Patterns, projects and techniques
SO, HERE THE FIRST QUESTION FOR JANUARY, 2010. If you don’t know how the blogtest works, please refer to my blog post of January 2, 2010 for all the rules.
WHAT IS YOUR CROCHET GOAL FOR 2010?
Be sure to post an answer ON THIS BLOG IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. Do not send an email to me or respond elsewhere if you want to be counted as an entry.
And, oh, yeah. The first prize is this sweet little book:
What a sweet little deal!
There are some crochet projects that are lovely to make, and then there are the ones that feel like they have a little more purpose stitched into them. Chemo caps definitely fall into that second category.
A handmade crochet chemo cap can provide warmth, privacy and comfort to someone experiencing treatment-related hair loss, but this is one charity crochet project where the yarn and pattern really do matter. A beautiful hat made with scratchy yarn or an open lace stitch may look lovely sitting on your craft table but be completely wrong for a sensitive scalp.
If you are new to making handmade donations, our broader Make To Donate crochet pattern collection is a useful place to start. 20 Crochet Patterns Perfect for Donating to Charities You can also read our guide to crocheting for a cause before choosing an organisation to support. Crochet for a Cause: Using Your Skills to Make a Difference
Before you start crocheting, contact your chosen cancer centre or organisation and check its current requirements.
Crochet for Cancer asks that donated caps are new, clean and free from perfume, smoke and pet hair. They recommend soft cotton, acrylic, silk, fleece or blends and specifically advise against wool and alpaca because they may irritate sensitive scalps. They also recommend close stitches without large gaps. Knots of Love similarly asks makers to avoid lacy or see-through designs and maintains its own approved yarn list.
In other words, this is not the project for that mystery skein of scratchy wool you bought on clearance twelve years ago and have been trying to justify ever since.
Get the Simple Crochet Chemo Cap free pattern
This is a very practical place to start. The pattern was specifically designed as a chemo cap and comes in sizes from children through adult extra large.
It uses a cotton and rayon blend and combines half double crochet with subtle ridged sections, giving the hat some texture without creating big open spaces. I particularly like having several sizes in one pattern because cancer treatment affects people of every age.
Get the Canadia Hat free crochet pattern
The Canadia Hat from Banana Moon Studio was designed specifically with chemo care in mind. It uses a light worsted yarn and linked stitches that help create a fairly solid fabric without making the hat stiff.
The pattern includes a range of sizes and the free version is available directly on the designer’s website.
Get the Lily of the Valley Chemo Cap pattern
If you would like something a little prettier without wandering into overly open lace territory, this floral-textured chemo cap is a lovely option.
It was created for the Crochet Cancer Challenge and is designed using soft lightweight yarn for comfortable wear. It has enough detail to feel special while still being intended specifically for cancer patients and donation programs.
Get the free Velvet Ridge Chemo Cap pattern
This newer chemo cap pattern includes four sizes from approximately age five through adult XL.
It uses plush chenille-style yarn and has a simple ridged band for a little visual detail. The designer also suggests checking with your local cancer centre before making donation caps, which is advice I wish every charity pattern included.
Get the Soft Heart Chemo Hat free crochet pattern
The Soft Heart Beanie was created for the 2025 Crochet Cancer Challenge and comes in six sizes, from preemie through adult.
The design is seamless, soft and designed to work up relatively quickly, making it a particularly useful pattern if your crochet group is planning to make multiple hats.
Get the Diane Beanie free crochet pattern
The Diane Beanie is a simple top-down design made primarily with single crochet and finished with a back-loop ribbed brim.
The result is a fairly dense fabric, which is exactly what we want for a chemo cap. The pattern includes teen/small adult and large adult sizing.
Get the Textured Stripes Chemo Cap free pattern
I like this one for anyone who gets bored making completely plain hats.
The texture gives the cap a little personality, but the designer has kept the inside comfortable and smooth. It was created specifically for cancer-hat donation projects, so it fits our Make To Donate theme beautifully.
Get the Elixir Chemo Cap free crochet pattern
The Elixir is another pattern created specifically for charity donation and cancer awareness.
It includes three sizes and was designed to be lightweight, breathable and gentle. You can also choose a yarn colour associated with a particular cancer awareness cause if you are making hats for a specific fundraising or support event.
