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Patterns and Other Words of Wisdom

Prepare yourselves for a mega post…

Lately we’ve been participating in a lively conversation about chemo caps on the Caps for a Cure message board (over on Ravelry). We’ve gotten some good advice about chemo caps, as well as a few all-star pattern suggestions. We’ll paraphrase for you.

Fellow knitter Ruth had this to share with us:

• In terms of patterns, think of something that you personally would like to wear. Choose something that will make the wearer feel special, as well as something that might compliment everyday clothing.

• Be careful with lace. A bit of lace around the edge is OK, but an all-over lace design has holes, which show the bare scalp. They’re beautiful, but don’t offer the full coverage that is needed.

• Check the inside of the hat for lumps from knots or color changes that can be uncomfortable for some people. Heads that are bare from chemo are often quite sensitive. Also think about full head coverage, including the lower back of the scalp. Berets and tams are really nice fashion statements, but they leave a lot of bare skin.

Debbie, from Richland, Washington, offered this suggestion, which we’re pretty fond of:

• My daughter highly recommends attaching a small note that indicates the yarn it was made out of, washing instructions, and a personal note. It means so much, she says, to these women. Just to say, “Hi! I was thinking of you when I hand-knit this, especially for you! It was made with love and I hope you enjoy wearing it.” Something simple but sweet. It really means a lot.

We’ve gotten several questions through the web site about what yarns to use. Ruth had this to say: “Use super soft yarns. A good way to determine softness is to brush yarn against your cheek or the back of your hand. I use Caron Simply Soft and other similar yarns. Some Red Heart yarns are fairly soft, but Super Saver is not. Some of the wools are softer than the acrylics, but if used, the hat needs to have a large label on it. Some people are allergic to wool.”

Good thing to keep in mind. Note: If you are working on a wool hat, don’t fret. Any hats that may not be suitable for the chemo cap campaign will be welcome donations at Boston’s Long Island Homeless Shelter.

And now for the patterns:

• Bow Tie Cloche
• Pi Topper
• Lace Trim Chemo Cap
• Amanda
• Coronet
• A Better Bucket
• Butterfly Hat
• Capitan
• Claudia
• Odessa
• Lace edged Hat
• Irish Moss Toque
• Irish Hiking Hat
• Sea Urchin

We’re exhausted just from typing all that, so we’re pretty sure your eyeballs are ready to fall out. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the chemo cap you’re currently working on (“no wool? what do you mean no wool!?”) please feel free to send us an email. We obviously like to type, so we’ll do our best to get back to you with plenty of advice a.s.a.p.

Images courtesy of Susan and Debbie. Visit their page on Ravelry for more information.