Sunday, August 6, 2017
Monday, January 9, 2017
Chemo Caps
I have an aunt who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and is starting her chemo treatment. I asked her if she would enjoy some knitted hats, and she said she would LOVE some! So I started scouring Ravelry for some extra cute hat patterns, as well as for suggestions from fellow knitters who have made chemo caps before.
Here are just a few of the tips I received (mostly from former chemo patients themselves):
#1: Don't use animal fiber yarn- Unless the recipient of the hat knows that they can handle it, don't use animal fiber yarn for chemo caps. I guess that chemotherapy makes patients skin extra sensitive, to where any animal fiber seems extremely itchy. In my aunt's case, she has super sensitive skin to begin with, so wool is a definite no. Most of the Ravelers I talked with suggested acrylic or cotton. I really don't like acrylic myself, either to work with or to wear, so I found a couple of nice cotton options (see below).
#2: Stay away from blacks, greys, yellows, and some greens- I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told that these colors don't look good on chemo patients. Since chemo gives their skin an 'ashy' look, these colors sometimes emphasize that. My aunt really wanted one of her hats in a grey yarn, however, so I'm going ahead and trying it. I found a pretty dark grey to work with, because I figured a darker grey would look livelier than a pale grey. I really hoping it works for her, but I figured the most important thing was letting her be involved in the process and pick the colors!
#3: Avoid patterns with openwork and lace- This one is pretty self-explanatory, since the point of a chemo cap is to cover up their scalp, not let it show!
#4: Make a 'just-for-fun' hat- Several of the former chemo-patients on Ravelry expressed that while sometimes they wanted to wear a hat that made them feel pretty or dressed nice, other times they just wanted to have fun and wear a silly hat! They suggested I find out what characters/movies my aunt likes, and try to make a themed hat based around that.
#5: Avoid seams- Again, pretty self-explanatory, but something I hadn't thought of before going on Ravelry. For extra-sensitive scalps, nobody wants a bulky seam to cause discomfort!
I hope these tips have helped any of you who are working on making some chemo caps!
My aunt picked out two hat styles for me to work on, but I'm hoping I can make even more than that! The first one is Ksenia. She wanted it just as pictured, with the gray and red. I decided to make it with Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton. It's 100% organic cotton yarn, and SO soft! I'm absolutely loving how it's working up with this hat, and am already thinking to make her more hats with the same yarn!
The second hat she picked out was the Caroline hat. I had made this hat previously, and my aunt decided to do those same colors. For this hat I decided to use Cascade Ultra Pima yarn. I've worked with this yarn before and love it, so I think it's going to turn out lovely for this hat! I haven't started on this one yet, but am really looking forward to it!
Here are just a few of the tips I received (mostly from former chemo patients themselves):
#1: Don't use animal fiber yarn- Unless the recipient of the hat knows that they can handle it, don't use animal fiber yarn for chemo caps. I guess that chemotherapy makes patients skin extra sensitive, to where any animal fiber seems extremely itchy. In my aunt's case, she has super sensitive skin to begin with, so wool is a definite no. Most of the Ravelers I talked with suggested acrylic or cotton. I really don't like acrylic myself, either to work with or to wear, so I found a couple of nice cotton options (see below).
#2: Stay away from blacks, greys, yellows, and some greens- I don't know if this is true or not, but I was told that these colors don't look good on chemo patients. Since chemo gives their skin an 'ashy' look, these colors sometimes emphasize that. My aunt really wanted one of her hats in a grey yarn, however, so I'm going ahead and trying it. I found a pretty dark grey to work with, because I figured a darker grey would look livelier than a pale grey. I really hoping it works for her, but I figured the most important thing was letting her be involved in the process and pick the colors!
#3: Avoid patterns with openwork and lace- This one is pretty self-explanatory, since the point of a chemo cap is to cover up their scalp, not let it show!
#4: Make a 'just-for-fun' hat- Several of the former chemo-patients on Ravelry expressed that while sometimes they wanted to wear a hat that made them feel pretty or dressed nice, other times they just wanted to have fun and wear a silly hat! They suggested I find out what characters/movies my aunt likes, and try to make a themed hat based around that.
