At the time I wasn't very experienced in crochet but I was and I still am learning, so I thought I would give it a go, since I would be doing something I enjoyed for a good cause.
I contacted the people at Hats for Heroes to ask if the hats could be knitted and the answer was yes, but I still wanted to try crocheting some, so I looked for a nice pattern online and I found this lovely Tweetheart Hat crochet pattern which gives intructions for all sizes from newborn to adults.
Of course, as usual, I used a different wool from the one in the pattern, but I wasn't doing a specific size so I could experiment with different yarns, as long as it was soft (scratchy isn't an option when you've lost your hair after chemotherapy).
Here is my first Tweetheart hat made with soft Aran (worsted) yarn following the size for child: it is smaller than I expected but will fit a baby (maybe 3 or 6 months old), I'm not sure of the exact age since I don't have babies lining up to try on the hats:
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| Baby Tweetheart Crochet Hat |
Then I used similar weight yarn and followed the adult size and I got a hat suitable for a child: I thought it would look prettier without the ear-flaps and I added a frilly picot edge and flower:
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| Child Flower Crochet Hat with Frilly Picot Edge |
Then I thought it was time to make something less girly so I went out and bought some chunky navy and blue yarn to make a teen sized beanie hat, following the instructions for child size because the yarn was pretty thick:
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| Teen Crochet Hat with Navy and Blue Stripes |
Since I had leftover yarn, I decided to knit a hat this time, casting on as many as I thought I would need for a child's hat and using a pattern I already had, but modifying it slightly it as I went:
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| Child Knitted Pompom Beanie Hat |
Guess what? This one will fit a toddler or small child, just as I intended! The pompom was added as a result of feedback on my Facebook page (I think I was going to add it anyway;-)
As soon as all 4 hats are finished drying (I like to wash them in gentle shampoo or wool friendly detergent before shipping any knit or crochet clothing item I make), they will be off in the post on their way to Hats for Heroes who will forward them to Irish Hospitals where they will be given to children with cancer. I hope these hats will cheer the children up!
As much as I've enjoyed knitting and crocheting hats and daffodils for charity, I must really get a move on and work a lot harder on knitting new items and publishing new knitting patterns for my Etsy shop, which is slowly depleting itself as my Christmas items are coming to the end of their 4 months listing (the maximum before I have to pay commission to get them re-listed) and I am not planning on re-listing those until next October.
So off I go and pick up my knitting needles (after I've had my lunch of course, I need to eat yummy food and drink coffee to keep my creative brain cells active!)
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