Thundercake Slouchy Hat & Mitts for a Friend

A bit of a story.... I spent 6 years teaching theatrical costuming at the college level, and in that time I had many students who taught me many things. One of those students was a young woman named B. She wasn't a theatre major, but rather an art major who specialized in weaving. She was always dreaming up and working on something. She had great sewing skills, so I hired her to work in my costume shop. B. was always bright and joyful, happy and funny both in and out of work. She approached everything she did with an open heart and a smile on her face. She adored cupcakes and bright colors, fairy tales and Chewbacca. She was the first person to volunteer to help, and the last person to go home at night. When we needed someone to design the costumes for a children's theatre production of Cinderella, we knew B. would be perfect. Children's theatre shows didn't get help from the costume shop staff, just the work of the student who designed it. A week before the show, B. broke her arm. She didn't ask for help, she just tried to assure us all that she could certainly sew one handed. Two days later, she sprained her other wrist, and still she smiled and sang and worked and asked for nothing. (Yes, I promise we did help B. even though she assured us she could do it all herself.)

I asked all the students who worked in the shop to name their own imaginary Hogwarts House, and she named hers the Thundercakes. She even made a brightly colored House banner complete with cupcake and lightning bolt. She made me laugh every time I saw her. B is 29 years old now, and lives up in the cold of Michigan, where she is a Jill of all Trades, one of which is hosting ceramics parties in local pubs, much like Paint Nights.

And B. has just been diagnosed with cancer. I can't fix it for her. I can't even be there for her. So I did the only thing I could, I crafted for her. I made her a cuddly new hat and warm cozy mitts in all her favorite shades of happy Thundercake color to keep her warm and cozy. I'm sending them along with an afghan I made over the summer, for her to snuggle with. I know that this is just a part of B's story.

The hat pattern is the Unforgettable Hat from Crochet in Color, and the mitts are the Quick Wristers from Crochetology by Fatima. Both are made with Yarn Bee Aurora Borealis yarn, in the shade Sandrock Mountain.

Just for fun, I dug through old pics until I found one of her Thundercake banner. It was in the background of a much larger pic, so I'm sorry for the small size. (Yeah, that's not a thumbnail. That's the full size!)

*Special thanks to crochet goddess pinkleo for the suggestion on the mitts pattern!