#5: Avoid seams- Again, pretty self-explanatory, but something I hadn't thought of before going on Ravelry. For extra-sensitive scalps, nobody wants a bulky seam to cause discomfort!
I hope these tips have helped any of you who are working on making some chemo caps!
My aunt picked out two hat styles for me to work on, but I'm hoping I can make even more than that! The first one is Ksenia. She wanted it just as pictured, with the gray and red. I decided to make it with Blue Sky Fibers Worsted Cotton. It's 100% organic cotton yarn, and SO soft! I'm absolutely loving how it's working up with this hat, and am already thinking to make her more hats with the same yarn!
The second hat she picked out was the Caroline hat. I had made this hat previously, and my aunt decided to do those same colors. For this hat I decided to use Cascade Ultra Pima yarn. I've worked with this yarn before and love it, so I think it's going to turn out lovely for this hat! I haven't started on this one yet, but am really looking forward to it!
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Vintage Aeroplane Pillow Pattern Sale
My Vintage Aeroplane pillow pattern is finally released on Ravelry! Use the coupon code 'aeroplanelaunch' to get it 25% off until December 31.
Friday, November 4, 2016
Oruga Pattern Sale
From now until November 12, get my new Oruga baby blanket pattern for 50% off, with the coupon code 'orugasale'!!! :)
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Vintage Aeroplane Pillow
I mentioned in a previous post that I was starting work on designing a pillow unlike any I've seen before.... Well it's all done, and currently in the process of being tested on Ravelry. I'm SO happy with how it turned out, and hope you all fall in love with it as well!
My nephew had a vintage-airplane themed 1st birthday recently, and I designed this for his present. It features a vintage bi-plane on the front, seed stitch borders, a fabric back, and a zipper in the bottom for easy removal. I've never tried to combine fabric with knitting before, and I've also never put a zipper in my knitting... So this was quite the new experience! Despite having to make it up as I went, I'm REALLY pleased with how it turned out, and this whole process has been making my brain churn with more possibilities for new patterns!
As soon as it's done being test-knitted, I'll be releasing this pattern for sale, hopefully in time for Christmas knitting!
My nephew had a vintage-airplane themed 1st birthday recently, and I designed this for his present. It features a vintage bi-plane on the front, seed stitch borders, a fabric back, and a zipper in the bottom for easy removal. I've never tried to combine fabric with knitting before, and I've also never put a zipper in my knitting... So this was quite the new experience! Despite having to make it up as I went, I'm REALLY pleased with how it turned out, and this whole process has been making my brain churn with more possibilities for new patterns!
As soon as it's done being test-knitted, I'll be releasing this pattern for sale, hopefully in time for Christmas knitting!
Oruga Baby Blanket is Available!!!
My new pattern, Oruga, is now available for purchase on Ravelry!!! I'm so excited about it, and hope you all love it as much as I do! :)
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Oruga Baby Blanket
I'm super excited to be getting back into designing some knitting patterns!!! It's been a couple of years since I've been able to play around and design something myself, instead of just doing other people's patterns! I just finished this blanket, and am currently trying to get test-knitters for it on Ravelry (let me know if you want in on this, and I'll let you know how!).
It's knit with a super bulky chenille yarn, so it's SUPER cozy for a little one. Because of the chunky yarn, it's a relatively quick knit, and doesn't get boring like many baby blankets. It has a simple grid pattern, with lacy squares, stockinette squares, and seed stitch squares. Very simple, but so classy looking!
As soon as I can get the pattern released, I will be posting a link on here! :)
(P.S. I'm also starting work on a pillow pattern that I'm SUPER excited about! I've never even seen a pattern quite like it, so it is completely experimental. I think it's going to turn out really well, and I can't wait for you all to see it!!!)
It's knit with a super bulky chenille yarn, so it's SUPER cozy for a little one. Because of the chunky yarn, it's a relatively quick knit, and doesn't get boring like many baby blankets. It has a simple grid pattern, with lacy squares, stockinette squares, and seed stitch squares. Very simple, but so classy looking!
As soon as I can get the pattern released, I will be posting a link on here! :)
(P.S. I'm also starting work on a pillow pattern that I'm SUPER excited about! I've never even seen a pattern quite like it, so it is completely experimental. I think it's going to turn out really well, and I can't wait for you all to see it!!!)
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