Easy to Make Crochet Cancer Hats

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Cancer touches many lives. It hits you when you don’t expect it. Quite often it is the beginning of a long journey. Here’s how to make crochet cancer hats.

Radiation, although less invasive than chemotherapy does have similar side effects including hair loss. I was asked to make some crochet cancer hats with some very specific criteria – they had to be soft, lightweight (as they were going to be worn indoors) and airy – meaning that there are holes in the actual pattern so as to allow breathability and not overheat. The hats also had to be black.

Firstly, I looked for patterns that were lacy in construction allowing the breathability and so she would not get too hot wearing them around the house. Secondly, I wanted a lightweight yarn that was soft.

Baby yarn was my first thought but there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as black baby yarn, and rightly so. The soft yarns that I was familiar with were Red Heart Soft and Caron Simply Soft – both of which are a category 4 weight. Some baby yarns are thinner and come in a category 3 weight. I am limited to what I have in my local Michaels and in the end, I decided on Caron Simply Soft as it seems to be quite lightweight, despite being a category 4. It’s more like a 3.5. It was also available in black.

While looking for airy or lacy patterns, I decided on the V-stitch and the granny stitch. There is no shortage of patterns for hats in either of these stitches.

For my V-Stitch hat, I used the pattern by Ball Hank n’ Skein as a basis. You can find the basic pattern here.

I typically find that I have to modify the number of increase rows in order to get the correct width for the crown. Once I had that, it was just a matter of continuing along until the desired length is reached. I like to use a hat that I’ve already made and know to fit, to check it against. Once I neared the desired length, I added a scalloped edge to it for a feminine touch to go with the black.

I wanted to make another hat so that there was always a spare and so that there would be options. The granny stitch pattern also allows for breathability.

For the basis of this hat, I used a pattern from Eye Love Knots. You can find it here. Despite the fact that it is sized for babies, I simply continued on with the increase pattern until I had reached the correct crown measurement. As mentioned, I base it against a hat I’ve already made – laying it on top of that one to make sure that it follows the same size and shape. From there, I just simply continued on until I reached the desired length.

Again, I added a scalloped edge for a more feminine touch. I offered to add a flower as an adornment. They seem so plain, I was turned down in favour of a simple hat.

The scalloped border, along with other easy borders can be found in my video here:

I easily made both hats out of 1 skein and had some leftover yarn. These were quick and easy to whip up.

Fortunately, hair loss due to cancer treatments is only temporary and the hair will grow back eventually. In the meantime, these crochet cancer hats will keep the recipient comfortable and warm until the hair is restored.

Want to remember these patterns for crochet cancer hats? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.