Hat #17! DONE, I'm finally DONE!

Same pattern, same white yarn with Bernat Softee Baby Color  30410 Soft Peach for the body.

Last radiation treatment is done forever! This means I'm considered cured of the non-Hodgkins lymphoma tumor that snuck into my cheek. And they gave me a certificate of completion signed by all 4 of my techs--the ones who put up with my weird sense of humor and taste for very loud Classic Rock tunes during treatment. I ordered a cancer survivor pin and t-shirt for myself and wristbands for the family since they had my back the whole time, and those arrived today.

And this is the Victory Bouquet my husband gave me. He's just The Best! Thank you all for sticking with me through this, both the treatments and the blog.

"You can be a victim of cancer, or a survivor of cancer. It's a mindset."
Dave Pelzer

Hat #16, a new pattern!

Here's a retro pattern that caught my eye, and it's a free download, too! I wish I could wear this style as I think it's ultra-cute, but alas! my square German face just doesn't work with this closely-fitting hat. Pattern is Regina from Carina Spencer Original Designs for Hand-Knitting. I used Lion Brand Baby Soft yarn in Color 100 White and Color 107 Bluebell.

This hat looks much better when worn, but Husbeast wasn't inclined to model for me. So here it is, on a round flower vase, looking the best it can. The white band serves as a border to frame your face and the little fan gives it just a bit of pizzazz.

Hat #15, my favorite!

I love these colors! Not that I would wear it as a hat because it really doesn't go with anything I own, but this is a great yarn in great colors! Lion Brand Baby Soft in Color 219 Circus Print. If I had a baby to crochet a Granny Stitch blanket for, this would be my yarn choice.

I'll be posting again this weekend because I'm one hat behind my treatment schedule--there are two hats and only one treatment left. See yinz in a day or so....

Chemo cap #14, coming down the home stretch now!

Reversing the colors from Hat #13...

Stitch detail

Same color swirling at the top of the cap, and I like it. FYI, there were 100 stitches on a US #6 needle if you want to duplicate the swirl. I think the gauge was 6 sts/inch?

Observation from the waiting room today--most of the people watching The Ellen Show......are the guys. They aren't obvious about it, but are very informed when someone makes a comment. I thought it was a sign of how things have changed in my lifetime, as my father not only wouldn't have watched but would have deemed it 'fodder for the hens'.

Lucky Hat #13??

Same pattern, new colors! Bernat Softee Baby again, in Color 31425 Princess Pebbles and Color 30424 Soft Red. (Prince Pebbles and Princess Pebbles? Was the yarn company channeling the Flintstones when they chose those names?)

Stitch close-up

No new issues with the mouth ulcers today, knock on wood. Doc says all is well, reminds me to take/use meds they prescribe (like I'd not use the anesthetic for my mouth ulcers? are you nuts, doc? that's the only way I can eat food!). Nurse is upset with me because I'm intentionally trying to lose weight and being successful, until I explain that all I did was cut out a lot of carbs and am eating a healthy diet. She's concerned when her cancer patients lose weight.....cause that's her job!

Hat #12, posted after a nice 3-day weekend of no radiation!

Okay, I changed the colors for this hat--same two yarns (Bernat Softee Baby in Color 31201 Prince Pebbles and Color 30044 Flannel--but I reversed their positions. The mulitcolored yarn created swirls around the top of the hat which I thought was interesting.

Stitch detail

Someone with a teal coat would look smashing in this one! A lot of the ladies in the waiting room have made favorable comments on the hats and some of them are facing chemo with the medical oncologist to whom these will be donated. Wouldn't it be nice to see one of my hats on someone I've met in radiation oncology?

I got some rest and healing over the 3-day weekend, which is good because I'm not sure my mouth could take any more treatments without a break. Four more treatments to go!

Ladies Simply Warm Hat, Chemo Hat #11

The next series of hats will be knitted with a pattern of mine, the Ladies Simply Warm Hat. The yarns used for this first one were Bernat Softee Baby in Color 31201 Prince Pebbles (the multicolored one) and Color 30044 Flannel (the solid one).

Stitch close-up

I had a lot of fun choosing colors for these hats, matching them and then seeing how they develop in the knitting. There IS one that's my favorite but you'll have to wait to hear which it is.

AND....I have finally stumped Evil Bill! He asked for my preferred musical selection and had no clue who Buckwheat Zydeco was! He had several pieces in the playlist though so a good time was had by all, if one can be said to have a good time clamped into a linear accelerator.

Hat #10, the last of the pillbox style

Another tweed yarn here, with the same stitch pattern on the brim. This time I used Red Heart Super Saver in Color 4313 Aran Fleck. I thought someone with a Celtic background would love this hat!

Next up, hats knit with a pattern I designed a couple of years ago and which is available for sale in my shop. There's matching mittens, too. But you don't have to run over and buy the pattern, I just thought I'd include a little plug for myself.

Hat #9, a change of yarn and stitch pattern

Aha! And you thought they'd all be the color changing yarn, didn't you? Nope. I have a soft spot for tweed yarns so had to include a couple. Here's the pillbox knitted in Red Heart Fiesta, Color 6382 Country Blue.

