A tribute to my Purple Warrior, Miss Pam

I designed a gift pack of three chemo beanies in honor of my bestie and purple warrior Miss Pam, who is battling pancreatic cancer. In the photo collage above, the designs are called, from left to right, the Smooth & Simple Chemo Cap, the Sleek & Stretchy Surface Braid Chemo Cap, and the fun and funky Loopy Chemo Cap. It took a few months and a lot of work, but I finally have all the hats made (and also a Purple Power Throw blanket for some extra snuggly comfort) and ready to deliver to keep my friend warm and cozy this winter!

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, so I'm releasing my free pattern pack on Ravelry now to give everyone an opportunity to download the patterns and get stitching on some chemo caps in time for that event.

Making and donating chemo caps to cancer patients is a charitable endeavor that is near and dear to my heart. My hope is that you will use these free patterns to donate caps to patients in need in your area as well.

In my experience, Red Heart Super Saver (and other similar acrylic yarns) can be an acceptable choice for chemo caps because even though it's stiff and scratchy when new, after running it through the washer and dryer, it comes out very soft. The machine drying step is key. (The yarn still feels stiff after coming out of the washing machine. It's only after machine drying that the yarn will soften up.) It's an individual thing whether a particular patient can tolerate the feel of the acrylic yarn. I would say for all-day wear, a natural fiber like cotton would probably feel more comfortable and breathable. 

Prototypes in my photos are displayed on a 21-inch circumference wig form.

A note about sizing: My pattern instructions are based on the type of yarn (a heavy worsted/aran) and size of hook I was using, but even if you use the exact same supplies as I did, your individual tension might produce a different size finished hat. I tend to crochet tightly; if you crochet loosely, "your mileage may vary," as they say. So if you have a specific hat/head size in mind for a specific person, it's important to know what the circumference is of their head, and it's also important for you to measure the diameter of the top of your hat when you reach the end of the increasing rounds (since these are top-down patterns) to have a better estimate of the size of the finished hat before you do all the work of the sides of the hat and then end up disappointed because it turned out either too tight or too loose for the intended wearer. (You can always do the math: diameter x 3.14 = circumference.)

In the photo below of the top of my purple prototype hat with the measuring tape, you can see that the diameter at the end of my round 7 is about 6.5 inches. If you multiply that measurement by pi (3.14), it will give you the approximate circumference of the finished hat, or about 20.5 inches, in my case. Since I wanted a hat to fit a bald head that's about 21 inches in circumference, this should be just about right.

Depending on your unique tension and the yarn you're using, you might find that you need to end up with more or fewer stitches to end up with a finished hat that's the correct size for your intended wearer. Or you might be able to achieve the correct size by changing the size of hook you're using but keeping the same number of stitches mentioned in the pattern.

The nice thing about these patterns is they are very basic and easily changed to accommodate different sizes. Just keep increasing until the top of your hat reaches the diameter you need, and then stop increasing and continue working the sides of the hat at that particular stitch count. Work the length of the sides until they are as long as you need, and then finish off. My materials list and stitch counts are only a jumping-off point for you to create a hat that works for you.

Click here to download my three-pack of quick and easy chemo caps at Ravelry, and please remember to make a few to donate to your local cancer center. Thank you so much, and happy stitching!

And just for fun, here's a photo of the Purple Power Throw blanket I also made for Miss Pam:

The throw uses the stitch pattern from the Sunny Cardi pattern, except I modified it to have the rounds begin/end in a corner by utilizing the technique for beginning/ending rounds found in the Lazy Diamond Boho Pocket Shawl. I love the way it turned out. Having the rounds begin/end in the corner looks so much neater than my original version of this blanket, my I Am the Storm Throw.

Love you so much, bestie. Keep on being strong.

Ups and Downs Slouchy Beanie

I made this hat for a friend of mine (we are also coworkers) who is about to start chemo. The yarn is lovely and soft and made with colors she likes. I hope it's a comfort to her on her chemo journey. Hang in there, J!!! We're rooting for you!!!

The free pattern is the Ups and Downs Slouchy Beanie by Moogly, aka Tamara Kelly.

Auspicious beginning

This is the beginning of the Eva Hat knitting pattern by Yelena Chen.

This is going to be a chemo cap for my mother-in-law, who is battling cancer. The ribbing portion is shaped like the symbolic ribbons used to draw attention to various causes, and the teal color represents her particular cancer.

If you're knitting one of these for a cancer patient who is near and dear to your heart, you can use yarn in whichever color best symbolizes their particular cancer. The symbolism is subtle, and the hat can work for males or females.

1-2-3 Flip-brim Beanie free pattern

Two new free patterns released in two days! Wow!

