Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

HALF A HUNDRED – PICK A WINNER, PLEASE (GIVEAWAY)

by

Uncommon Crochet by Julie Armstrong Holetz

By the time you read this published, I’ll have published my 500th blog post!!  I’ve spent a few minutes looking back over some articles I’d written months or more ago and was amazed to realize that I didn’t even remember some of them.  As a crocheter and a writer (I have another blog too – on walking), I keep busy checking out what’s new, useful, and exciting in the crochet world – whether that’s an older (classic) idea or a newer one.

So, with my 500th blog post, I’d like to hear from my readers.  What’s been your favorite blog article on CROCHETGOSSIP?  Please write a few words about the article you favor, include a link to it, and post it in the comments here.  For your efforts, I’ll draw TWO names from all the entries, so TWO people will receive crochet prizes.  Those two winners will be announced here and emailed privately and must respond within 24 hours of being emailed or I will draw another name.

CONTEST RUNS FROM JUNE 1, 2010 TO JUNE 30, 2010.

Here are the two prizes being offered:

Crochet For Bears To Wear by Amy O’neill Houck

Both books are brand-spankin’ new and ready to find new homes.

Comments

  3. not just one, i enjoy so many of the posts! On what is happening, what is new, etc. I always learn something or see something new and interesting! Congrats on 500 posts, wow!

  4. Now yous ee when im asked thinsg like thsi, my mind goes into meltdopwn and then blanks out lol
    I agree with Turtle though, I invariably find something of interest, learn something, finally understand something or realise what Ive read elsewhere, Ive managed to misunderstand! I pop in from time to time and always enjoy the site and here, you see,theres a fab book to buy! Uncommon Crochet….with a fab title too! Me to a T!

  5. I’m getting an email on craft gossip but not just crochet gossip which does include crochet. I love seeing the pictures of what’s new like to two books you are offering. I live in a small town so most of my shopping and dreaming is done online.

    Keep it coming! Hope I’m a lucky one.

    Bille

  6. My favorite postings would have to be in a category, when you introduce new books coming in the future or recently published. I like that it will have a link with an outline of what will be in the book and sometimes even a free pattern. I believe I get a good feel of what the book entails after reading your post, then the publishers post; sometimes if it’s a designer that I am unfamiliar with I like the free pattern to see the style and format that they put the pattern in.

  7. The day I found your blog is the day I turned on the email feature on my cellphone….so I can get your email post RIGHT AWAY to see your finds of the day. ALL your articles/posts are amaizing. Really! Best post so far for me was a recent article on Apple Pie boat as this gave me the idea I was searching for my son’s b-day party as he cant eat coloured icing!
    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

  10. I enjoy having you find projects at interesting websites like the flower pincushion at Creative Jewish Mom. I’m not Jewish, so unless I’m making something of a religious manner for a Jewish friend I wouldn’t ordinarily think to search patterns out there. I worked with a Muslim employee and have many Hindu friends, and I learn so much about them and their customs by crocheting and sewing patterns they suggest.

    And oh, the flower pincushion is going to be a catnip filled toy for my kitties.

  15. I HAVE TO ADMIT I AM LIKE THE LADY THAT POSTED BEFORE ME THAT WHEN I READ THE E-MAILS AND SUCH THAT ARE ON THIS SITE I SEEM TO GET SO CARRIED AWAY THAT I REALLY DON’T HAVE ANY 1 FAVORITE POST TO WRITE ABOUT.SOMETIMES I WILL SEE AN ARTICLE THAT CATCHES MY ATTENTION AND BEFORE I KNOW IT I HAVE BEEN BROWSING FOR 2 HRS. OR MORE,BECAUSE I SEEM TO FIND MORE AND MORE GOODIES AND PATTERNS AND I JUST CAN’T SEEM TO PRY MYSELF AWAY(LOL)WHICH IS A GOOD THING!!!!!

  16. My favorite posts are when you explain how a certain technique worked or didn’t work for you-and why. And you show pictures of people who made it work for them. You bring the best of crochet ideas to the forefront, and for those of us who can’t spend hours on the computer every day looking at crochet (cause then when would we crochet?) you are a life saver! Thanks JD. Just 1 particular post-naw, can’t do that!

  17. I’m brand new here, so the post I’m reading is my favorite! I hope you do this again some time so I can really have some input!

  18. I can’t possibly pick just one of your blog posts because I have learned so much from many of your posts. Your critiques of techniques really help me when deciding if I want to pursue it full throttle or just make one item to learn the technique and move on to something else.

    Thank you for all of the wonderful ideas here on CraftGossip.com.

  19. I enjoy them all…I like the reviews of books and websites. Keep up the great work.

  20. It is WAY TOO HARD to pick A single favorite blog! But If I had to choose a favorite it would definitely be when you show some of the stitches and techniques. Sometimes I find a technique or stitch I have been using is way off the mark and I have been doing it by the seat of my pants! It’s great to learn new techniques, or tweak old ones and add new stitches to my repertoire! Thank you for all the help and insight you have given me over ALL your blogs

  23. http://itsybitsyspidercrochet.blogspot.com/2009/12/mail-bag-healing-powers-of-fuzzy.html from http://crochet.craftgossip.com/stitches-that-heal/2010/04/07/

    I really liked this one due to the fact that it’s true. It’s one of those moments in time where you know that something you make can help the hurting of someone who is sad or sick…or even your own self. When I am sad or lonely, nothing makes me feel better than creating something new and beautiful. Especially when I am missing someone who has passed away, that also crafted with me. When I make a shell afghan, I always think of my Aunt Sis. Or a pair of slippers, I think of my Big Gram. I’ve taught a few people how to crochet…and it’s helped them get out of trouble and concentrate on construction and not destruction…
    It’s amazing what a once ball of yarn can become…outside of an item…it becomes part of ones soul.

  25. Can’t really pick just one, but my favorites are the ones in which you talk about, and show, freeform and/or extreme crochet. It is amazing to me the things folks can do with a simple hook and a piece of ‘string.’

  28. I really love the Amigurumi Pattern Helpers! I have collected so many Japanese crochet patterns, and have actually decided I should learn Japanese for the sole purpose of reading them all. This has really been a huge help!

  31. OOPS! I’m new at this! Can I try this again? Can u delete or disregard 2 previous posts please?

    I luv this tank top – Fluidity. It looks so cool & the pattern is so lacy. Something that can be worn early spring unto winter with a cover-up.
    http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEss10/PATTfluidity.php

    These books are great! Thank you

  33. I’ve just discovered this blog and love, love, love it!!!! I have so much more to read….can’t wait!!!!

  35. There are so many wonderful ideas in your posts, wish I had time to go back and look at all 500! I just love this onehttp://crochet.craftgossip.com/cute-crochet-storage-for-small-things/2010/03/24/
    and also the crocheted button covers.
    I’d sure love to win one of those books!
    all the best!

  38. i love the posts about jewellery, its to interesting to see what crochet used in jewellry making.

  39. I like to see new ideas for crochet projects & also like features about new books.

    Karen

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.