I think I love this flat ribbing stitch!

And this is a rib pattern for which I don't know the name since I just made it up. So I suppose I could call it the Feisty Stitch? It's a combination of Stockinette Stitch and Garter Stitch arranged in columns that's used frequently as a non-elastic ribbing that lies flat, although I varied the size of the columns because I like asymmetry.

Evil Bill fulfilled my musical request today and played "Crazy Train", turning the volume up just a bit for me. Well, probably more than just a bit, but it seems we may be fellow Classic Rock buffs. He bought the Black Sabbath album when he was in 7th grade. I tried to challenge his playlist at the facility, asking for something by Iron Butterfly tomorrow. He said he'd played them just last week, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" to be precise. Which was exactly the song I wanted to hear. He wasn't sure of the title so I had to explain the history of the piece, but I also assured him that I didn't inhale. I'll be rockin' the radiation again tomorrow!

Pillbox hat #8

Yep, I like this yarn for this shape of hat! Red Heart Collage in Color 2940 Wood Trail this time. And still using the Waffle Stitch.

This one REALLY looks like a mushroom because it's the right color for a woodland mushroom. We have them growing out of the stumps around here and I've always wondered if they're edible. My father and I used to go mushrooming around here before the farm was sold and 'modern' houses built but I've forgotten everything he taught me. One of these days I'll take a mycology class.....

I have a new tech this week and have decided that his name is Evil Bill. When he asked if I wanted music, I told him that just about anything is fine except Bob Seger and AC/DC because I tend to want to dance or sing to those bands. And what does he play, while I'm locked into a tight mask and immobilized on a therapy table? Yep, "For Those About To Rock" and "Main Street". Evil, Evil Bill!

Hat #7

Another of the pillbox style, which I think is flattering to many women. This one uses Red Heart Collage in Color 2352 Crimson Maple. I LOVE this color! Maybe there's enough yarn left in the skein to make another hat for me.....hmmmm?

Stitch closeup

Just to give myself something different to knit, I chose a Waffle Stitch for this hat. I think it goes well with the subtle striping in the yarn.

Met with Carol the nurse and Doc today, as I do every Monday to ask questions and just say hello. You can't wear moisturizer or anything else on your skin during treatments, and they give you a special moisturizer for the type of dry skin that radiation produces, so I usually take the bottle with me and moisturize as soon as I leave the treatment room. Carol thinks it's funny that I moisturized my face in the Exam Room today and then couldn't get the top off my lip balm because my hands were slippery! Doc says my mouth, which feels like leather, is a little irritated but otherwise just fine. Eight treatments done, nine to go!!

Treatment 7, Hat 6, Yarn Stash 2 (hut, hut)

(Felt a little like Ben Roethlisberger calling a play for a minute there...)

So, while spending the holidays in Gonzales, LA I hit the local Joanne Fabric store for their yarn sale. And picked up enough to finish the rest of the 17 chemo caps.

This should see me through to the finish line, with some left over for extra caps when I'm sitting in the oncologist's office waiting for him. He's always at least 45 minutes late because he spends as much time with a patient as that patient needs to spend with him. I just view it as good knitting time...

I'm changing the style of hat for this series. I'd been playing with designing a pillbox-type of hat last year, with Turkish colorwork all over. So I stole some techniques from that hat, refigured it for this thicker worsted weight yarn and Hats 6-10 were born! Here's #6, knitted over the holidays in Louisiana while watching the yellow skies to see if any tornadoes dropped out of the clouds.

Yarn used was Red Heart Collage in Color 2934 Tundra. It's a nice soft worsted with slow color changes. And I chose a traveling rib stitch for its interesting texture. I apologize if these all look a bit like mushrooms--I was in a bit of a hurry to catch the nice light coming in the window and wasn't too worried about what I used to display the hats for photography (there's a small plate and a bottle of poison ivy medicine underneath that hat to give it the proper shape and elevate it).

I'm off therapy for two days, so won't be posting till Monday. See ya then!

Hat #5

Back to the original cap yarns, this cuff is Patons Beehive Baby Chunky in Color 76201 Swifter Sea (this yarn has some weird names, dontcha think?) and the rest of it is Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky Sprinkles in Color DN350-06 Tadpoles. Again, the buttons were those extra replacement buttons in a navy blue. I think I like this colorway the best.

So, last week they gave me a permanent Valet Parking pass because they feel that radiation oncology patients shouldn't have to walk to/from the parking lot in the rain, cold or heat. It's not good for our tender skin and radiation therapy can cause fatigue and a whole range of temporary conditions, so they're nice enough to make it easy on us. I didn't want to use it at first but found myself running late because the flu epidemic has jammed the parking lots and driveways of the hospital. So I've been using the pass this week. And I drive a manual transmission (a 'stick shift' for those of us of A Certain Age). It amuses me no end that each day the 2 fellas who are on duty will hang back and let the 1 young lady park my car--I suspect they don't feel comfortable without their automatic vehicles! It's just so cute...

