Two Feminine Chemo Caps
These two ripple edged hats are feminine yet functional. The one on the left is pleated pattern and the one on the right art deco pattern.
This is the in-the-round version of the pattern. There is a straight needle version here.
There are now coordinating scarf patterns available for each of the hats: Pleated pattern and Art deco.
Size:
Adult woman, size medium – 20″ circumference, 7.5″ height
Gauge:
17 stitches and 23 rows = 4 inches in stockinette
Materials:
1.5 oz (90 yards) of soft worsted weight yarn
Size 8 (5 mm) 47″ circular needle (for magic loop) or set of size 8 (5 mm) double pointed needles
Yarn needle
Abbreviations:
k = knit
m1 = make one: With left needle pick up thread between last and next stitch inserting front to back. With right needle knit back loop.
p = purl
k2tog = knit two together
k3tog = knit three together
p3tog = purl three together
sk2p = slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slip stitch over the knit 2 together; 2 stitches have been decreased
ssk = slip one knitwise, slip one knitwise, insert left needle into front of both slipped stitches and knit.
Pleats
Cast on and Body:
Cast on 84. Join to knit in the round. Divide stitches between double pointed needles or needles for a magic loop. Divide with multiples of 14 on each needle. Repeat the round directions across the round.
Rnd 1 and all odd rounds: k11, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 2: k1, m1, k1, p2, p3tog, p2, k1, m1, k1 , p1, k1, p1
Rnd 4: k1, m1, k2, p1, p3tog, p1, k2, m1, k1 , p1, k1, p1
Rnd 6: k1, m1, k3, p3tog, k3, m1, k1 , p1, k1, p1
Repeat rounds 1 – 6 until the hat measures 5.75″ from the edge. End with a Rnd 6.
Crown:
Rnd 1: k11, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 2: k2, p2, p3tog, p2, k2 , p1, k1, p1
Rnd 3: k9, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 4: k2, p1, p3tog, p1, k2 , p1, k1, p1
Rnd 5: k7, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 6: k2, p3tog, k2 , p1, k1, p1
Rnd 7: k5, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 8: k1, k3tog, k1, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 9: k3, p1, k1, p1
Rnd 10: k3, p3tog
Rnd 11: k3, p1
Rnd 12: k3tog, p1
Cut the yarn with several inches to work with. With a yarn needle, pull the yarn through all the remaining loops, secure and weave in end.
Art Deco
Cast on and Body:
Cast on 84. Join to knit in the round. Divide stitches between double pointed needles or needles for a magic loop. Divide with multiples of 14 on each needle. Repeat the round directions across the round.
Rnd 1 and all odd rnds: k13, p1
Rnd 2: k1, p11, k1, p1
Rnd 4: k1, m1, ssk, k4, k2tog, k3, m1, k1, p1, k1, m1, k3, ssk, k4, k2tog, m1, k1, p1
Rnd 6: k1, m1, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k4, m1, k1, p1, k1, m1, k4, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, m1, k1, p1
Rnd 8: k1, m1, k2, ssk, k2tog, k5, m1, k1, p1, k1, m1, k5, ssk, k2tog, k2, m1, k1, p1
Rnd 10: k1, m1, k3, ssk, k4, k2tog, m1, k1, p1, k1, m1, ssk, k4, k2tog, k3, m1, k1, p1
Rnd 12: k1, m1, k4, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, m1, k1, p1, k1, m1, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k4, m1, k1, p1
Rnd 14: k1, m1, k5, ssk, k2tog, k2, m1, k1, p1, k1, m1, k2, ssk, k2tog, k5, m1, k1, p1
Repeat rounds 3 – 14 until the hat measures 5.75″ from the edge. End with a row 14.
Crown:
Rnd 1: k13, p1
Rnd 2: k1, ssk, k4, k2tog, k4, p1, k4, ssk, k4, k2tog, k1, p1
Rnd 3: k11, p1
Rnd 4: k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k4, p1, k4, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, p1
Rnd 5: k9, p1
Rnd 6: k1, ssk, k2tog, k4, p1, k4, ssk, k2tog, k1, p1
Rnd 7: k7, p1
Rnd 8: k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, p1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, p1
Rnd 9: k5, p1
Rnd 10: k1, ssk, k2tog, p1, ssk, k2tog, k1, p1
Rnd 11: k3, p1
Rnd 12: k3tog, p1, sk2p, p1
Cut the yarn with several inches to work with. With a yarn needle, pull the yarn through all the remaining loops, secure and weave in end.
Edits:
12/17/15 – replaced a broken link for Magic Loop method
beautiful hats.. thank u for patterns
gorgeous! I can’t wait to try them. Thanks.
