Saturday, March 21, 2009

The Not-Just-For-Chemo Reversible Cloche - a free pattern

At long last, one chemo cap with a bonus:

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What can I say? I'm all about the multitasking, even for hats. This 1920s cloche works with hair and without it, protects curls or conceals the lack of them, and looks stylish whether or not the softer stocking stitch is worn in by a girl who's having treatment.


NOTE: for some reason I have yet to identify and fix, some people are having trouble downloading this pattern. If you turn out to be one of them, just e-mail me and I'll send it to you directly. Thanks!


Download .pdf of Not-Just-For-Chemo Reversible Cloche

54 comments:

Liberty said...

I love this hat! Thanks for sharing!!

Anonymous said...

I'd love to make this beautiful hat, but the link to the PDF pattern isn't working. Is it possible for me to get hold of the pattern somehow? Thank you for sharing it :)

Mary Keenan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thank you!!!
Anon xxx

Dottie said...

Do You Have A pattern For The Hat Above WIth Crochet Directions ? Thank's, Dottie

Mary Keenan said...

Unfortunately I don't, Dottie :^( I've e-mailed you some notes on the hat that might help you adapt it!

Dee said...

Thank you for such a gorgeous pattern! It's just what I was looking for...something with interest around the eyes. I don't know when I will start chemo, but I'm getting ready now...making several hats so that I don't get bored with any one :-)

Mary Keenan said...

Good luck and best wishes, Dee! And I hope all your hats are super comfy and fun to wear.

Bibliocat said...

Thank you for the lovely pattern. I can't wait to make it.

susan said...

Oerfect! My colleague and friend is beginning chemo. She will look precious in this hat. I will get out my needles. Thank you so much.

Anonymous said...

I have been looking so long for the perfect
cloche. I think this is it.

I going shopping tomorrow morning for yarn.

Thank you

Anonymous said...

can't seem to email or get pattern could you post a different link love the pattern. thanks.

Mary Keenan said...

There's no other link but maybe a different e-mail? Try mary@marykeenan.com

Nonnie said...

Could you please email this pattern to me. I have a dear friend who has bilateral breast cancer and I would love to make several of these for her.
The free pattern link on Ravelry takes you to the blog
Thank you
Debbir

Mary Keenan said...

Nonnie, if you're not able to download the file from the link, please do e-mail me at the address mentioned above in these comments - I'll be glad to send you this pattern!

Nonnie said...

Thank you Mary. The link worked this time
Making my friend a cowl, this hat and fingerless mittens

Diana said...

I'm excited to get started on this for a friend who deserves a little style while in the hospital. Her head measures 23 1/2 as a headband measurement. Can I assume that would be a Medium? I can't seem to find a chart that makes the SML aspect clear to me. Thanks for a response and the cute pattern!

Mary Keenan said...

Diana, you're so nice to make something for your friend! In the 'Notes' section of the pattern's left column there are size ranges, and I think I would make an L for 23.5". Do a gauge swatch though - if you substitute yarn that is super elastic (the Malabrigo isn't so much) you might get away with an M. Hope your friend's better very soon!

Dineen said...

I've always loved the flirty look of the cloche. Thank you. I can't wait to get some wool to work this.

~Ruth said...

Thank you so much for this pattern. A dear friend of mine just started chemo last week and I've been looking for a cute hat to make for her. This has her personality all over it!

Jessica-Jean said...

You are a large-headed person's dream designer! Since my pre-teens, finding a hat that fits my 23" skull has been nearly impossible, especially if I'd like a girly-looking hat! Thank so much for writing the patterns sized big enough to begin with! No need to tweak! :-)

Anonymous said...

I love the look of this pattern! Definitely gonna give this a try. Can this be knitted in the round?

Mary Keenan said...

The brim is written as knit flat but the rest of the hat is in the round, yep :^)

Anonymous said...

I love this, thanks heaps. Did have difficulty printing initially-just need to left click on top of page and move it upward, revealing the "print" box. Jacqui

Hannah R. said...

Hello, I don't know if you will see this, but would you be willing to try and convert the pattern quickly to a flat pattern? I don't have circular needles and my aunt deserves such a pretty hat.

Mary Keenan said...

Hannah, because the hat starts off flat anyway it's pretty straightforward - just don't bother joining it after the brim, and purl every other row till you get to the nine remaining stitches which you can finish as written, then stitch down the open side. The neatest way though would be to cast on 2 extra stitches for the brim for a border to sew through. On every row just slip the first, knit the last, and work the rest as written. You'll see what I mean after a few rows - makes a nice clean edge. Hope that helps!

Anonymous said...

If people click on the down load then click open on the bottom when it comes up you'll be able to download to adobe reader, that is if you have it. Hope this helps.

Mary Keenan said...

Thanks so much for pointing this out, Anon!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I just finished a little top down hat and used your split brim idea... how brilliant! Mine has a contrasting frill knitted along the edge of the brim for a bit of whimsy, but I like the cloche shape so much, I just might make another with a more classic look. Also, for a removable adornment, I decided to use a lovely brooch, so I can change it up as I please. Thanks for this great pattern.

Mary Keenan said...

Anon - love the idea of the little frilly edge! And the brooch - a pin is even easier for on and off than a little tie :^)

Tobi said...

Do you have a version of this hat in DK weight? I'm about to start chemo (again?) and would like something a little lighter than worsted. Thanks.

Mary Keenan said...

Oh Tobi, I am so sorry to hear you have to do a repeat of your chemo! You might try my Asymmetrical Cloche - it's a similar style of pattern written a sport weight or a little heavier (I used organic cotton). On my Free Patterns tab there are several chemo-friendly hats marked with an asterisk. Hope you find something that suits!