Get the free Cancer Ribbon Beanie pattern
This one makes the symbolism quite literal, with an awareness ribbon worked into the hat design.
The pattern comes in toddler, child and adult sizes and uses front-post colourwork to create the ribbon motif.
For actual chemo use, I would pay particular attention to the yarn choice and inside texture. For awareness events, fundraising or support gifts, though, the ribbon detail is especially meaningful.
Get the Hopeful Butterfly Hat free pattern
This hat was originally created as a chemo cap and incorporates awareness-inspired detailing along with butterfly symbolism.
It is a lovely choice when you want something that looks less like a basic medical head covering and more like a thoughtfully designed handmade accessory.
Get the Summer Chemo Cap free crochet pattern
Most chemo-cap collections lean heavily towards cold-weather beanies, so I was pleased to find this summer option.
It combines a lightweight cap with a small sun-hat-style brim and was designed specifically for people undergoing treatment or experiencing sensitive scalps.
It is also a good reminder that people undergoing cancer treatment may need comfortable head coverings all year round, not just when the temperature drops.
Get the Consuelo Beanie free crochet pattern
The Consuelo Beanie was created for the Crochet Cancer Challenge and the complete crochet pattern remains available free on the designer’s blog.
It is beginner-friendly and was designed specifically as a hat suitable for donating to someone living with cancer.
Get Linda’s Easy Chemo Cap pattern
This is an older pattern, but still a useful one to keep bookmarked.
The adult-small version remains available as a free download, and the design was created specifically for makers pledging to donate a hat to a cancer patient or treatment centre.
Get the Just Chenille Chemo Cap free pattern
If the receiving organisation accepts chenille yarn, this plush option is worth considering.
The free pattern includes three adult sizes from XS through XL and uses soft chenille yarn to produce a warm, velvety cap. As always, check the charity’s yarn list first because individual cancer centres may have different requirements.
See Kim’s Chemo Hat crochet pattern on Etsy
For our paid Etsy option, Kim’s Beanie from ThroughTheLoopYC was originally designed for the Crochet Cancer Challenge.
The PDF includes child, adult small and adult large sizing plus a photo stitch tutorial. It is labelled as an easy to advanced-beginner pattern and was designed specifically as a soft, comfortable chemo cap.
This is one area where I would choose yarn for the recipient rather than because I happen to love the colour.
A yarn that feels perfectly comfortable against your hand may feel completely different against a scalp made sensitive by chemotherapy.
Look for soft, smooth and washable fibres and avoid heavily textured, scratchy or hairy yarn unless the receiving organisation has specifically approved it.
Knots of Love actually maintains a required yarn list for its own donations, which is a good reminder that there isn’t one universal “best chemo-cap yarn.”
If you’re buying yarn specifically for charity projects rather than raiding the stash, I would choose practical washable colours and yarn you can reliably buy again. Nobody needs to discover halfway through a 20-hat charity project that the beautiful bargain yarn was discontinued in 2009.
For most donation programs, think:
soft rather than scratchy
close stitches rather than open lace
comfortable seams
good scalp coverage
washable yarn
no heavy embellishments unless the charity specifically allows them
a useful range of sizes
And always make the hat to the requirements of the organisation receiving it.
For more general hat donations, you can also browse our 10 crochet beanie patterns to make and donate. See the charity crochet beanie roundup
CraftBits also has a free vintage child’s crochet beanie pattern that can be useful for general children’s winter charity projects. Free Vintage Crochet Child’s Beanie Pattern on CraftBits For cancer-care donations, however, I would only use it after checking the yarn, fit and stitch coverage against the receiving organisation’s chemo-cap requirements.
There is something quietly powerful about making a chemo cap for someone you may never meet. It is not going to change their diagnosis or make treatment easier, but it can make one cold waiting room, one difficult morning or one vulnerable moment a little more comfortable.
Sometimes a ball of yarn really can become something much bigger than we expected.
I have just started to work on the crochet afghan i need to finish before next christmas. Along with that i’m working on designing a doily pattern.
