 rnds = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in St st, blocked