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful pattern! Is it possible to knit it in smaller sizes, decreasing in multiples of ???

Mary Keenan said...

Anonymous, I'm pretty sure it's multiples of 9 for the crown, but your problem would be with the brim which was very complex to write out! Maybe you could try knitting the smallest size with a slightly smaller yarn and needle to scale it down a bit more?

Unknown said...

I am halfway thru chemo and this hat is ideal for my "hair thinning"... I am having trouble downloading it though...would you please email it to me..

Many thanks

Tracey

Mary Keenan said...

Tracey I would be so glad to e-mail the pattern to you! If you click on my e-mail link at the right side bar on the web page, you can send me a note with your address and I'll get it right over.

Audrey said...

Just wondering if you might be able to suggest a yarn that has silk in it or a cotton yarn for this hat? I love Malbrigo but it is summer right now and the woman who will be getting this hat is having chemo within the next month. I don't really know much about chemo and when people lose their hair.

Audrey

Mary Keenan said...

Audrey, try Lion Cotton Solid, by Lion Brand. It's an Aran weight 100% cotton yarn that might do. And check out my Asymmetrical Cloche pattern - there's a variation in that one for an undyed organic cotton that might be useful. You have to be careful subbing in different fibers for a pattner but Malabrigo acts a lot like cotton or silk, sagging out over time instead of stretching and snapping back into shape like other wools. When a friend of mine needed chemo in the summer I made her an Asymmetrical Cloche in cotton for daytime, and a Bobcap in superwash wool for nights. Your head gets really cold without hair and at night, a hat that holds in some body heat is a true comfort. All the best for your friend's treatment!!

Unknown said...

I'm having difficulty downloading the pattern.

Mary Keenan said...

Jackie, send me an e-mail to the address in the right sidebar, and I'll reply with the pattern - no problem!

Lynn Reeves said...

It won't let me download the pattern can you please help me out. THANK YOU

Mary Keenan said...

Lynn, if you e-mail me at the address in the column on the right, I will send it to you directly. Sorry about the download problem!

Anonymous said...

I'm a fairly new knitter but I do understand the stiches for this hat. My problem comes when the pattern sequence seems to bounce around. I get busy knitting the one row and then I realize that in the process I've skipped over a row or I've not been on the right row at all. Could you or someone help me rewrite the pattern in the sequence order so I don't miss a row? It is a lovely hat. I really want to make it the correct way. Any suggestions on how to follow the pattern easier?

Mary Keenan said...

Oh Anonymous, I'm so sorry for the difficulty with this hat... it's just counting and lots of it. I ended up writing several other easy cloche-style hat patterns to compensate for this one which isn't at all the same as making this one easier! One thing I could suggest for getting the rows right is to use a ruler to block off the ones you're not currently knitting, and marking on a separate sheet which rows you've done as you work along. Sorry for the delay replying to this... maybe you've solved the problem by now! Hope so :^)

Unknown said...

do u have this in crochet

Mary Keenan said...

Sorry Unknown - I don't know crochet well enough to make patterns with it!

Unknown said...

Hi Mary! Just knitting up this gorgeous hat and noticed that last instruction on Line 6 for large size should read 24 not 25 times. Thought I was going mad after counting sts several times!! Thanks for the wonderful patterns xx
Diane

Mary Keenan said...

Whoops - thanks for catching that!

Grammy Sue said...

Mary, I am having serious problems with this brim.

On Row 3, you say to P2 tog. Fine, then there should be four less stitches in the next row. That would make it (18 times) the pattern. Is it 18 or is it supposed to be 19?
Then I get to slipping 2, * x more times, and the stitches just do not add up. Either way, 18 or 19 the number of stitches I have is wrong.
is there supposed to be a column of straight knit (or purl depending on how you look at it)? If so, how to they line up when the stitch count is off?
I have taken this back twice already. I don't want to do it again. However, my transitions from row 4 to 5 just don't work.
This hat is really cut and I want to make it, but I cannot get past row 5.

Mary Keenan said...

Grammy Sue, I wonder if you could e-mail me using the address near the bottom of the sidebar so we can work this through in more detail? I need to know what size you are making and also to clarify which row is giving you trouble (row 3 does not have P2tog.) Thanks!

Unknown said...

Grammy Sue, I'm having exactly the same problem, and my pal starts chemo on Friday, I'm desperate to get it finished for her!!

Mary Keenan said...

Unknown, I'm not sure whether Grammy Sue ever solved the problem because she never got in touch again. You are welcome to e-mail me at the address on the sidebar if you're still having trouble; I'm glad to help if I can :^)

Anonymous said...

This is going to be my first knit hat! I have a few questions, as I want to make the large size:

1. Are the bracketed instruction just large size and not medium size?
2. Are they in addition to the small instructions (adding more stitches, which seems to make sense)?
3. Is the brim ending on row 4 (where the size increases for large)?

Mary Keenan said...

Hi Ceirwyn!
1/ The sizing is like this: S (M, L) - so if you're doing size L, just pay attention to the second number within the brackets.
2/ I think the answer to this is the same to #1, let me know if not
3/ The brim ends at row 20 - row 4 is just where the stitches start to increase. They keep increasing until you have enough depth to flip the brim. Then you have 'round' 21 - which is where you join the two ends to make a round knit, at which point you are doing simple plain knitting for the rest of the hat.

If you count like the dickens and don't mind that every row has you doing something different, you'll be rewarded with a pretty linen stitch. But if it's driving you crazy, take a look at my Assymetrical Cloche which is similar but MUCH easier for a first hat.

Have fun!