Hope Slouchy Hat
Brain Cancer
I chose the grey color in honor of all the brain cancer patients I took care of.
As a Registered Nurse, I previously worked on a Neurology floor for a long time. Apart from taking care of stroke and head injury patients, we took care of brain and spinal cord tumor patients. It was sad to see people of all ages come in with complains of a headache or what they thought was a migraine, only to be shattered with the news of brain cancer. Some had aggressive cancer that after a few weeks of diagnosis you could not recognize them. But we also had the best outcomes one could ever ask for. When we saw any of the patients in remission and doing well, we always got excited. That is why when I saw the Cancer Challenge Blog Hop by Christina Naugle of Sweet Potato 3, I got excited and immediately knew I wanted to make a hat for brain cancer.
Although I no longer work with these patients, the memory of me taking care of them compelled me to want to make this hat. I wanted to make something soft and cozy especially, unlike other cancers where one might only lose hair from chemotherapy, brain cancer patients will have a surgical wound/scar on their head, and depending on treatment afterward, they might also lose their hair. A soft and cozy hat that they can wear all year round is the best. I plan to take the hat to the charge nurse so that she can give it to any of the patients.
Thanks to Christina for giving me a chance to be able to share this hat in the Cancer Challenge Blog Hop. Although this hat is made for brain cancer, you can customize it by using a different color of yarn for the specific type of cancer. Below are also the types of yarn you can use if you can’t find the yarn I used.
Yarn
Loops and Threads Impeccable Yarn 100% Acrylic, a worsted weight yarn. It is not the softest yarn to use but softens after several washes. The yarn is thick, warm enough for cancer patients to wear during chemo treatment or just cover their head for warmth especially if they lost their hair. If you can;’’t find this particular yarn you can substitute it with Big Twist Yarns, Premier just Tweed Yarn, Herrschners Worsted 8, Bernat Super Value, Mary Maxim Baby Blankie, or Caron Baby Cakes.
Materials
Loops and Threads Impeccable Yarn 100% Acrylic, 285 yds (260 m), 4.5 oz (127.5 g).
Weight - Worsted (4)
Colorway -
Hook size 5 mm (H)
Scissors
Tape Measure
Tapestry Needle
Faux pom pom (optional)
Stitch Marker
Skill Level
Easy
Gauge
15 sts x 12 rows = 4” x 4” (10 cm x 10 cm)
Finished Measurements
Toddler-16” x 8”
Child-19” x 8.5”
Teen/Small Adult-21” x 9”
Medium/Large Adult-23” x 9.5
Abbreviations
Ch -chain
Sc - single crochet
Hdc - half double crochet
Blo - back loop only
Scblo - single crochet back loop only
Hdcblo - half double crochet back loop only
inv sc2tog: invisible single crochet 2 together (decrease)
Hhdc - herringbone half double crochet
Special Stitch
Herringbone Half Double Crochet: Yarn over, insert hook into next stitch and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Pull the first loop straight through the second (similar to a slip stitch). Yarn over, pull through two remaining loops on hook.
Invisible single crochet 2 together:
Insert the hook into the front loop of the first stitch of the decrease
Insert the hook into the front loop of the next stitch of the decrease.
Yarn over and draw through the first 2 loops on the hook.
Yarn over again and pull the yarn through the 2 loops on the hook
Notes
The Pattern is written in US Standard Terms.
The hat is made in rounds, no turning after joining.
Use a place marker to keep up with where you join.
Pom pom is optional.
