Cotton yarn suggestions

#1

Hi everyone
I put this on the “How to” forum but then thought I should put it here.

I’ve been making various “chemo caps” for my cousin who is being treated for advanced breast cancer. (She’s only 42–it’s an awful situation. Her mom died of breast cancer when she was in her early 50s, our mutual aunt died in her late 50s from breast cancer, and my mom died in her 50s from ovarian cancer. We’ve got to keep on working foor a cure.) She has no hair due to the chemotherapy, and the caps should be really soft and washable.

Anyway, my cousin really likes the caps, but as we head into spring she would like some which are less warm and bulky. I had been using a cotton/acrylic worsted (or just acrylic) of various sorts (Bernat denim (I think that was it!), velour, frizzy eyelash yarn, Caron’s soft worsted).

Could you please recommend some really soft cotton or cotton-blend yarns which would work for a roll-brim or ribbed-cuff basic hat? I looked at the balls of cotton yarn in the local hobby store and they seemed kind of stiff or scratchy.

How can I make a less-warm hat without making it too breezy or hole-y?
I already knit very loosely (and then compensate with smaller needles).

Thanks for your help.

Kirin

#2

I made three chemo caps for a freind of a friend with GGH Bali (cotton/acrylic blend) – she loves them and won’t wear any other hats. :smiley: It’s a little hard to find online but a local LYS might have it. Knitpicks Shine is also a nice cotton blend, very soft and affordable too. :thumbsup:

#3

What about KnitPicks Shine? It’s a dk weight so it wouldn’t be too hot, and it’s cotton. I haven’t used it but a lot of people here love it.

#4

Hi
Thanks for the suggestion. What is “DK Weight”?

#5

DK weight is lighter than worsted…there’s a chart here that explains it all: http://www.yarnstandards.com/weight.html

#6

Thanks so much! The chart of yarn weights and names really helps to clarify things.

#7

You might check out Bernat’s Cotontots, too.

#8

OK–I’ll take a look.
I like your signature line, and so do my two cats! Jessie the orange tabby especially likes to sit in my lap while I knit. All is placid until she suddenly grabs the yarn in her teeth and starts running!

#9

Even in the summer, your head gets cold if you have absolutely no hair. How about something like Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino?

Best of luck to this woman. It is indeed a dread disease - my mother lost a breast to cancer, though she has been in remission for almost 10 years now, thank God. And don’t stop praying for her recovery - miracles can happen!

Thinking of you,
Alison

#10

Hi
Thanks so much for the suggestion and good wishes and prayers. I’d prefer to use a washable fibre, but I’ll ask my cousin what she would like.
I hope your mother will enjoy a long life!

#11

Cashmerino is machine washable…and it’s soooooo soft – it’s unbelievably wonderful :thumbsup:

#12

tell us how you really feel, julie!!! :thumbsup:

#13

This list is an amazing group, I must say!
I didn’t know that Cashmerino is washable. Nice to know.

Now here’s the tricky question (perhaps): do you know of hat patterns which will work with a soft cotton yarn, yet which have more of a brim than the roll-brim hat? My cousin is hoping for something with a bit more “style” to wear in the spring and summer (she forwarded pictures of hats she liked, all of which had a broader or more constructed brim than the roll-brim or ribbed cuff hat). I assume you need a stiffer yarn, but I’m new at knitting and am just guessing here.

Thanks for your help!

#14

There are a lot to go through, but you might find some here.

The red and blue ones look felted–a bit warm, but there must be some other brimmed hats at the knitting pattern central site.