A couple of years ago my granddaughter, at the age of 2 weeks, was admitted to the NICU unit at our local hospital, where she spent the next two weeks. She's now a happy, healthy 2 1/2 year old, but it was really scary back then. My daughter spent almost all her time by her side. One day, my daughter was given a knitted hat & bootie set for Kalyn. It was a heartwarming experience for her and a comfort during a difficult time. That's when I realized a need and that I would like to pay it forward for someone else.
I've been using left over cotton & acrylic yarns to create the baby items. I don't remember which yarn was used with this set, but it is so darling.
With these hats I used a simple pattern and Comfy worsted weight yarn (one of my favorite cottons!). I have lots of partial skeins that are perfect for these small projects.
I also created hats in various preemie sizes. I was really surprised at how little some of the preemie heads are. The smallest can be as little as a 7" circumference!
I recently got involved with a new group at my church, where we meet on a regular basis and knit/crochet/sew items for the local hospital. I knew there was a reason I was hanging on to my huge yarn stash!
If you are looking to start a group, or are looking for patterns to knit or crochet on your own, check out the free patterns at www.bevscountrycottage.com. There are charity patterns for just about anything you can think of to create.
Apr 8, 2012 at 6:17 AM I would like to start knitting hats etc but have no idea where to post them to! Could you let me have an address please. Mavis
Mar 5, 2012 at 7:55 PM It is a wonderful thing to knit for these babies - be they preemies, newborns, or older babies. The knitted hat and booties my son wore in the nicu are the only tangible items I have of his brief life. They are precious to me. I am grateful for whoever crafted them and look forward to doing the same for others.
Mar 5, 2012 at 7:06 PM My daughter was in the CICU for a severe heart defect when she received a wonderful crocheted blanket. It is so wonderful you and many on this site are paying it forward. All the Mom's, Dad's and children really appreciate you sharing your gift. Thank you.
Mar 5, 2012 at 4:53 PM I use this pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/teeny-tiny-preemie-hats to make preemie hats, she wrote it for 6 sizes, starting with micropreemie. It uses fingering weight yarn.
Mar 5, 2012 at 12:08 PM I was just in our local newspaper for knitting for preemies and I was so excited to see this blog post. I've been looking for some more inspiration and ideas. Thank you! http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local-woman-gives-up-facebook-for-lent-instead-knits-hats/article_cc975a60-5f71-11e1-b515-0019bb2963f4.html
Mar 5, 2012 at 12:00 PM I'm working right now on hats for stillbirths and micro preemie size. Our hospital doesn't have a NICU, but they want some for the smallest angels. For those I'm using a dk/sport or even fingering weight, as I read on one site that larger yarns can make a small baby look smaller. Also, for folks looking for hats this size, I'm currently writing up my patterns. I hope to have them available as guides by April. Bev's site is wonderful, but even the smallest still ended up larger than the smallest I was being asked for.
Mar 5, 2012 at 9:32 AM If you are knitting micro-preemie hats, make sure you send them to a hospital with a high-level NICU. Preemie hats are one of my favorite stashbuster/mindless knitting projects. This is a really nice crochet pattern: https://www.youcanmakethis.com/products/hair-accessories/crochet-preemie-windowpane-skull-cap.htm I use sportweight yarn, and it' comes out just the right size for preemies and newborns. :)
Mar 5, 2012 at 9:07 AM I've been knitting preemie hats for Georgetown UH NICU. I started with leftover yarn, but wanted some good Spring colors, so bought a few skeins of the new Brava yarn. It's very soft and knits up into nice, soft preemie hats. And one skein makes a bunch of preemie hats!
Mar 5, 2012 at 8:51 AM Thank you everyone! for all the support and suggestions! Jennifer, thanks for the heads up! I'll check with our hospital and see if they are participating in the Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness! wes-Ben, I wish I could tell you the name of the pattern, but they were done a while ago and I don't remember. Sorry! (but I did get a lot of patterns from the Bev's website)
Mar 5, 2012 at 8:18 AM What are the pattern names for the hats and booties pictured in your post?
Mar 5, 2012 at 8:11 AM I am a nurse on a maternity unit. New moms love hand knitted items, especially when their new baby is sick. It makes them feel like someone else cares about what they are going through. We also give them out to moms who don't have ayn money for baby clothes. There is a national event in November in which hospitals give out purple hats to every baby born for Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness. Find out if your local hospital participates. We had an incredible number of hats mailed to us this year and we are so grateful.
Mar 5, 2012 at 7:48 AM I'm knitting hats to take to the NICU at Duke Medical Center. I can't wait to check out your multi-sized preemie pattern. I have been using a one-size pattern for years.
Mar 5, 2012 at 7:46 AM I just used Biggo to knit a matching Mom & baby hat set for a local women's shelter - http://www.ravelry.com/projects/geeksdreamgirl/chunky-slouch-cap For anyone interested in knitting socks, mittens, or even sweaters, check out the charity knitting group Mittens for Akkol. They knit items for children in two orphanages in Kazakhstan.
Mar 1, 2012 at 2:13 PM So cute! I'm knitting a bunch of baby socks to donate to the maternity ward of my local hospital. Great stash-busters!
Mar 1, 2012 at 8:30 AM Cute hats! I've donated some hats to a local pregnancy center and they were very grateful. I really enjoy reading about charity knitting so thank you for the post! :)
Mar 1, 2012 at 7:02 AM I learned for preemie and newborn hats to think of a lemon, an orange, and a grapefruit. If a hat will fit one of these, it will fit a baby who needs it. There are so many babies who need little hats.
Feb 29, 2012 at 5:30 PM Adorable hats for a very worthy cause.