It may be the hottest fashion trend to come out of Boulder County since Crocs. And this fashion accessory is designed to help battle cancer.

"When they said: 'You have got cancer' I was shocked, overwhelmed, and scared," said Kay Carrillo.

Carrillo is a breast cancer survivor. To comfort her, a friend gave her a crocheted necklace. Carrillo liked it so much she tried her hand at making one. One day, a perfect stranger complemented her necklace, and that gave Carrillo an idea. She wondered if she could raise money for cancer research if she made many necklaces. The stranger gave her a thumbs-up by offering Carrillo $20.

"So then I took the $20 and bought yarn and it just started to snowball after that," said Carrillo.

Did it ever. Kay and her friends have crocheted nearly 3,000 of the feather-light, colorful necklaces since last fall.

"I wanted to do something that had meaning and in my sister's name," said volunteer Donna Flebbe.

"I spend my life doing this. This has become almost a full-time job for me," said Carrillo.

Carrillo calls the project: Neck-Lace 4 Life. In exchange for a Neck-Lace all she asks is a $5 donation to the American Cancer Society. As the saying goes: From small things, big things one day come.

"Since November 2nd until we have raised $14,300," said Carrillo.

The money goes toward cancer research and patient services. The materials and the time involved are all donated by Carrillo and her friends. The Neck-Laces can be found in shops and boutiques in the Boulder, Longmont, and Lafayette area. People are buying them as fast as Carrillo and her team of volunteers can make them.

"I am amazed, shocked, and delighted," said Carrillo.

To learn more about Neck-Lace 4 Life, visit the web site: Neck-Lace4Life.com .