Me too!!
These hats are beautiful. Thank you!! Keep up the great designs, please.
Thanks Im going to make them for a friend at church who is on chemo, again thanks!
Hats are beautiful, I have knit four in various colors and wil knit more to donate to a cancer clinic- I am a cancer
survivor from Canada Mary
Love these patterns. I am making them to donate to the cancer center where I was treated for cancer – I am in remission now. Wish I had some hats as pretty as these when I needed them. But happy to be alive and able to donate them so that someone else can enjoy wearing them. Thank you for sharing your patterns.
I have a friend with a small head and hats are always too big for her can I decrease this pattern to fit a small
You can cast on 70 and make it shorter. This will make 5 repeats of the pattern instead of 6.
I am making for a newborn. I reduced co to 70 and reduced length before crown by ending my last round on a round 8. I’m not sure how to do the crown now. Can you help? Thank you.
I’m a fairly new knitter and don’t quite understand the pattern. What do I do for the rounds that aren’t mentioned? There are no directions for Round 3 etc.
For all odd numbered rounds you will repeat round one.
I have not yet learned magic loop, what size cable would work to do this on circular needles?
Anything 16″ or shorter should work fine. You will need to convert to dpns for the crown reductions or you can use the two circular method if you know that one.
Thank you for the lovely patterns. They are gorgeous and I plan to make some of the hats for charity here in Australia.
What is the two circular method? I know the magic-loop but am not familiar with that term. Thank You
I don’t use it myself, so can’t speak to my like or dislike of it, but I do know others use it. I’m a magic loop girl myself. I found this nice listing and description of the different in-the-round methods which includes the two circular method:
http://www.knitpicks.com/tutorials/Knitting_in_the_Round__D52.html
I am from UK, please can you tell me what weight is worsted wool as we don’t have this over here? Will I be able to use double knitting weight? I wish I’d found these patterns earlier as I am now on chemo no. 5 and it’s snowing outside!
Yes, your double knitting weight is the equivalent of our worsted weight.
I would like to make this cap with a fine angora yarn that I recently purchased. I will have to cast on more than 84 stitches in order to make the hat work. Do you have any suggestions on how to adapt the pattern for a finer wool and smaller needles? I think the pattern is so lovely and will look really nice with this yarn. 🙂
Easy! Any multiple of 14 will work. Depending on how many additional stitches you need for the gauge of the finer yarn and needles, you can begin with casting on 98 or 112.
They’re such lovely hats! I’m going to cast on today for my mother-in-law, but the longest cable I have is 40 inches. Do you think I could manage magic loop with that? (I’ve never tried it.)
You can definitely do it with a 40″, but you might occasionally “lose” the loop. I have lost the loop from time to time even with a longer cable, but I just find where it should be and pull it back out again.
I hope you like the magic loop. I haven’t used double pointed needles since learning it.
These are lovely patterns. Thank you for your generosity in sharing them with us. From Australia
I would like to make this hat four a four year old. Could you please tell me how many stitches I should cast on and any other modifications you suggest? Thanks.
If you use size 7 needles and a DK weight yarn, you can still cast on 84 stitches and just make it a little shorter.
I also have size 4 needles.
I just bought size 7 needles. Is shepherds wool considered DK weighted yarn? Thanks.
It’s considered worsted, but it is a light worsted so close to a DK weight. It would work nicely with size 7 needles and should give you a child sized hat.
What’s the crown like if we cast on 70?
You can work the crown as written and it will work fine. It will reduce at 5 points instead of 6, but the taper should be fine.
LOVE these two beautiful hats. I can hardly wait to make them. I’m a breast cancer survivor, nice to hear about my “sisters” in Victory!! I’m making these for a dear sister, and a dear friend undergoing chemo now, they should love these! Thanks for sharing.
I made the Art Deco scarf as a Christmas gift – added the three knit stitches on either side as you suggested – it turned out beautifully. Now I’d like to make the hat. My friend’s head measures 23 inches. Should I follow the directions (21 inch head) or add an additional pattern?
Thanks you!!
Donna
As long as you aren’t a tight knitter and your yarn has give, it is probably sized perfectly as written. It is stretchy and you wouldn’t want it too loose.
I am an officer of the San Diego Knitters Guild, and our
organization knits for various charities. I personally, and many of our members, have used your patterns for Chemo Caps and find them lovely, easy to follow, and well worth the time and effort to knit them.
We realize what a wonderful free service you provide and appreciate and thank you for your expertise and generosity.
