I am absolutely heartbroken. I can not begin to comprehend the sheer evil that lurks in our society. Evil that allows innocent people to be killed at the whim of lunatics. Yesterday, December 14, 2012, the lives of so many in Connecticut were devastated. So many lost loved ones. Families destroyed. Lives irrevocably changed. The ones who survived will forever be haunted by the events.
We, as a society, need to do something to stop this madness. Innocent people, at the movies, in school, shopping at the mall, at a political rally, just living their lives, are dying. There has to be something that we can do to identify the problem and stop it. This should be a priority for all. Not a political issue, not a socio-economic issue, but an issue that affects us ALL. And we all need to look deep inside ourselves to find what we can do to make the world a better place on a daily basis.
This week has been a very sad one for me. Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of Carolyn Fostel. She truly loved children and I can only hope that she is in heaven helping these littlest angels today. Ryan, a man who lost his wife in a car accident several months ago, lost his battle with cancer this week, leaving behind 2 small children. Friends of mine lost their beloved Mom and Grandmother, Mary Jane. Then there was the mall shooting in Oregon and this massacre in Connecticut. As a mother, my heart aches for all. This is a true, physical ache and I can only imagine the grief, horror and sadness that all those affected so much more personally this week are feeling.
I was out shopping yesterday and didn't hear about Newtown until I got home in the early afternoon. I cried most of the day and finally picked up my knitting to try to find some comfort. I had already started this hat, which is why it is red and not school colors for Sandy Hook. I imagine that this hat would look very nice with a solid band and a contrasting body. I don't know if we will be able to help Sandy Hook at all.......I will be paying close attention over the coming days and weeks to see if perhaps sending hats in school colors might be welcomed or if there is some other way we can help them. I will keep everyone posted. *** Apparently the info I received about the colors being yellow and blue is wrong. Their colors are green and white. I apologize!! ***
In the meantime, thanks to Carin for the name. It was truly knit through my tears and I know many of us will be grieving for a long time to come. I hope you can find some comfort from this pattern as well. And always remember to hug those you love each and every day and be grateful for every minute you have with them. Life is precious.
Of course, being so sad, I was looking to Schnapps for some extra love yesterday. I truly believe that he understands on some level just how big a tragedy occurred. He loves children and he seems genuinely sad today. He kept coming over and nosing the hat and giving me kisses.
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| Schnapps sends kisses and love to all those who are saddened. |
I have posted it as a PDF and you can always email me at robin@delawareheadhuggers.org and I will send you a copy. Please, if you email, try to remember that I have many patterns. Please let me know which one you want or I can't send it to you.
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Sandy Hook: Through the Tears
You will need about 100 yards of chunky weight yarn and size 10.5 circular needles. Alternate needle sizes and yarn weights are given below.
Abbreviations:
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together Cast on 70 stitches, place marker and join, taking care not to twist stitches.
Work Stockinette Brim:
Row 1: knit all stitches
Repeat Row 1 until the piece is about 3.5 inches in length.
Work Band Pattern:
Row 1: *slip one stitch knitwise, k1*; repeat around
Row 2: *slip one stitch purlwise with yarn held in back, p1*; repeat around
Row 3: *k1, slip one stitch knitwise*; repeat around
Row 4: *p1, slip one stitch purlwise with yarn held in back*; repeat around
Repeat Rows 1 - 4 until the piece measures about 5.5 inches in length. Repeat more if you want the band to be larger
Work Stockinette again:
Row 1: knit all stitches
Repeat Row 1 until the piece is about 7.5 inches in length.
Decrease Crown:
Row 1: *k8, k2tog,*; repeat around
Row 2: *k7, k2tog,*; repeat around
Row 3: *k6, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 4: *k5, k2tog,*; repeat around
Row 5: *k4, k2tog,*; repeat around
Row 6: *k3, k2tog*; repeat around
Row 7: *k2, k2tog*; repeat around
Finish: Cut working yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail. Draw the tail through the remaining stitches, cinch closed and secure. Weave in ends and give this hat to someone who could use a warm hug!
The pattern is worked over 2 stitches. Keep the pattern in increments of 10 for the crown decrease to work as written.
To knit this using 6-weight yarn, use size 13 needles and cast on 50 stitches.
To knit this using worsted weight yarn, use size 8 needles and cast on 90 stitches.
To make it child size, use worsted yarn, size 8 needles and cast on 60 stitches. Adjust in increments of 10 stitches for individual sizes.
To knit this using sport weight yarn, use size 5 needles and cast on 130 stitches.
Remember, all are welcome to
join us in
some way - we love to see new people and are grateful when more
people hear about us. So, spread the word! And, as always, if you or
anyone you know is in need of chemo caps, please feel free to
contact me directly at robin@delawareheadhuggers.org and I will be
happy to ship some out. If there is a chemo center that is near and
dear to your heart and you think they could use some hats, let me know
and I will ship a box off to them. This is what we do!!
Delaware Head Huggers
Kozy Kovers for Kids
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and pattern. The country mourns for these poor people, the community, the parents, the list is unending. Prayers for all, many, many prayers.
ReplyDeleteI am so, so glad that you shared this pattern (which I found on Ravelry). Thank you for offering a meaningful way for knitters to knit their way through their grief. Your pattern is my queue. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteDear little Schnapps. My sweet white toy poodle, Gabe, knows that I have been sad and has been giving me lots of kisses and snuggles lately. I know if he could he would give a kiss to every child in Newtown. Thank you for sharing and I think green and white caps sound like a great idea. We can also pray while we knit, and cry . . .
ReplyDeleteGabe and Schnapps are both very intelligent, sweet dogs. Everyone needs extra love and hugs these days.
DeleteThank you for sharing your patterns. I am from Canada and have been knitting chemo caps for 10 months (since one of my sisters was diagnosed with breast cancer). She has finished her treatments and is doing well. After I made about 100 hats, I wanted to start making some for kids. I see that you show how many stitches to work with for the kids hats, but don't see any reference to decreasing the length of the hat. Would you make a kids hat shorter than the adult version? Any direction you can provide would be appreciated. Thanks for all you do and for being a huge inspiration to so many.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your heart of love for others & giving.i'm starting a new group through my church to knit & crochet chemo caps for our two hospitals. I'm sad as we are a small group & looking for our number to grow so we can give. Until then we'll do as much as we can & getting patterns for chemo caps. Thank you & may God bless!!!
ReplyDelete