Ground Hog Day in May

One of my favorite movies is “Ground Hog Day,” starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott.

Phil Connors, the meteorologist played by Bill Murray, gets trapped in a time loop and keeps awaking to a newly minted Ground Hog Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where he has gone to cover the festivities associated with the day, and this is not altogether unlike the situation I found myself in today.

A week ago, I started work on a chemo cap for the sister of a friend who will soon be undergoing chemo therapy. The hat worked up quickly, and after more time spent shopping than it took me to crochet the hat itself, I found a suitable scarf to thread through a round of double treble crochet stitches.

Pleased with myself, I was just about ready to send it, but decided that I would wash it before I sent it off.

To my horror, the hat (made from a cotton and merino blend) grew from a little bit large to too large to wear. So today, I frogged that hat that it had been:

a ball of blue cotton yarn
Head Hugger hat made from crochet pattern 18 frogged and ready to be recrocheted

and got out my 4.5 mm hook and got to work crocheting the hat that will be:

crochet chemo cap
I start recrocheting the crochet chemo cap with scarf tie

Having reached the point at which I will be crocheting another 9 or 10 rounds without increase, I then turned my attention to the Hello Kitty inspired hat that I had begun work on at around the same time.

I had finished all of the pieces I needed to complete the hat, but had not yet attached the pieces and completed the braids:

crochet chemo cap with crochet bow
The Hello Kitty inspired hat in need of finishing

Using my Clover bent-tipped yarn needle and a plastic clip to hold the braids in place while I secured them, I got the Hello Kitty inspired hat fully assembled and ready to wear just before sunset:

hello kitty crochet chemo cap
Crochet in Color’s Hello Kitty inspired hat

Each crochet project teaches me something, and these hats are no exception, and with any luck, they will also generate the finishing mojo I will need to complete the Tetrisghan.