My crochet goal for this year is to crochet my first afghan. It will be king size and made of eco-organic cotton. 🙂
My goal is to finish the afghan I have in progress, edge another finished afghan for granddaughter’s birthday in Feb, and see if I can figure out the pattern to restart a strip afghan that began probably 12 years ago. Sort of looks like I’m in ‘afghan mode’, huh? LOL
My crochet goal for this year is to do some more filet crochet. I finished a project for a Christmas present this past year, and was so pleased with the results, that I’m ready to tackle another project…I think they are so pretty when done…
I hope to learn how to crochet sweaters,My goal is to learn how to make the arm holes I always get confessed an then toss it SO I hope to accompish(sp) this as my main goal.Thank you for this contest
My goal for this year will be to finish the 50 projects I started last year! I have about 25 afghans, 6 baby outfits and bunches of other things like doll outfits,toys ect.
Happy New Year!
My goal is to finish all my current WIP. Not to say I won’t start new ones but some of my in proress afghans have been in progress for over a year. 🙂
My goal is to make a hat that actually fits and looks decent (hats are my crochet achilles heel)
My crochet goal for this year is to crochet a ripple blanket for my 4 years old son.
My goal is to use yarn on hand to finish a baby afghan, several scarfs and a scrap afghan.Organizing my supplies would also be a nice goal. Thanks!
My goal is to try some of the new patterns I’ve amassed this year. I’ve been busy making for other people–now I want to make some things for myself–wearables & afghans.
Ooh – I’ve wanted this book for awhile but haven’t yet purchased it. That would be perfect!
My crochet goal for the year is to make everything in my Amigurumi Two book (so cute!) and to give it all away via The Toy Society. Not only can I brighten someone’s day, I can whittle down my yarn stash in the process. Win-win!
My goal this year is to make 55 or more cancer and/or winter caps for kids. In August I will be 55 years old, born in 1955, so decided 55 was a good number!
I have two afghans that are on my new years resolutions list to finish! I’ve been working on the one for probably 5 years (ridiculous, I know!) and the other for about a year.
My crochet goal for 2010 is to start crocheting again. I did it for many years, and just stopped. Now I want to do some baby afghans for my new granddaughter and a few for my house, including a King size for my bed. not sure on patterns yet.
sandym204 @ gmail dot com
Quite a few! My closest goal to completion is a huge Super Mario for a friend as a belated christmas/birthday present. Then I get to teach myself how to really work in a round, make some amigurumi for another friend overseas, and a bunny doll for my daughter. Like Salihan, I’d like to make my first afghan, though not quite as large! I’m really looking forward to lots of projects and new stitches =]
Have a great week!
My goal is to crochet a queen size bedspread form my bed.
My crochet goal for the year is to finish working on a throw which will be a wedding present for my son & d-i-l to be.
Great question! My goal is to complete 20 different types of crochet projects in 2010.
Each year since the 2000 I’ve done a “top 20” resolution. I’ve tasted 20 different wines, seen 20 movies by one actor, read 20 different books on one topic, etc. This year’s 20 is the crochet goal.
I just learned to crochet a few months ago and think this goal is going to give me a great opportunity to work on a variety of different short-term and long-term projects. Wish me luck!
I want to complete a top for myself. I usually only crochet for others.
My crochet goal for this year is to crochet something for as many categories as I can for our county fair. Usually I just go to my stash to see what I have made, and then find a category for it to fit in. This year I want to make so different items.
my crochet goal for 2010…to finish my christmas gifts for 2010. I’ve got a list made of all the things I want to make for everyone (i.e., sweater for sis, cardigan for bil, afghans for nieces, etc). I’ve already started…went out and bought yarn for two of the sweaters yesterday. Now to get organized and started. 🙂
My crochet goal for this year is to keep crocheting even after my newborn arrives in mid-April! I have a couple of cute sweaters I want to crochet for her and am hoping to have time to make multiple sizes. Also, I want to make a beautiful ruffled capelet for myself.
I have two crochet goals this year: One is to put together some granny squares that my mom crocheted (she has since passed on) and the other is to learn how to make circular granny squares (if that makes any sense!!)
My first goal this year is matching yarn in my stash with patterns. The project plan is for crocheting hats, scarves, prayer shawls,soldiers beanies and premature infant caps for a variety of charities.
My crochet goal for this year is to attempt to crochet a wearable garment for myself. The past year I crocheted wearable things for my 1 year old granddaughter and everything fit!
I’m new to crochet. My goal for this year is to try progressively challenging projects. One thing I really shy away from is any item that calls for color changes. The next “scary” project is clothing, so since I have a new grand daughter to be born Feb. 1 I WILL make her a baby sweater, hat and booties.
