Breast cancer awareness month

It is almost the end of October, but I have only just realised that October is breast cancer awareness month. Obviously, I am not very aware. Even the huge breast cancer screening truck parked in front of my workplace this week was not enough to give me the hint.

Despite my obliviousness, I have been doing my bit. I have been knitting my second batch of knitted knockers, cotton breast prostheses that are given to women who have had mastectomies. One of my neighbours and friends has been knitting them, and she got me started. The charity supplies us with super-soft cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills, and each pair does not take very long to knit. I like to knit them two at a time to create matching pairs.

When flat, they do not look like breasts yet.We knit them flat, at which stage they do not look very much like breasts. They are checked for quality, sewn and stuffed by the charity before they are sent out.

If you would like to learn more about Knitted Knockers Australia, go to their website.

I have also finally published a simple knitting pattern for washcloths (dishcloths or facecloths), an idea I have had floating about in my head and been working on for more than a year. Each cloth uses just a 50-gram ball of 8-ply (DK or light worsted) cotton yarn.

I knitted the second batch in shades of blue and white.

One of the three has exfoliating knots.

Each of the three has a different texture in the centre.

One pattern is a simple mix of knit and purl stitches.

This diamond lace pattern is easy enough for beginners.

Part of the delay was checking and rechecking the instructions; another part of the delay was because I knitted the first batch in earth tones that I was not enamoured with. The very first one I made was in pink; I was much happier with that!

I knitted the first three using yarn I found in my stash.

People going through chemotherapy often find that their skin is sensitive, so a soft cloth to wash with makes a difference. Healthy people like a soft washcloth or dishcloth too.

Knit one or knit three to make a gift pack.

The pattern, which includes full charts and written instructions, is available on Etsy, and every cent from every sale (apart from what the tax office collects) will be donated to cancer research, because I believe that it is research that is doing so much to help the survival and recovery rates of so many people with cancer.

The pattern includes three designs.

Breast cancer is personal. I lost a beloved aunt and a good friend to it. Thankfully, I have seen a far greater number of friends make a full recovery.