Like a lot of us, I get busy with day-to-day things as well as just simply spending my time actually WORKING on yarncraft projects rather than blogging about them, so it can sometimes be months between my posts. Sigh. But sorry, there are only so many hours in a day. I'm sure you've been there, too, and can understand.

Today I am releasing this pattern for a 1-2-3 Flip-brim Beanie because in the USA, October has become the single biggest month for cancer-awareness causes in the form of the Pink October breast cancer movement.



Cancer (not specifically breast cancer) has profoundly touched my life and the lives of so many people who are close to me, and because of this, I feel moved to make and donate attractive caps each year to support the patients battling this terrible disease at a nearby cancer treatment center.

I offer this pattern for free, forever, in honor of Pink October and all the men and women who have battled and survived or lost the fight to any form of cancer.

If you download this pattern, please consider making and donating at least one of these hats to the patients at your local cancer center. Thank you so much.

The “1-2-3” portion of the name for this beanie comes from the texture that is achieved by working in repeating rounds of sc, hdc, and dc.

These instructions yield a simple but sophisticated cap with about a 20-22 inch circumference, depending on your yarn and tension, which should comfortably fit the head of an average adult - and particularly adults who have lost their hair to the cruel ravages of chemotherapy. The fit is intentionally a bit oversized (although not slouchy per se) for comfortable ease. The brim flips upward as you work the brim instructions and will remain in place on its own.

If you are making this hat to give to a chemo patient, choose a soft, hypoallergenic fiber by following the guidelines provided by Halos of Hope.

Autumnal textured unisex cloche free pattern

Happy autumn! As the weather takes a turn toward cooler temperatures, I felt inspired to make a seasonably jolly orange version of Vonne's free Textured Unisex Hat pattern.

It's a great cloche design to make and donate to patients undergoing chemotherapy at your local cancer center. I'm donating this one!

Rib-A-Roni chemo cap free pattern

Still on my quest to donate hats to cancer patients, I decided to try the Rib-A-Roni hat pattern designed by Jane Tanner of Windy Prairie Designs.

This turned out looking super cute in the Red Heart With Love yarn Plum Jam colorway.

I made the hat a little long on purpose, so the wearer can fold or roll up the brim for a jaunty look on warmer days, but on colder days, they can pull the hat down over their ears and stay comfortably snug.

Pink Roswell alien hat

I purchased several of Darleen Hopkins' character-ific crochet hat patterns some months ago, and I figured it was about time I got started on making them.

This is my interpretation of her Roswell Alien Hat pattern. I made it in pink because I thought the unexpected color might appeal to a cancer patient with a slightly quirky sense of humor. :-) This hat will be donated to my local cancer center.

Beaded chemo cap free pattern

This is the Seamless Beaded Cancer Cap by Amy Depew. I was looking for a chemo cap pattern that incorporated beads to give it a fancier look than just the yarn by itself, and Amy's pattern was the perfect solution.

Amy also includes detailed instructions (including a video tutorial) for how to place the beads and get them to stay on the outside of the hat, which was very helpful. When you're crocheting in the round, those darn beads tend to want to slip to the inside of your work -- and we definitely don't want that to happen.

Swirly spiral hat free pattern

This is a relatively easy, quick-to-make pattern that produces an elegant-looking hat that’s perfect to donate to patients going through chemotherapy: Divine Hat by Sarah Arnold. I made this one in just a few hours and plan to make many more to donate. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your patterns for free! Hat projects usually make great stash-busters as well.

I love the swirl effect and deep texture.

Shells and Trellis Hat chemo free pattern

This year, I feel moved to crochet and/or knit caps to donate to patients undergoing treatment at a local cancer center. And although I have purchased many patterns over the years (and will certainly be purchasing many more in the future), sometimes it's nice just to be able to use a free pattern.

The expression goes that you get what you pay for, but I've found that there are LOTS and LOTS of high quality free patterns to be found online if you just take the time to look for them. I will try to share links on my blog to some of the patterns I've found and have particularly enjoyed making because I think you will enjoy making them, too. Be sure to give your love to the original designers who have so generously shared their work!

I found this Shells and Trellis Hat pattern at the Halos of Hope website. Their very worthwhile mission is to provide handmade hats to cancer patients in need. Go support them or donate a handmade hat to your local cancer center today because it's a great thing to do.

Update: Halos of Hope has had to suspend its operations, although its website is still online. So anywhere I've suggested that you, my fellow yarncrafters, should donate your wares to Halos of Hope, please amend that to say "your local cancer center" or any other suitable charity program in your area. The pattern for the Shells and Trellis Hat is also available on Ravelry here.