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GIVEAWAY – (FORMERLY BLOGTEST) MARCH, 2010 WEEK #1

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I have two skeins of this lovely yarn (Color #241) for the winner of this month’s Giveaway.  Refer to the bottom of the post for all the rules.

Here’s the question for this week – Giveaway #3, Week #1

What would you make with these two skeins of yarn?  Links to free patterns or a picture of a similar project appreciated.

Allegro Madil is a bulky boucle yarn composed of 85% wool and 15% nylon with 82 yards per 50 gram ball.  So, you have just over 160 yards to work with.  Hand wash, lay flat to dry.  Gauge (hook/needle size) is not given but I’d use an ‘I’ hook or larger.  The color in this picture is a bit brighter than the skein I have in front of me.  I’d describe it as a lime green with flecks of grape and deep mauve.  Please don’t hold me to those color names.  Color is not my forte!  Suffice it to say that this yarn is about the color of the skin of a lime with flecks of two purplish colors.  Good enough???

Here are the rules:

Each item will be mailed to the winner by USPS – books by media mail.  For now, this contest will only be open to participants with a U.S. mailing address.

This is how it will work.  Each Monday, I’ll pose a question on my blog.  Everyone who answers the questions will be entered in the drawing on the last day of that month.  Some ‘answers’ may require you to post a link to a specific pattern or site.  The winner will be announced along with the next Monday’s question.  The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with mailing information.  If the winner doesn’t contact me, the prize will be offered on another occasion.

RESPONSES MUST BE POSTED HERE AND NOT EMAILED TO ME PRIVATELY OR POSTED ELSEWHERE FOR ENTRY.

TO MAKE IT CRYSTAL CLEAR, THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE LAST FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH AND THE WINNER MUST EMAIL ME ([email protected]) WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT.  So, for sanity’s sake, that deadline will really mean that I need to hear from you no later than 8 PM the following Monday (so you have plenty of time to email me and I’ll get the email for sure even if I don’t sign on to my email on a Sunday).

Simply enter to win by leaving a comment on this post answering the question posed.

Comments

  1. I would make a scarf most likely but I can’t work with wool and this has a high content of it. It is beautiful yarn and I know the winner will come up with something really terrific.

  4. i would most likely make a cowl like this one from lion brand (Frosty Morning Cowl): [IMG]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r25/Ainadaliel/90596ada.jpg[/IMG]

    but get to 2 skeins of jiffy or homespun yarn and either do strips or two big section of each color.

    good luck to everyone 🙂

  6. I would make a scarf. A simple pattern that shows off the texture and the “flecks of two purplish colors.”

  7. I have a friend who is having a baby soon and I want to knit a cocoon-type swadling thingy. I think the green or the tan would be lovely! Thanks!

  14. I’m just learning to crochet, so it would have to be fairly simple, but it would be for my new granddaughter, Olivia. But I looked up Solomon’s knot from Kathryn’s response… wow, is that gorgeous!!

  15. I’d make a hat. Really simple, not requiring a pattern – just a filet pattern in a circle, then decrease the increases until you have the hat shape.

  17. What beautiful yarn! If I should be so lucky to win I would make an amigurumi toy poodle with this yarn! I would have to buy the book or find a pattern, but I think this would work! Thank you.

  18. I would make pet booties for my daughter’s guide dog. They just moved to Minn. from Florida so the weather has been a shock not only to her but her dog as well. The wool would prevent the cold and damp from getting to his paws.haven’t found a pattern yet that would be close to what I am looking for unless it would be baby mitts.

  19. I would not make an entire object out of this yarn unless I could find more of it, but pair it with a black or matching purple and make a couch through, some granny squares made on a k or l hook, nice and airy, light weight, just enough to ward of the air conditioning chill of summer. Sorry no link, at work-but the basic granny square from lions brand website would work just on a larger hook.

  20. I really want to make a cute sweater for my daughter. This would be a perfect yarn. Sorry I wish I had a link to add. I have the pattern at home though…

  21. Hi there
    Lovely yarn great giveaway
    I would create a warm and wooly scarf for my darling dil
    thanks for the oppotunity
    Cheers
    Catie

  23. These funky little crocheted pocket dolls that are in all colors for the diversity of people and wishes in the world.

  24. If I’d had it in time, I’d have made accent scarves for my daughters to wear on St. Patrick’s Day. Then they wouldn’t have been arm punched all day for not wearing green.

  28. maybe a scarf or a basketweave pattered hat. Variegated yarns don’t always show pattern stsitches well, but a basketweave (fp, bp) would work well with this yarn!

  36. A sweater for my daughter’s doll. It’s all in my head.. no link to any site for an idea.

Have you read?

Make To Donate: Crochet Chemo Cap Patterns

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.

Crochet Chemo Cap Patterns to Make and Donate

1. Simple Crochet Chemo Cap

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.

2. Canadia Chemo Cap

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.

3. Lily of the Valley Chemo Cap

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.

4. Velvet Ridge Chemo Cap in Four Sizes

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.

5. Soft Heart Chemo Hat

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.

6. Diane Beanie Chemo Cap

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.

7. Textured Stripes Chemo Cap

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.

8. Elixir Chemo Cap

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.

9. Cancer Ribbon Crochet Beanie

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.

10. Hopeful Butterfly Chemo Hat

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.

11. Summer Chemo Cap With Sun Hat Brim

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.

12. Consuelo Beanie

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.

13. Linda’s Easy Chemo Cap

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.

14. Just Chenille Chemo Cap

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.

15. Kim’s Chemo Hat Crochet Pattern

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.

Choosing Yarn for Crochet Chemo Caps

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.

What Makes a Good Crochet Chemo Cap?

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.