A Chemo Hat for Tamara

One of my swimming friends called the other day to ask if I would make another chemo hat like I had made for Jill. 

A friend at work named Tamara had a recurrence of cancer and has 12 more rounds (!) of chemo to get through...that's on top of the 12 she had just completed.  What a tough road.

No yarn is better for a chemo hat than Muench Touch Me.

The first chemo hat I made with this yarn was for my mother.  

At the time, there were many chemo hats offered to her through the hospital and support groups to help keep her head from getting cold.   Most of them were made from wool, a fiber that is tough on sensitive skin and newly balding heads.

Touch Me is 72% rayon microfiber and 28% wool and it feels like heaven...the softest velvet you can imagine.  

Unfortunately, the reason why most chemo caps are probably not made from this wonderful fiber is because of its price...around $16.95 for 50gr/61yds.  I used 2.4 balls for this hat being modeled by Abby, which means I had to buy 3 skeins.

Sounds expensive until I remember the look of pure sensual delight on my mother's face when she first put on that wonderfully soft hat.  It seems a small price to pay to bring joy to someone suffering.

The hat is being modeled by my friend Abby who is not the recipient.  She was just kind enough to be my head model.

I plan to create modifications to this hat pattern for bald heads...they're a little different than heads with hair and will share my findings in the new year.  

The pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry and can be worn with the brim down as a cloche; or brim rolled.   It has no seams either which can sometimes irritate a bald head.

That's why I need to modify.  The brim of the hat has to be a bit smaller because there is no hair to help hold the hat on.  And then sides and the brim also need a bit of adjustment.  

It's still a work in progress but I'm going to figure it out once I get through the holidays.

On Ravelry?  Here's a link to my Ravelry page if you want to be friends.

I haven't forgotten Mrs. Rose.  She's just patiently waiting until I get through a few more of life's distractions.  

Happy weekend everyone!

Note:  For those who remember my friend Jill  who was battling breast cancer in 2010/2011 (she was featured here ("The Power of Us") and here ("Cloche for Comfort"), she is doing wonderfully, is cancer-free and is enjoying raising her four beautiful children.  

They were featured in a local magazine article titled "Telling Your Children Mommy has Cancer" and the story told by her husband Dave to the kids to explain Mommy's illness was beautiful...