With love...

Ever have one of those times when things seem to really jump out at you? You know, when everything you see seems to be related? Maybe it's coincidence, perhaps serndipity, possibly something else entirely. Whatever it is, I've learned (finally) to pay attention. Too many time I've brushed these instances off only to smack myself later and wonder what in the world I was thinking. (much like the old V-8 juice commercials).

Most recently it's been charity knitting, more specifically chemo caps. The lady organising a local knitting group mentioned she wanted to do some knitting/crocheting for charity. That got me thinking. I had lots of fun making the Binary Cable Hat from Ravelry and had been wanting to make another one. I actually cast it on a few times, but it just wasn't right somehow. I couldn't get in the groove for some reason. I thought I might try a different hat or even a different project all together so I started to poke around on the site. I had a few ideas but on a whim I started to look for a group for chemo caps. I found one I really liked and through them discovered some neat blogs with nice patterns and plenty of info about chemo caps.

I decided to make a cap, but I had to find just the right yarn. The sites I had been checking out mentioned using a really soft acryllic for caps. I generally prefer knitting with wools, but there can be an issue with sensitivities and allergies from the chemo. I wasn't sure what I was going to use and them I remembered a scarf that I started quite a while back. I wasn't happy with it. It was a pattern I had heavily modified and it had issues. It was too wide. I always seem to forget when I am casting on that the item will grow exponentially once I get started knitting a few rows. It was my first attempt at holding three strands together. I was running a strand of worsted weight with two strands of eyelash yarn and in more than one place I dropped a strand. Due to the nature of the resulting fabric, I didn't notice the error until several rows later. Have you ever tried to frog eyelash and worsted fabric? I've had an easier time getting the 14 month-old to relinquish her blankie! Frankly it just wasn't worth the trouble... until now. I untangled the whole thing and started the cap.

Then I got an e-mail from the knit group commenting on knitting for charity. The organizer has set up a box at our library for afghan squares, which I think is a great idea. When I mentioned that I would be glad to assist once I finish the chemo-cap, she mentioned that she too had lost someone to cancer and wanted more info about the caps. A little while later I was on Ravelry again and a new thread popped up in an unrelated forum asking about... chemo caps. I recently posted about my friend Earl who passed away from liver cancer, but I had another friend slip away last year after battling cancer as well. She was born a year before I was and she and Earl have been on my mind a lot recently as has a cousin who died from a rare form of cancer a couple years ago. Maybe it's serndipity, perhaps it's coincidence, but I prefer to believe it's a message, a reminder to send out some comfort to other people who may be going through a dark time... some good vibes in memory of those who have been there. So I'm going to be sending out caps, with extra love from Earl, Kathleen and Craig.