Last week, using Lamb’s Pride Cotton Fleece, a 4.5 mm hook, and Head Huggers crochet pattern 18, I made a hat which was perfect up until the moment I washed it.

At that point it grew nearly large enough to be used as a fishing net.

Yesterday, I finally did what I knew I must and frogged it. Shortly after that I renewed my effort to make the hat, and yesterday’s efforts, combined with today’s, resulted in a newly completed hat that does not fall below one’s eyes.

Buoyed by the fact that the hat came out so well the second time, I decided to move forward with a crochet sleep cap.

Using a free pattern from the blog “Crocheted Fleece,” a 5.0mm hook, and a skein of Plymouth Yarn’s Dreamland in a minty green, I got to work and finished not only the first six rows of increase:

but four additional rows as well:

My friend’s sister had her inaugural chemo treatment today, so I want to get these hats sent off in the next day or two so that she has something to hold her while I work on the rest of her chemo cap wardrobe.

A large part of what I love so much about crafting in general (and crochet in particular) is that in moments that might otherwise be quite bleak, and when it would be easy to feel helpless, I instead have something I can do and ways I can contribute that might not save the world, but that at least make it just a little bit more pleasant, one stitch at a time.

SaveSave