Hi!
I am staying with a friend who is undergoing chemo for ovarian cancer. She is just starting to lose her hair. I knitted one hat for her in wool and one in cotton. She is wearing the cotton one a lot because the weather is so warm. So, I am going to knit another a couple more in cotton.
Here’s my question. Any advice on knitting a cotton hat with a brim that won’t just stretch out? Maybe it’s not possible, I don’t know.
I was thinking that instead of a ribbed brim, maybe pearling a round, knitting a round, etc might work better?
The one I’ve already made has stretched, so I think I will get some elastic thread and thread it through the bottom edge and also the last row of the brim. Any better suggestions for that?
Your friend is very lucky to have you by her side. Try some cotton blends. Linen and wool add stability to the cotton but also keep it very light. When I get home tonight I’ll send some suggestions.
I’ve used Cascade Fixation to make little stretchy cotton hats for babies, kids and adults over the years. It’s 98.3% cotton and 1.7% spandex, and it holds up great. My husband and my son each have one they’ve worn for years. It comes in lots of solid colors and veriegated. The veriegated sometimes comes out in almost perfect stripes, and other times crazy swatches, but it’s always fun. When I used a solid color, I used a double seed stitch instead of the stockinette. I’ll attach a couple of the veriegated pictures, and a picture of the easy hat pattern I’ve used, although I’m sure there are lots of options on Ravelry.
Your friend is truly blessed to have such a loving, caring friend as you. What a special labor of love to make hats for her.
Isn’t there a certain cast on that produces a stretchy finished edge? I’m not an expert on these things and would have to look it up but I’ve seen it while scrolling through Instagram or or YouTubd when trying to locate information. Sending best wishes to your friend! There’s love in all your stitches!
I have knitted chemo hats using Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton and Blue Sky Fibers organic cotton, skinny.
I use the Plainrolled brim hat DK pattern by JoAnne Turcotte. I have modified it by adding 6-8 rounds of K1P1 ribbing after 8-10 rounds of the brim. Sometimes i make the ribbing in a different color. I have also added some crochet or knit flowers.
The Knots of Love website https://www.knotsoflove.org/guidelines-for-knitters-and-knotters has a list of yarn suggestions for chemo hats. There are some cotton-acrylic blends that are recommended. I made some hats for a relative and she loved them because they were so soft. I used acrylic yarns from their list to make winter hats she could actually tolerate wearing. Your hats are beautiful and I hope your friend returns to good health soon!
The green one? That’s actually a baby hat. i chose the wrong pic from my photos. I had knitted an adult size of that hat, but without the “stem” on top. Then I knitted it for a baby and added the stem because I thought it looked like a hat for the little sprout in the Green Giant commercials.
i chose the wrong pic from my photos. 
I had knitted an adult size of that hat, but without the “stem” on top. 
Then I knitted it for a baby and added the stem because I thought it looked like a hat for the little sprout in the Green Giant commercials. 