Hair to Stay

Seems my hair is going to hang around for this series of chemo treatments. I greet the realization with mixed feelings. On the up side, the shiny pate I sported during my first bout of cancer highlighted the familial connection between me and dear cousin Phil. On the downside, it was mighty cold when the wind blew and no squirrel perched atop my head. Problem? Opportunity! What better time to see if blondes really do have more fun or if the red hair of my long-ago youth was more flattering than the mousy brown it had become pre grey highlights. And so it was that, when my hair fell out during those first rounds of chemo two years ago, I was determined to forego wigs in favour of a series of hats that resembled various hairstyles and hair colours. The hats, fashioned by yours truly, would set millinery tradition on its ear and spark more than a touch of envy in the heart of anyone catching an eyeful of the tasteful toppers. Or so I thought. As luck would have it, my energy level flagged to the point that this was the best I could come up with. (It would have been so much more romantic to say that exposure/ingestion of large quantities of mercury were to blame for such mad musings of this hapless hat-designer hopeful, but I don't think any of the metallic liquid existed in any of my chemo cocktails. Still, it's hard to explain that "deer in the headlights" gaze.)

Far from the Gidgit-inspired do I envisioned, the project ended up looking more like a mullet with serious comb-over issues. Yet, I was very comfortable wearing the failed effort. In fact, I donned the hat in public on several occasions largely because it was the same colour as a polar fleece vest I often wore at the time and I was under the delusion that the hat would be mistaken for a vest hood by any passerby brave enough to cast an eye in my direction. A young neighbour wasn't so easily taken in, it seems. Two years after my fashion faux pas, Hilary (now 14) is learning to knit and felt compelled to create a more tasteful chapeau in case my hairs fall out as a result of this latest chemo. Her hat is much more flattering, me thinks:

Seems Hilary isn't the only one hoping I have tasteful hats should a need for head cover arise. While attending a knitting conference in California, Penny and Roz purchased a gorgeous skein of yarn for my purpose. The thick-thin nature of the yarn screamed "dreadlocks!!", but the bright accent fibre (which looked like flowers when knitted) had me dreaming of something more exuberant. The resulting hat took every inch of the available yarn. Nothing was cut, nothing was wasted. It fits like a dream, is very cozy, and makes me smile every time I look at it. Too bad we're in for warmer weather as this is really a hat for the winter months. I'm willing to wait. Am anxious to see what the tassel-bits look like when they encounter freezing rain or snow.