Pamala Pattern Line - Coming in October

I love my mom. She is a strong woman. 

My mom and dad right after the diagnosis

My mom is a breast cancer survivor. She underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction and chemo and now deals with the lymphedema from the removal of lymph nodes when she had her mastectomy. She has been cancer free now for three years as of the end of June so she has a little less than 2 years to go until she will be considered at less risk for recurrence. She lives in Houston so most of the time doesn’t have to deal with really cold weather but still needs something on her head when it does get cool. Also, her hair is still wispy so during warmer months when she is out and about she needs to protect her head.

My mom and sister right before Mom's surgery

Mom and Dad - December 2012

I wanted to do something special for my mom and decided that this year in October I would start the release of a pattern line named and designed in honor of her. When I was visiting with her last week (in July), I asked her what she would want in a hat and showed her one of my books of crochet stitches. She picked a couple stitches that she liked and the designing began. I am now working with some of my testers as I develop the hat in 2 different yarn weights, worsted for cooler weather and a fingering weight for warmer weather.

The first pattern, which will be the hat, will be released for free on the Cre8tion Crochet blog. The rest of the patterns (so far I am planning a prayer shawl, a cowl and a scarf) that I develop will be released as paid patterns and 50% or more of all proceeds of these patterns for as long as I sell them will be given to a cancer related charity, and I will post the contributions for all to see. For now, my choice of charities is Crochet for Cancer. To pull directly from their website: “We are a Christian, volunteer based non-profit organization that gives free hand-crafted hats to those who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy or other cancer related treatments. People from around the globe volunteer their time and talent to crochet and knit hats for oncology patients. They mail their items to one of our Official Crochet for Cancer Chapters and they distribute them to cancer centers, doctor offices and hospitals in their community. Join our efforts and show your love and support to those in the fight of their lives.“ I didn't want my contribution to go into a CEO’s pocket. I understand that there are operating costs but it isn’t necessary to pay some of these CEOs what they are receiving. Again pulling from Crochet for Cancer’s website: “100% of funds received goes toward providing free chemo caps to cancer patients.”

I feel like this is something that might seem small to some but having watched my mom fight cancer and still be struggling with the hair loss and other effects from her treatments this gives me great joy!

My mom is more than a survivor!