Stashbusting:  Seeing Beyond the Pattern

Admin's Note:  For the next 6 weeks, also known as the remainder of the football season, we're going to try to have Pam work on a new hat pattern idea to share with you.  As an avid football fan, she's usually knitting or crocheting something simple to keep her hands busy, but not so difficult as to distract her from the game.

If you have visited with us at a fiber or knit/crochet show, you know that Halos of Hope displays sample hats and pattern ideas that we think could be good for those enduring the side-effects of hair loss.  Volunteers who tell our story will say that almost any hat pattern will work.  The key is a good, soft, preferably washable yarn.  I often comment that just because someone has lost their hair, doesn't mean they've lost their sense of style.  The hat that you'll wear with hair will likely be a style you'll want without hair, just smaller.  Cancer patients don't want to "look" different, especially the younger ones.

Yes, it's true that not every hat can, or should be, a hat for a cancer patient.  One of the hats that I absolutely love is the Crystal Cap from the Marion Foale book.  I talked about this hat back in June.   After making it, discovered it might be too big and perhaps too slouchy to benefit a cancer patient.  

For our free pattern giveaways at shows, we try to find those that are not traditional 'chemo caps'.  You all can find enough of those on your own. Throughout the year, Red Heart Yarns has graciously helped us with this effort, and we've had adorable knit and crochet patterns to share.

Because so many of the patterns we share are for women, during our recent trip to Stitches East, we decided to feature a cap that could be made for a teenage boy or man. It was getting colder, and while the guys can endure bald heads during the summer, heads get cold in winter months.  The pattern was the Green Light Hat.  Although we try to get a actual sample of the hat made in advance of the show, time didn't allow for us to make this one up.  All we had was the pattern.  Now I will admit, that the colorways shown for this hat are not my favorite. Sage green hues may not be the best for someone whose pallor might be waning thanks to chemotherapy drugs, or reddened from other drugs or radiation.  But this slouchy, bulky hat was easy, done on size 17 needles, all ribbing and stockinette.  And, it seemed like it could be a great stash-buster, using a bulky and worsted together.

 

 

We didn't give away many Green Light Hat patterns at Stitches East.  We also had a crocheted hat pattern where we didn't have a sample done, and attendees took that one, hat sight unseen.  Several attendees asked about a hat pattern for a man.  When offered the Green Light Hat, it didn't resonate.

We packed up the patterns and shipped them home.  Recently, while storing our display and show items, I came across the pattern again.  So I asked a few folks, what would you do with this hat pattern?  And they said, well, I'm not sure about the color, and I'm not sure about the yarn.  My reply:  Would you find a bulky and a worsted in leftover in your stash, and try it with those?  Their response:  I don't always know how to do that.

And there it is.  In reality, not everyone can see beyond the pattern, particularly where a different style might be involved.  Our other non-sampled giveaway pattern was basic, a staple, and people could envision how to make it and what yarns to use, if they didn't have the yarn called for.

(Blogger's note:  I encourage knitters and crocheters to buy the yarns recommended in the pattern, because there's a reason those yarns were chosen by the designer and the yarn company.  As a practical note, we, at Halos of Hope, know that hats made for charity often are made from the leftovers of other projects.)

So, shame on us for not having this one as a sample.  Our bad.  We forget that oftentimes people don't see as many yarns and fibers as we do, and can easily make translations.  The Green Light Hat will not appeal to everyone.  But now having made two of them, and sharing the finished hats to gather opinions, the consensus is there may be some teenage boys and men who will like it.  For the winter months.  Hmmm..that was what we hoped to do,  I think. 

Each hat took me about a football game to make.   The Purple Light Hat was made watching the Packers win and the Blue Light Hat was made during the Bears game.   I did get somewhat distracted at times, because I'm a huge football fan. But at least I didn't drop any stitches.  It's that easy.

We'll have this pattern available at Stitches West, and we'll bring both sample hats shown in this blog.  We hope that helps.  In the meantime, if you'd like to give this hat a try, I have posted notes on how I made the hats to my Ravelry projects page, and we've started a Sunday Knitting (Crocheting) with a Side of Football thread for those of you interested to exchange ideas.

Until next week!

 

Blue Hat:  Lion Brand Homespun and Sensations Rainbow Classic Purple Hat: Berrocco Borealis and Cascade 220 Superwash