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WIN SOME NEEDLES – AND A HOOK TOO!

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I ran across these in my stash recently.  Don’t recall where they came from.  But, I don’t need them.  If you knit or want to learn, then add a comment below.  I’ll wait til May 5 (some fun for Cinco de Mayo) and draw a name for the winner.  I’ll throw in at least one crochet hook too – maybe not a new one, but a good one.

CHIAOGOO SINGLE POINT KNIT NEEDLES SIZE 3, 14 INCH

CHIAOGOO SINGLE POINT KNIT NEEDLES SIZE 3, 14 INCH

The hooks I’m offering are in slightly different packaging.  They’re size 3 and are 14 inches long.  Needles made in China from “Chinese Moso Bamboo, one of the largest and strongest bamboo species in the world.”

Leave me a comment – and Good Luck!

Comments

  1. My mother recently passed away and she loved to knit esp. dishcloths. i rec’d 1 set of her knitting needles – had to share with other family members- and and now learning to knit in her memory and finding it relaxing and a closeness to her. i also lost my job 6 months ago so these knitting needles would help me out. i also have been crocheting for over 30 yrs now so i have the yarn to knit but not the needles.

  2. Hi JD
    Mmmmmmmm those needles look wonderful! I have a set of bamboo dpn’s that are now my most favorite sock needles. I’d LOVE to try out other styles!
    hugs and thanks,
    Noreen

  3. I love crocheting & I have always wanted to learn to knit. This would really give me the incentive to start, hope I win. Thank-you for the chance.

  4. I’ve heard that bamboo needles are good for arthritic hands, which I have plus fibromyalgia. Knitting and crocheting are what keep me going each day, and reading what my fellow knit and crochet – a – holics are up to! Thanks for your contest offer!

  5. Hey JD, I would like to enter the contest, too. I taught myself to crochet about 9 years ago and have loved it ever since, now I am trying to teach myself to knit. I have heard that the yarn slides easier on the bamboo needles and would to try them out.

    Thanks!

  6. Hi Jd.. I finally found this contest for the needles.. I would love them.. thank you so much for doing this.. I hope I win.. lol.. hugs…Nancy

  7. My favorite needles are bamboo. Would love to win these to add to my limited collection.

  8. Hi! I crochet, but I’m learning to knit. I have some bamboo hooks and I love them! I would love to win these needles because I think they will be great to knit with.

  9. I finally saved enough to get one pair and they are really nice. My knitting doesn’t fall off and yet it slides easily when I want it to~!

  10. Hello! I am a long time crocheter from NC. I love the look of knit as well, but have never learned. While my foot injury is healing, I have decided to learn to knit. I am having trouble keeping the yarn on properly on the metal needles & think this type of needle would be easier to use. Your site is great!

  11. I would love to win these knitting needles because I enjoy knitting just as much as crocheting.Thank you very much for offering them.

  12. Hey JD, Please put my name in for the contest…thanks for helping all of us who need it. 🙂

  13. I would love to win the knitting needles. A long time ago, I signed up for free lessons in knitting, crochet, macrame and embroidery. The crochet stuck but am relearning and trying to be better at knitting.

  14. I have been wanting some bamboo needles!I sure hope you will add my name to the hat and I hope I win a set! My Great Aunt Pearl taught me to crochet when I was 6. I bought a book and have been teaching myself to knit. Have a great day!

  15. HI Jd, This is a wonderful contest…but i dont think you would be able to send the needles to india ..is it?I dont get bamboo needles here and have checked out in many stores…Nevertheless its a fascination for me to try knitting with bamboo needles…Awe site since i get a lot of tips in crocheting and jewellery designing from here..Keep up the gud work!

  17. This is an awesome prize! I am trying to build up my knitting needle supply!

  18. I have been knitting and crocheting for more years than I care to admit, but have not had the pleasure of using bamboo so would welcome the chance to try and maybe you will persuade an old dog to try new tricks!

  20. JD – thanks for the books through the CP Recycle Contest. Next thing is to try thread. After that… Knitting is the next thing on my list to pick back up. Thanks!!

  21. Please include me in the drawing! I am trying to relearn knitting and would LOVE to have these needles! Thanks so much! This is a super wonderful thing to do!!

  22. I love, love crochet, but have really wanted to learn to knit for a while. Just haven’t yet taken the step of buying needles, there are too many choices in the stores and I don’t really know which to choose to start. I’m ready to learn, have a huge stash of yarn, but which needles to start with is the next question. Winning this contest would solve that problem.

  23. I have heard from several people that bamboo sticks are the ebst to work with. I’m a newbie at this & still trying to figure out the best way to start off. And it seems as though these needles would be a good start for me. If you or anyone has any recommendations I’d really appreciate it. Hopefully I might win these needle sets.
    Good Luck to everyone!

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.