February 2014 #1 - Bob's Blue Beanie

Those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile are most likely aware that I have a special fondness for, and donate all the hats featured here to, Halos of Hope. After meeting the Halos of Hope founder and President, Pam Haschke, I became inspired to knit hats. Which in turn led me to challenge myself to make at least two per month. New patterns I haven't yet tried and to share my experiences in this blog. I've been at this now for almost four year and although I've known friends and relatives who have had cancer, and I have been touched by many stories over the past four years, I have always felt that I was disconnected from the those that I make hats for. I have never had to experience that roller coaster of emotions. That is until now. 

Last month, my father had a CT scan and while I stood next to the doctor reading the report, my eyes locked on that dreaded six letter word. He had surgery on Valentine's Day to remove his tumor, along with his kidney. His prognosis is very good and we believe he will not need chemo or radiation. We are thankful for so many reasons.

So, February is all about Bob, and making hats in his honor. Not that my dad would wear a hat, but I thought of him with every stitch I made. The pattern, A Very Simple Skateboarder Beanie, is available for free from Chie Crochets (Knits too!). I used Berroco Comfort yarn in Navy Blue with the edging in Smokestack. The hat is crocheted with a size I hook. Stitches used are chain, single crochet and slip stitch. The pattern calls for starting with an adjustable loop. Of course I've never used that before so I found this tutorial on YouTube. I would have liked to have the hat a bit longer to cover the ears, but perhaps skaters prefer their hats more skull like? I also need to apologize for the deceptive picture. The hat is actually much larger than it looks but since I do not have a male mannequin I used a bit of retail visual merchandiser magic to make the hat fit for the photos.