...with a little help from my friends...

Pam's Comfort Cables

I have been, it seems, forever crocheting chemo caps for my local hospital, for my friends, family and my co-workers who needed them.  If you are a long-time reader of my blog, then you know of the family members I've lost, and of my own scares with the big C.   Crocheting chemo caps is my way of offering a little TLC when it is needed most.

Recently, when a beloved crochet designer was diagnosed with breast cancer we decided we would show her some support from her friends! As a group working on this labor-of-love we wanted to create an afghan -- something she could wrap around herself, much like a big group hug from all of us.  When deciding the theme for the project we knew she'd love it more if it featured her favorite crochet stitch: cables!  The crochet cables represented our love, prayers, and thoughts of her.

I contributed two of my favorite crochet cable designs: "Hugs and Kisses," where the cables create X's and O's on both faces of the square; and "Arms of Strength," featuring half-double crochet cables that seem to lock together - much like when friends lock arms together to help a friend when they stumble.  (They can be seen on Ravelry)

Along with myself, friends/ designer contributors for Pam's Comfort Cables Afghan include (in alphabetical order):

Pattern is available at KnitPicks.com and at  Ravelry.com

Tracie Barrett, Angela Best, Vashti Braha, Robyn Chachula, Doris Chan, Bendy Carter, Drew Emborsky, Lisa Gentry, Ellen Gormley, Mary Jane Hall, Tammy Hildebrand, Jill Hanratty, Margaret Hubert, Gwen Blakley Kinsler, Kim Kotary, Annie Modesitt, Marty Miller, Diane Moyer, Kristin Omdahl, Amy O’Neill Houck,  Mary Beth Temple and Karen Ratto-Whooley

Pam loves her afghan, and posted about it here: http://knottygeneration.blogspot.com/2011/01/knit-crochet-designers-with-hearts-of.html

Do you know of someone having a rough time and could use some hugs and kisses with arms of strength, such as this afghan wrapped around them?  The pattern is available at KnitPicks, and also on Ravelry.

It is a wonderful feeling to get by with a little help from your friends: