Fellow Knitsmith, Shannon, has been making some kids chemo caps for her boyfriend's patients at Childrens Hospital here in Boston and I decided to join in. I'd often thought of doing some sort of charity knitting project, but nothing really motivated me to actually put down my own knitting and start something for someone else I don't know. Until now. In fact, I'm a little startled by my sudden need to make these caps. I guess it's some sort of hope that by making them I can keep my boys from ever getting seriously ill. It's bittersweet knitting, that's for sure, thinking of the sick little one you're making the hat for. But I'm trying knit through the sad and scary thoughts to produce something very special.

So here are my first two: a wee little yellow cap in Wendy Velvet Touch yarn. If you haven't felt this yarn, you must! It is perfectly baby soft. The Snuggle teddy bear wishes he were this soft!

And the second is a young adult size version of the lace cap from Rowan's Calmer Collection, which I knit up with a skein of all seasons cotton I had left over from my Smooch tank. I really liked this pattern - it's hip and young, much more stylish than your basic hat.

I hope these will be nice and soft and pretty for girls. I've got some ideas for boy caps too, which I hope to finish for next week.

I guess it's only fitting. Blue blog, blue fingers. This is how my fingers looked after knitting up a couple of zipper facings for the ribby cardie (yes separate facings, I can't stand picking up stitches!). The blue dye in the Manos yarn really left its mark. I looked like one of my boys after eating a popsicle. Luckily Claudia (dye queen extraordinaire) was at Knitsmiths on Sunday when this happened to help. Apparently turquoise is hard to set. Who knew? And I need to give the yarn a little vinegar bath to set the color completely. Hmmm.

And since we're all about blue today, here's my latest kids chemo cap - a blue's clues joe hat!

I found these leftovers in my stash and the blues coordinated so well, it reminded me of the great colors in Joe's shirts. And I'm sure you remember what a kick I got out of the idea of making Joe sweaters for the boys some day. So, a Joe hat was born. I hope there's a little Joe fan at Children's Hospital who'll enjoy it.

One more reason to be blue today, this week is the one year anniversary of the blue blog. Wheee - what fun it's been! I'm proud to note that I finished the two major projects I was working on when I started blogging last year (native and elizabeth I). But I think I've most enjoyed the knit-alongs and getting to know so many others out there through knitting together with them.

I guess it's appropriate that the ribby will be my next finished project since it will be the blue blog's first blue sweater!

Anything blue to share?

The new project parade continues with more hats. Christmas hats and chemo caps. Whatever I can make in the next few weeks. I'm teaching a beginning knitting class now, where we are supposed to make a hat in three weeks, so we'll see what I can accomplish hat-wise while helping the new knitters through the basics. Hats on my list to make include another calmer lace cap and then a couple more kids' chemo caps.

Here's my start on the first chemo cap. I'm imagining this one to be for a hip little dude in need of a phat hat.

While I was sick, I made lots of headway on the leftovers vest. This was actually a pretty good cold for knitting. I felt alright when sitting on the sofa snuggled up in a blanket. Getting up was a different story though - something about head congestion at a five and a half foot altitude, I guess!

Anyway, after knitting in the round for the bottom (fewer ends to weave in that way), I separated at the armholes, and made up some armhole shaping. Had a few problems there remembering to do the shaping and keep changing the colors. I blame my sinuses! But since I wasn't going anywhere, I was able to rip and reknit a few times. So here's the finished back.

I decided on a few loose rules for the stripes and felt much better then about the level of randomness. I have lots of the orange and pink yarn (thanks, Kerrie!), so those colors repeat more often than the others. And have only a precious little bit of the chartreuse left, so that one serves as a highlight every four inches or so. Now I have to invent some sort of neck for the front while repeating the stripe sequence I made up for the back. I decided to wait on that until my head was all cleared!

Only a little headway was made on my chemo caps though. I left the one I started last week right at the point of beginning the crown decreases, so the beginning knitting students and I can go through that part together in the last class. For this week's class I started another chemo cap. I was showing the students how to join to knit in the round and knit some ribbing for the brim. So, in order to be able to knit along with them, I decided to start a new hat. I'm following a pattern in Monkeysuits for a hat that looks more like a bonnet. S was nice enough to try on what I've knit so far. He's not so good at holding still, though!

Finally, here it is November 12th and beyond buying yarn, I've made absolutely no headway on my Christmas presents: four scarves and two hats. Please tell me there are six weeks left until Christmas!! I'll have to start a 'one-present-a-week' schedule. Ugh!

Last class of beginning knitting yesterday and we had finished hats all around. Several of the students even wore their hats while starting new projects. It was so exciting to see them all with their hats on, all knit from the little pattern that I made up. I liked the finished hats so much that now I've decided to use my own pattern for one of the hats I'm making as Christmas gifts. Stay tuned next week for Alison's Beginner's Hat!

I had several hats to finish yesterday as well: the calmer lace cap, the little red ruffled chemo cap, and the phat hat chemo cap.

these look so good on me - I have to make one for myself!

S in a bonnet again - he's gonna love me for this

cool cat in a phat hat

More hats are on the way. I finally got the count right on the double knit hat (fifth time's a charm!). I'll be making my beginner's pattern for my sister-in-law. And now hubby wants a hat for Christmas. Add another one to the holiday gift list!