My crochet goal is to design my own pattern!
My goal is crocheting for a new great niece or nephew and a wedding present for a dear friends daughter. I am thinking a very nice shawl for the wedding, have the pattern picked out need to shop for a very nice white yarn. Then for the baby a sweater set. I have always had problems with sweaters, so I have a pattern and I am going to do it if it takes all year. My niece does not want to know what the sex of the child is going to be until it happens so I have to work with green and yellow yarn. Will be shopping for that also. Can’t wait to get started.
I am planning on using up all my cotton crochet threads by crocheting kitchen washcloths for gifts. I also plan to use up some of my wool yarns by doing some crocheting, then felting and see what happens. I live in a warm climate so wool sweaters are not appropriate!
This is the year I plan to make my first full size afghan, and I’m finally going to make a prayer shawl for myself.
My crochet goal this year is to reduce my HUGE stash of yarn! I want to make a multi-colored medallion type afghan too!
My crochet goal for this year is to crochet one square of a white crochet (size 10 thread) bedspread every week. I think at this rate I can complete a queen size bedspread by years end.
12 crocheted blanket for Project Linus, 1 sweater for myself, finish UFO afghan for my parents and figure out crocheted cables (in regular and afghan stitiches)
My goal is to make an afghan for both my mother and my sister
I am working on my first afghan…25 blocks of crochet ribbing plus a border!
This is my year to finally start (well, restart) my crochet business. First, I am going to start a blog. I am working on crochet designs to post and to sell via Etsy. I also will make items to sell also via Etsy. This has always been my dream and, as I am nearing 50, it is time to make it come true.
My main goal is to use up my worsted stash to create afghans, lapghans, etc., and donate them to a local shelter for the homeless. It sure is cold outside! My personal crochet goal is to sew some new hook roll up bags in order to keep my dozens of needles straight!
I started crocheting socks as 2009 was ending. My goal for 2010 is to modify my current sock pattern into the PERFECT sock pattern for my feet. Once I’ve done that, I’ll have to make new edits (and write them down!!) for my important family members who are going to be getting socks.
My crochet goal this year is twofold – one, to try to crochet at least one day a week, and two, to follow a pattern that is more difficult than “beginner”. I really want to hone my skills and create some of the beautiful things that I am inpired by from this blog!
My crochet goal for 2010 is to finally crochet a pair of socks. Sweater? Did that in 2009. Afghan? Done and done and done. But socks? Those are intimidating to me. But I’m up for the challenge!
And thanks for the blogtest!
My crochet goal is to figure out how to crochet! I can do the basic stitches but have trouble keeping the stitches consistent. I suppose it just takes practice, huh?
My crotchet goal for this year is to perfect the basic techniques, learn to read patterns, and crotchet something a bit more difficult than a scarf or wash cloth!
For 2010, I want to finish more projects than I start :o) I also want to make more items for me. I am blessed with some loved ones who deeply appreciate hand-made gifts but I spend all my time crafting for them.
Most of all, 2010 I will fear NO project! I have the skills to crochet anything I want and darn it, I’m going to do it!
First and formost for 2010 is to finish up ufo’s from 2009. Then I want to make each of my children(3) new hats and scarves, and possibly mittens. I also have about 100 other projects that I would love to do, time and stash permiting.
To crochet some vintage doilies and a shawl.. there are some really great patterns out there that I really want to try. Since I also knit I want to fit in some socks and some knit lace as well. Gonna be a fun year!
My crochet goal is to use up all my old yarn so I can buy some nice new yarn!
My goal is to continue to use up my stash by making colorful ripple afghans, granny square afghans and hats. I am going to search charitable organizations to donate some of the items to and set some aside for Christmas presents. I am also determined to find a decent mitten pattern. Once my stash is gone, I am going to reward myself by making a soft afghan in colors that appeal to ME and I will wrap up in it and crochet some MORE!!!
My crochet goal for this year is to crochet each of my children an afghan.
My goal for the year 2010, is to expand my knowledge in crocheting. I want to tackle patterns that I want to do. I have never tried the ripple, and want to make an afghan using this pattern. I want to try to crochet amigurumi items. I have the Grim Reaper pattern and want to make it. This requires reading a chart. I want to be comfidant in my crocheting.
Thanks.