Another of my mad ideas: during the play my hubby and i are in (W;t) the lead character, Vivian, wears many hats. i mean this in a literal sense - she’s undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer and is therefore bald. (Our actress is dedicated for shaving her head!) Vivian wears quite a few through the show, and one of them was easy for me to eyeball and deconstruct. This hat is also part of a powerful image at the end of the show. So i decided that my little gift to the other members of the cast for this show would be tiny little replica hats that are worn as pins.

This pattern was pretty simple to work up, really, but normally i wouldn’t make it available since the little hats are meant as a gift that means something specific. Because of the nature of this show, however, i thought better of it and decided to write this up so other folks could make them if they liked. The pattern’s free with a caveat. If you decide to knit one of these little hats please donate time/money to the cancer organization of your choice in lieu of paying for the pattern. You can give directly to any number of organizations, or sponsor someone in the Relay for Life (like me! i’m a team captain for my local Relay in August), Race for the Cure or any other awareness-raising event. Participate in an event yourself. Volunteer at a local event, clinic, etc. Bring over dinner or offer to babysit for someone dealing with cancer. Or what could even be the hardest thing for some folks, i know: offer to go with someone to their treatments, so they don’t have to drive and so that they don’t have to sit and wait alone. Whatever you’re able to do will be ample payment for the pattern.

Disclaimer: the needles i used were chosen because i had them on hand. You can probably get away with any small needles between US00 and US2 if you like. Swatch a bit and see what you like.