More Hats!

Finished Hats

Some of the little hats I've finished for the army hospital.   My goal is to make two dozen hats.

More Information About Oregon's LIittle Hats, Big Hearts Program

I contacted the co-ordinator for Oregon's program and found out the following:

** The deadline is January 12, 2018
** The hats need to be all red with the only exception being a small amount of white as an edge or accent
** Hats need to be made of washable wool/acrylic/cotton
** Preemie hats as well as hats for newborns will be accepted

I am excited to become a contributor to this great program!

Camo Baby Hat and Hospital Chosen!

I understand that not everyone understands why I would knit camo hats for a baby but I'll tell you  why.  I send these hats to military hospitals and in the thank you letters I receive from the nurses he/she always mentions how much the parents, particularly the Dads, love these little hats.  And so, I knit them.

The hospital I've chosen is one I've sent baby hats to before.  It is Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood, Texas. 

Little Hats, Big Hearts

I've just discovered this charity which distributes red baby hats to babies born in Februay.  I want to participate but the deadline is the end of December which will cut into my time for knitting holiday hats.  Here's my new schedule:
Now- November 23 (Thanksgiving)--  I'll knit holiday hats with a goal of 24 hats
November 24- December 31--  I'll knit red hats

Information about the Little Hats, Big Hearts program can be found here.  Participating hospitals in Oregon include Doernbecher which makes me happy because that's where my youngest son had successful open heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.

Click for Babies!

Last summer I began knitting purple baby hats for the Click For Babies campaign.   These hats for newborns, which must be at least 50% purple, are given to new parents in November and December.  The goal is to increase awareness about the purple period of crying and shaken baby syndrome through education.

Frustration with infant crying is the the number one thing that triggers a person to shake or harm a baby, so it is important for parents and caregivers to know what to expect from newborns. That way they can be prepared to handle this incredibly stressful and frustrating time.

All babies go through a normal period of increased crying in the first few months of life. This increased crying typically begins at about two weeks of age, peaks in the second month of life, and becomes less in the third or fourth month. Some infants cry more than others, and in some infants you may not even notice the increased amount of crying, but ALL infants do cry more during this period.

I put this little tag on each hat and mailed them to Randall Children's Hospital at Emanuel Legacy in Portland, Oregon at the end of September.  I've now started knitting more little purple caps for next year's campaign. 

Still Knitting for Charity

I have still been knitting for charity although not as much and not as consistently.  What I've knit can be found on my Ravelry project page, here.

I've begun knitting newborn baby hats, many of them holiday-themed, to mail to a hospital (yet to be determined) just before Christmas.  I'm also continuing to knit preemie hats.

Here is the first of my newborn baby hats.

I have eight weeks to knit as many as I can with time to mail them off so they're received by Christmas.  My goal is five hats per week, an ambitious goal, but then I've always liked a challenge.  I will post again on October 27th with a photo of the hats I've completed this week.  I do want to knit at least four pumpkin hats and four Santa hats as well as an assortment of other fun hats.