This girl is my epilepsy warrior and I couldn’t let November pass by without making something purple to bring awareness to this condition that millions of people battle every single day.
Her story started with serious, life-threatening seizures, when she was only nine years old. By the time she was eleven she had been hospitalized too many times to count. Our last option to help her was to have her undergo brain surgery to remove the lesion that was causing all the problems.
She had surgery Nov. 15, 2012 and lost her amygdala, hippocampus, and part of her left temporal lobe, but she regained her freedom from seizures. For the last four years, she has worked incredibly hard to relearn vocabulary, reading skills, and math skills. She struggles everyday with short term memory loss, but you won’t meet a more positive, fun-loving, determined, energetic girl. Everyone she meets becomes her instant best friend.
Purple represents power and strength, wisdom and nobility. Perfect choice for everyone that fights and battles epilepsy every single day.
Materials
I used Hobby Lobby’s I Love this Yarn brand yarn with a “J” hook. So the amount of chains I put down apply to that yarn. If you use a different kind, just chain and measure around your ears and do a great guess as to how long it should be. Just make sure you count the chains before you start, because you will be making three strips.
Pattern
Chain 64
ROW 1: Single Crochet (SC) in the second chain from the hook and in every chain until the end, chain 1 and turn
ROW 2: SC in the first SC from the hook, (or the last SC you just made in the row before) and in every SC across to the end. Chain 1 and turn.
Repeat row 2, two more times. Finish off by leaving a long tail at the end. (You will use this to sew the other strips together.)
Repeat this strip two more times so you have three long strips.
Here is something weird that happened as I made this. After I finished the first strip, I crocheted my next 64 chains and it was about 6 inches shorter than the finished strip. Don’t be alarmed! It will stretch out and match up just fine, but it was a strange moment of panic! But, important to count ahead, if you are using different yarn, have a different size head, etc.
When you have the three strips done, pile them on top of each other and take one of the ends and sew them loosely together. It helps to have them somewhat secure when you braid. Braid the strips. Sew the other end loosely together and arrange the strips into a nice braid. Then, take all the remaining ends and sew them together making them into a circle. The beauty of yarn is that you really can go in and out and the stitches will hardly be seen. I left one of the tails very long so I could run a stitch through the whole headband to secure the braids.
You’ll see when it comes together.
Hide the final ends and try on your ear warmer/head band and see if you don’t feel pretty good that you made something yourself.
Did you make it purple? Would you mind sharing what you made and using the #epilespy on Instagram or Twitter? We sure would be grateful for any small act that can bring awareness.
Find me on Instagram @daisyfarmcrafts. Tag me too! Let’s be Insta friends! I love all the crochet, and I love to see what everybody makes. Another hashtag I check out regularly is #crochetersofinstagram. It’s a friendly place for all crochet lovers! Be brave and join in the fun:)
Tiffany
Here are some more purple crochet projects I’ve made if you’re interested!
Crochet Purple Gingham Blanket
Crochet Six Color Gingham Blanket
