Lion Brand Notebook ®
If you’ve ever wanted to get involved in knitting and crocheting for charity, beloved blogger Stephanie Lau of All About Ami will inspire you. She received a request from the charitable organization, Beanies for Babies through Facebook to supply hats for a local hospital. While she had been crafting with her group of local knitters and crocheters for years, this request was special. She decided to organize a Sip and Stitch. Stephanie asked Lion Brand to supply the yarn and the results were heart (and head!) warming.
The crafter who reached out to Stephanie of All About Ami explained just how important these little hats can be. Little caps can help babies maintain a healthy temperature while laying with their mothers just after delivery. Operating Rooms can be chilly, and it’s important to make sure newborns warm up as quickly as possible. She asked if anyone had extras they wanted to donate, but Stephanie wanted to do more. Remembering the hats her own babies had received, she wanted to give that same handmade gift to other new mothers. Not only would these babies have hats to keep them warm, but they would be made with love by hand.
Image via All About Ami
Lion Brand loved her idea, so we packed up a box of soft colors in acrylic yarns that included Vanna’s Choice and Pound of Love. These yarns are perfect for babies because they are washable and avoid fibers that might cause allergies.
Stephanie has great advice for those interested in making their own hats! She suggests first that you contact your local hospitals, to confirm that they’re in need. Then, you’ll want to double-check any restrictions they might have (type of yarn, for instance). Make sure to adhere to these guidelines, since otherwise your hats may not be able to be used!
These are two stellar crochet patterns for itty bitty beanies: the Teeny Beanie Pattern (Crochet) and the Crochet Preemie Hat. Not all babies in need of beanies will be preemies, so it’s good to make larger sizes for full term babies, too!
If you’re a knitter, here’s a handful of patterns to try: our Knit Preemie Hat, the Child’s Simple Knit Hat Pattern, and our Preemie Knit Hat With Ears.
Our favorite suggestion Stephanie offered was to plan your own event & craft with friends! There’s nothing like the joy you get from doing good for others, so this joy will be amplified by working together. Because baby hats work up so quickly, you’ll have the added pleasure of doing a lot of good in a small amount of time! Grab a few of your crafting friends, or organize a larger party through your workplace, neighbors, or religious institution. You can definitely sip as well, whether you want to go with wine (or bubble tea, as Stephanie did!), it’s a great idea to have refreshments.
Images from All About Ami
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Rose Thompson
A crisis pregnancy center in Texas sponsored my project. I made 30 baby blankets for them this past year. I really want to make more for other centers, and I am now figuring out the non prophet paper work.
Barbara Kuehne
This is a wonderful idea! I’m looking for places to contribute. I make booties as well.
Emily Miranda
Are you offering any yarn for these events?
Ivette Reyes
I made red hats for the American Heart Association Big Hearts Small Hats campaign. I also made purple hats for baby shaking awareness. I am now making layettes and blankets for out local womans resource center and our local domeatic violence shelter. Would be nice to get yard donated, I use LB for my projects.
Mary Frances Healy
I have been making Baby hats for nurseries for years -The nurses love then-finding yarn is getting hard because of all the chunky yarns -I use baby yarn #3 works great !!!
Beulah Starr
In the past I crocheted and knitted baby blankets for the OB ward at our local hospital, so that every new baby had one to take home when they left the hospital. I was making 12-15 every month but after a year my arthritis began to flare up in my hands so I had to quit but it was a very rewarding project, especially when i got a nice letter from one new mother, she was in total awe that someone would do this.
Cathy Moyle
I would be interested in this but not sure what hospitals in Brisbane or local hospital as well
Annette Aneson
A local hospital my area needs baby blankets for NICU unit. I need a good knitting pattern to fit the
baby bassinets in the unit. Can anyone suggest one?
Lisa Keith
For ladies who knit or crochet: If you are looking for patterns in either form, you can find links to them further up in this article. If you want to find out whether your local or regional hospital will accept the hats, call them & ask. It’s that simple. I found large pound-sized yarn at Walmart & got two of them. They work well for either boy or girl babies, preemies or normal sized babies. My own daughter had one on her head when I first nursed her after her birth. I crochet, so making preemie & regular sized baby hats, should be a good thing to do.
Another charitable gift would be to make blankets or pads for dogs or cats at your local or other town’s animal shelters. The cement floors or wire cages on which the animals are supposed to sleep would be much better with hand-knitted or crocheted pads that will accompany the animals to their “Forever homes.”. They should be made of cotton so they are easily washed. Most dogs or cats do not go to the bathroom where they sleep. Would you like to be sleeping in a wet &/or nasty bed? I didn’t think so. Again check with your local or regional shelter to see if this would be something they could use. One place would be that Pit Bull place in New Orleans & other places. Also check with the ASPCA or HSUS for ideas.
Linda Yablonski
What a wonderful thing to do! You get to knit or crochet and fill a need for others at the same time! It may sound corny, but ‘Hats Off’ to all of you, including Lion Brand for pitching in. I am going to check at my local hospital and see if they need any beanies for their babies.
Linda johnson
This is for Annette looking for a pattern for hospital bassinets.. There’s one called the Diagonal Baby Blanket that is much the same as knitting a dish cloth. You start out with 5 sts., increase like the dishcloth pattern. You make it as big as you want. Google it!
amy fisk
Love to crochet baby beanie more than happy to donate please call to I form me at Amy disk fisk 2534354177 no e mail thanks
amy k fisk
I crochet newborn beanie more than happy to donate please contact me at 2534354177 Amy fisk thanks
Sandra Kozlowski
We are making red hats for American HeRt Association but don’t know where to send them
Kim Jacob
Bring back cotton-ease!!!! this was the best yarn for babies! especially for those born in summer.
Moira M Blazier
Here’s a link for where to send the red hats! http://www.heart.org/en/get-involved/little-hats-big-hearts
Chris vasconcellis
I like to knit and crochet layettes for preemies. Need more free patterns. Heres a clue the hospitlals want wash the items in baby shampoo its softer on their paper thin skin