Knit Projects for Breast Cancer Awareness

Knitting is a fun and creative hobby, but eventually there comes a point where you have all the hats, scarves and sweaters you could possibly ever want or use. Many knitters, therefore, like to devote their craft and efforts to charity, knitting for a number of worthy causes. One of the worthiest is for breast cancer awareness. Most knitters are women, and breast cancer is one of the top ten causes of death for women in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Pink Ribbon Scarf

The symbol for breast cancer awareness is the pink ribbon, and so a quick and easy knitting project for breast cancer awareness is the pink ribbon scarf. The pink ribbon scarf is knit to resemble the pink ribbon for breast cancer, and can be worn by you or by anyone who wants to show their support - or who likes pink. You can also donate them to a breast cancer center.

The pink ribbon scarf is an easy pattern and can be completed, depending on how fast you knit and how much free time you devote to it, in about a day. The original pattern calls for three balls of Lion Brand Velvetspun yarn, a chunky pink velvet yarn, but any chunky-sized pink yarn you like and can get the proper gauge with will work. You will also need size ten US (6 mm) needles and a yard of pink satin ribbon.

Chemo Caps

Another way to knit for breast cancer awareness is to knit chemo caps. Chemo caps are head-hugging knit hats which not only cover your head but provide warmth. Chemo caps can not only be worn to raise awareness, but can also be donated to cancer patients or survivors. You can also make your chemo caps in shades of pink, or in any colors you like. There are a number of chemo cap patterns on the web, but you can find a long list of chemo cap patterns, not only for knitting but also for crocheting and sewing, at the Head Huggers website.

LouLou Comfort Socks

The online knitting magazine, Knitty, did something unusual in the fall of 2004. For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Knitty produced a printable mini-issue totally devoted to breast cancer awareness projects, encouraging everyone to print out the issue and share it with as many people as possible. Amid the scarves and chemo caps, Knitty also featured stories of cancer survivors. Amy Swenson's Loulou Comfort Socks were named for a friend and neighbor who conquered the deadly disease. Done, of course, in shades of pink, the socks are knit from the toe up on double-pointed needles.

Denise Interchangeable Needles

Not a knit project, but of interest to knitters may be the fact that the Denise company, which makes sets of interchangeable knitting needles, donates $5 from the sale of every pink knitting needle kit to breast cancer research. The company has, as of September 1, 2009, raised more than $100,000.