Love Story…the novel by Erich Segal topped the New York Times Bestseller list in 1970. Segal's novel-turned-mega motion picture, left us with one of the most well-known quotes of all time, "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  It is a classic tale of opposites attract, facing adversity, falling in love, and in the end, reconciliation and realizing what really matters most.

Cancer survivors certainly understand adversity. For many, hair loss due to chemotherapy or radiation is far harder than they realize.  What is also frustrating for many cancer patients, is that though they are follicly-challenged, they are also perceived to be 'different' people.  Absence of hair does not change a person, it just changes a head! Some patients embrace their baldness more than others.  Some people need a bit more 'air-conditioning' because of their regional climate.  Some want as much full-coverage as possible. The term 'chemo cap' seems wrong.  The question the survivor asks themselves as they're looking for headcoverings is, 'would I wear this if I had hair', or 'will this make me look like I'm sick?'  Based on my own experience, as well as what we are told by the survivors, oncology nurses, and centers across the country, the answer needs to be "I would wear this if I had hair."

At Halos of Hope, we're always in search of new patterns to support our belief that just because a person has lost their hair doesn't mean they've lost their sense of style.  When I was told that Ali McGraw would be at Stitches West to promote the Marion Foale design of Jenny's hat from "Love Story", I was beyond excited.  Jenny Cavelleri (Ali's character) was witty, strong, determined and she had style.  In 1970, her hats sent hundreds of young women flocking to stores determined to find 'that hat'.   

The "Ali Cap," as all of us have come to know it, is truly a design of style.  Using Marion Foale 3 ply wool yarn from the kit, it can be a cap for a cancer patient, who hasn't developed wool allergies.  The 3-ply wool is a fingering weight yarn, which may help those who need non-wool caps to find a substitute.  I am on the hunt to find something comparable in a non-wool yarn, although I have to admit that I have two additional colorways of the 3-ply to make this hat!

We do have an Ali Cap thread in our Halos of Hope Ravelry group.  If you're making this hat, have questions, want to share ideas, we'd love to have you join the dialogue.

Jenny Cavelleri was brilliant and beautiful.  She loved Mozart, Bach, and the Beatles, and Oliver, of course.  Her character became legendary; her hat will also.  Take a moment and make one for someone you love today, or a cancer survivor who needs to feel special.  You won't be sorry that you did.

Currently, the Ali Hat is available online as a kit from Ruhamas Yarn and Needlepoint in Whitefish Bay, WI.  Ruhamas will be a vendor at the upcoming Stitches Midwest and Stitches East shows sponsored by XRX, Inc.