I am going to make this hat for a friend undergoing chemo, and have a DK weight yarn that normally calls for a 4mm needle ( Canadian:). I was wondering how many stitches to cast on and I would assume you would make it the same length for an adult.Thanks so much, I think my friend will love this hat!
The hat has a 14 stitch repeat. Your yarn using 4mm needles probably has a gauge of 22 stitches per 4 inches (10 cm). A cast on of 98 will give a hat of almost 18″ circumference (so stretch for 20″ head) and a cast on of 112 will give a hat of 20.5″ circumference (so stretch for 22.5″ head).
Thank you for the speedy reply – so appreciated!
HI Mama
I am working on the deco hat, and have completed two rounds of the 14 rows and will need to start the next set in order to meet the required length of 5.75″ from the edge. Just wondering what happens if I reach that length and I am only on row 6 or 8? Do I just have to end with row 14 or does it matter what row you end up on at the 5.75″ length? thanks for your help:)
Here is an alternative crown you can use if the length works better ending on a round eight:
Crown for after rnd 8:
Rnd 1: k13, p1
Rnd 2: k4, ssk, k4, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, ssk, k4, k2tog, k4, p1
Rnd 3: k11, p1
Rnd 4: k4, ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, k4, p1
Rnd 5: k9, p1
Rnd 6: k4, ssk, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, ssk, k2tog, k4, p1
Rnd 7: k7, p1
Rnd 8: ssk, k2, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, ssk, k2, k2tog, p1
Rnd 9: k5, p1
Rnd 10: ssk, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, ssk, k2tog, p1
Rnd 11: k3, p1
Rnd 12: sk2p, p1, k3tog, p1
I love the crochet reversible lap blanket. I would like to know the color that is used with the white. They go so well together. We are making it for our local nursing home.
Thank you.
The color is called seafoam.
I’ve made both patterns and decided to try one in hand-spun wool. It was lovely and lacy but itchy! Please take into consideration if these are made as chemo hats that those who are in chemotherapy have very tender scalps. I found cotton to be very comfortable, and I’m thinking bamboo and other soft fibres would be acceptable as well. Lovely patterns! Oh, the first ones I made became sleep caps for hubby and I and work beautifully!
Thank you. Best ever explanation of The Magic Loop that I have seen so far.
I thought of doing it that way, but stopped myself as I thought it was incorrect, BUT it makes perfect sense.
Now to try it out with your lovely patterns.
Thanks
love the pattern here too & thank you for help with a problems with wool gauge here in
Australia NSW thank you very very much.
I’m making fa hat with dk yarn..It calls for a size 7 circular needle..It’s coming out to small….What can do to make the gauge right…I lied his yarn, but it called for worseted weight baby yarn…What can I do..Use 2 strands for the entire project?
If the hat has a repeated pattern around, sometimes you can add another repeat and it still can work with the pattern. If that is not an option, you can try a larger needle size and see you doing that you can get the gauge of the pattern. Doubled DK equates more to a bulky than a worsted, so that might just make it too big.
hi mama
can you use this pattern on straight needles
many thanks
sarah
Here is a straight needle version:
http://stitcheryprojects.com/2015/03/25/two-feminine-chemo-caps-for-straight-needles/
The hats are beautiful and I can’t wait to start making them
Hi Mama,
I would like to make the pleat hat for my four month old with a 15.5″ head. Can you tell me what the cast on number should be a multiple of and any other modifications?
I’m having a hard time working it out with worsted yarn and 5mm needles. It would be perfect with the same cast on in DK (Light-#3) yarn and 4mm needles. It would just have to be made shorter.
Greetings!
I am knitting the Pleated Hat and now working on the crown.
I noticed in Round 8, k3tog. I’ve been purling 3 together and wondered if the k3tog was an error. Love the hat!
Making it for a friend.
Thank you.
It really is k3tog. I know why it looks like it would be incorrect since the other rows have p3tog.
I just made my first attempt at the Art Deco hat for our local hospital, and I love it. Such a beautiful pattern. Thank you for making it available!
I’m a visual person, so I drew myself a chart of the pattern. I would be happy to send it to you as a pdf, so that you could make it available for others, if you think it would be useful.
Many thanks all the way from Finland,
Jeanette
I have these in the past and the girls that received them just loved them. I am making more for some of my friends who are undergoing chemo. As time permits, I will be making more the nursing homes and chemo units. I will also be making some for myself, as I have alopecia. Again thank you so much for the patterns. I have also made several of baby NICU hats to date.
undergoing
Just completed one of each to donate to charity. They are really pretty and feminine looking. I’m sure they’ll help someone through their trying times.