Tomorrow, a whole new pattern and new yarns!

Hat #4

I needed a change-up, so this cuff is Patons Beehive Baby Chunky in Color 76233 Quicker Clover, while the bulk of the hat is Bernat Pipsqueak in Color 1205. Although I loved this yarn when I bought it, it turned out to be a little unpleasant for me to work with. When I looked closely at the label I found that it's 100% polyester, which I can't wear because it just feels squicky against my skin--so that explains the unpleasantness. Your mileage may vary as I know lots of folks love polyester clothing for it's resistance to wrinkles.And it's as soft as a babys bottom! The button was one of those extra ones that they hang on new clothing, thinking that folks can sit down and sew on a replacement button when the dog chews one off. I have a cat who could care less about buttons so that's not an issue here at Chez Feistywoman. Although leaving raw alpaca fiber lying around is just asking for trouble!

And yes, Karl, he loved the alpaca yarn. Thanks again!

Hat #3

Here's the third hat, same yarns but different colorways. The cuff is Patons Beehive Baby Chunky in Color 76233 Quicker Clover, while the bulk of the hat is Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky Sprinkles in Color DN350-04 Playdate. Most of the tufts on this yarn stayed on the purl or inside of the cap where I thought they'd be extra soft against chemo-abused skin. And I think those buttons are from the 60s! Yikes!

Speaking of skin, mine feels tight--like Joan Rivers' face but just on the left side. I suppose that's the skin damage caused by the radiation and the skins attempts to heal itself. Three more treatments this week and my poor face gets to rest/recover for two days!

Both sons are now home from their vacation in Peru and I'll be meeting up with DS #2 for lunch tomorrow. Woot! So nice to know that they safely hiked the Inka Trail up to Macchu Picchu. That's a very scary trail, at least for those of us who don't deal well with being on the edge of steep places.

Treatment #3, Hat #2

As mentioned earlier, the first series of 5 hats were made with a pattern from M. Nishioka, aka I Like Lemons. She had a free copy of the hat on her blog and also on Ravelry--it's the Button-Tab Knit Hat. I made a few changes to the pattern as my yarn was a bit thicker than she used, and the buttons came from my 20+-year-old button jar. 

I used a lot of baby yarn in my caps because it's made to be ultrasoft, and this is no exception. The cuff is Patons Beehive Baby Chunky in Color 76007 Lushest Lace, while the bulk of the hat is Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky Sprinkles in Color DN350-02 Baby Blues. Most of the tufts on this yarn stayed on the purl or inside of the cap where I thought they'd be extra soft against chemo-abused skin.The buttons were leftovers from a jacket I made for myself (back when I used to/had to sew my own clothes) back in the 70s. Yeah, I'm THAT old.

And I had my weekly meeting with the doc today--no problems to report as I'm just in the beginning of the therapy. And I still plan to walk with the neighbor or hit the gym 5 times a week no matter what.

Hat #1

Sounds a little like Thing 1 from Dr. Seuss, doesn't it? This is the post that should have happened yesterday but was waylaid by busyness. I'm still working my way through the 17 chemo caps--on No. 8 currently. Here's the first hat, and I'm hoping to post one each day.

The first series of 5 hats were made with a pattern from M. Nishioka, aka I Like Lemons. She had a free copy of the hat on her blog and also on Ravelry--it's the Button-Tab Knit Hat. I made a few changes to the pattern as my yarn was a bit thicker than she used, and the buttons came from my 20+-year-old button jar. As my Mom said, you never know when you'll need a certain button so why not save them for the future?

I used a lot of baby yarn in my caps because it's made to be ultrasoft, and this is no exception. The cuff is Patons Beehive Baby Chunky in Color 76007 Lushest Lace, while the bulk of the hat is Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky Sprinkles in Color DN350-03 Bunnyhop. Most of the tufts on this yarn stayed on the purl or inside of the cap where I thought they'd be extra soft against chemo-abused skin. I thought that it was a good omen when the only orphaned silver button I had in my jar was a heart!

I've already had the second of the 17 treatments, so I'm behind on posting by one hat. That one will appear on Monday. Till then, have a great weekend everyone! Oh, and I wanted to say--GO PACKERS! (Well, if the Steelers ain't in the playoffs, at least I want to see the Ravens and Bengals given a good beating)

The challenge begins!

Now that I'm returned from my holiday travels, I have started my radiation therapy. It was rather weird today, being under a mask of my face so that I'm immobile during the treatment. And today was a bit longer than usual because they had to do a few images before therapy. But all in all, it wasn't bad at all. And I can have valet parking all month, too! Which means not walking across the parking lot when it's blustery or rainy. Yay!

I love making hats. They're such quick small projects, yet give me the opportunity to pair up colors and textures and play with hat shapes. Here's a couple photos of the first yarn purchase, and the possible pairings for the hats. However, not everything turns out as we first expect..... 

No hat pix yet, although I have half a dozen finished. There is some sewing that needs to happen before I can post photos. And there was another yarn purchase that happened last week, too! Stay tuned....