odessa for alice

I've wanted to write this post for weeks now, but I've struggled with what to say and how to say it. So, I'll just jump in. 

I made this hat for my grandma Alice. She just finished up chemo to treat ovarian cancer. She lost her hair because of the chemo, and when I saw her last month she kept saying how cold she was. So I figured the least I could do was to make her a hat, the warmest, softest hat I could manage, that would keep her toasty all winter long and remind her that she's got lots of people who care about her. 

I picked out the coziest yarn I had in my stash: half a skein of Juniper Moon's Herriot, which is a lush baby alpaca that knits up like a dream. I'd been saving it for something special, and this project seemed like exactly that. The half skein worried me at first, but the Odessa pattern worked well with the small amount of yarn (110 yards or so) that I had. 

My family had a brunch recently to celebrate the end of Grandma Alice's chemo. It was a big get-together with my aunts, uncles, and cousins and more food than we could ever eat. We laughed and talked and held babies. It felt really good to see my grandma in better spirits, smiling and even playing poker with the family. I'm hoping this hat will keep her spirits high throughout the winter.

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If you'd like to make a hat to help keep up the spirits of someone receiving chemo, check out the Halos of Hope Ravelry page. 

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See more details of my Odessa here.