Gift for Kim and a Call for Hats

This hat was created especially for Pali’s Aunt Kim.

Kim is battling cancer, and I made this to uplift her spirits as she battles this disease. This was my first attempt at what I would call an intricate crocheted hat. I have really moved away from using the loom and prefer crocheting as I like the design possibilities and the vast array of access to tutorials. To create this hat, I used this tutorial. I highly recommend it, however, it isn’t a great video for beginners. It did take me a while to grasp the front post crochet but once I got the concept completing the hat went quickly.

While creating this hat, Pali delivered our monthly batch of hats to our friend Melissa to take to CHOC. Melissa mentioned how much the hats were appreciated and explained to us the importance of remembering the need there is for children and teenage sized hats. She mentioned how people consistently donate to the NICU’s but rarely to the children and teenagers. We knew once we heard this that we would begin working on hats for these children right away. Melissa stressed the importance of soft yarns and cute styles for the children and  teenagers due to the sensitivity of their skin after treatments. We thought that this hat was a perfect style for that group and will be making a few of them for the next delivery. We are hoping to also find a few more tutorials for some stylish hats that we could try as well. It was really shocking to hear how under-served these groups are,  so we thought we would ask all of our friends to consider making hats for them in a variety of styles and colors so that we can have a giant delivery for them next month and in the upcoming months.

If you have some recommendations on videos we can learn from we would love to hear from you.
~Vanessa

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Green Lantern for Conlan

I made this special hat for Conlan, who has severe cerebral palsy and is known as the Hat Man since he wears all types of hats all the time.  In addition to dealing with cerebral palsy, Conlan’s grandfather is in Stage 4 of Lung Cancer and has moved in with Conlan’s family.   So on the back of the Green Lantern hat, I made a white ribbon to celebrate his grandfather and bring awareness to his battle with this extremely horrible disease.  Conlan’s name mean hero, so we think it’s quite fitting that he has a Green Lantern hat!

 

Back of Hat- White Ribbon for Lung Cancer

Conlan wore the hat to school and everyone loved it on him!  We will keep Conlan and his entire family in our prayers.

~Pali

A Special Delivery for Silas

 

 

I made this whale hat for a very special boy named Silas. Silas is 2 and half years old and has Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy along with Secondary Microcephaly, Plagiocephaly, Epilepsy, Severe Developmental Delay, and Tracheal Malaysia, Non-Verbal and Non-Ambulatory . Needless to say Silas has been through a lot since his birth. Silas is a fighter and Knitting Rays of Hope was honored to be able to make a hat especially for him. Silas loves whales and the color blue so we thought that this hat was just right for him.  Please stop by Silas’ facebook page Silas’ Saga and show him some support. We received a wonderful collage of pictures from Silas below:

Thank you Silas for sending us these wonderful pictures of you wearing your hat to share. We are so happy to see that you are enjoying your hat.
~Vanessa

Special Delivery-Brain Cancer Awareness

We made this Brain Cancer Awareness hat for Brianna. Brianna is a brain cancer survivor who is an advocate for awareness and research. We hope that when she wears this hat it helps to allow her to advocate for cancer research. It is so important that we all come together for a cure. When we work together there is nothing that we cannot overcome. Brianna has not yet been able to send us a picture of her wearing her hat as she has just become and Aunt. Brianna congrats and we hope to see some of your knitting creations in the future.

~Vanessa

Peppa the Pig Special Delivery

This Peppa the Pig hat was made especially for Chloe at: A Cure 4 Chloe. This hat was my first attempt at crocheting an entire hat. I did not think that I was capable of actually crocheting a whole entire hat and I was pleasantly surprised at how well this turned out. I will have to start crocheting more of my hats. Although it does take a bit longer than looming. I was so excited to hear that Chloe loved this hat and it brought her such joy. Chloe has a rare “birthmark” hemangioma underneath her right eyelid. The size of it has caused her to loose part of her vision. She has undergone many surgeries and really was in need of a hat to bring her smiles. I am so proud to be the one to make that hat. Please visit Chloe’s facebook page and send her some love. Below is a wonderful collage that Chloe sent us of her wearing the hat.

 

Thank you Chloe for the wonderful pictures and we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.
~Vanessa

 

PS- We just participated in a link-up party with Peppa the pig

Special Delivery- Hello Kitty

This Hello Kitty hat was made specially for Jade Mathias. Jade saw the hat that we made for Jazzy and she wanted one just likes hers. Jade has special needs and has been very sick so we were thrilled to make a hat that would bring her a smile. Unfortunately, Jade does not have a camera that is working so we don’t have a picture of her wearing the hat but she has promised to get us one as soon as she can. Jade we hope that this hat brings you a smile every time that you wear it.
~Vanessa

Music Feeds the Soul

We made this hat for a special friend of ours who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments. She is a big fan of music, and we thought that this hat would be perfect for her. We had to do a bit of research, knowing nothing about music notes to find the perfect one and I think we found a great one. The hat came out even better than I pictured it in my head. Usually when I have an idea of what I want something to look like, it never really comes out like I planned. I was very happy when this hat came out so nicely. Our friend informed us that she would definitely be wearing this hat at her next treatment so that she will feel nice and cozy. We hope that it brings her some joy as we know the treatments are hard on everyone who has them.
~Vanessa

Batman for Carson

This very special hat was made for a very special boy named Carson. Carson has been through a lot already at only 4 years old. He does not have a diagnosis but is being treated for several symptoms. He suffers from saggital suture and lung and stomach issues. He has a facebook page Carson’s Cause that helps to raise awareness about undiagnosed children. Please stop by the page and show Carson some love. Let him know Knitting Rays of Hope sent you. We hope to be getting a picture soon of Carson wearing the hat as soon as we do we will share. 🙂
~Vanessa

A Special Delivery to NICU in Japan

These beautiful hats were donated to a NICU in Japan that houses the NICU children of armed forces families. We received a request from one of the nurses for hats, and we were so happy to be making hats for these families who sacrifice so much for us. I have a brother and cousins in the Navy, and I know what they sacrifice first hand being military families. We would like to extend a BIG THANK YOU to the families for their service, and we hope these hats bring them some joy. We made sure to include the most adorable hats in this shipment from holiday Santa themes to Minions and footballs. We hope to get pictures of the babies to share with you soon.
~Vanessa

A Couple of Minions

These two Minion hats I made for two very special children. I made them with love. I think that now I have made as many Minion hats as there are in the second Minion movie. To date, the Minions are the most popular request and most viewed on our blog. We hope that we can create more character hats that illicit as much love as this adorable character.
~Vanessa