This post was originally published in December 2017
The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone and for those of us who craft, we tend to use that crafting skill as a cathartic outlet. For me, I have a lot of energy and so I crochet as a means to keep my hands busy and out of trouble.
It works most of the time.
I really enjoy making something for another person. I’ve made a Griffin, Phoenix, the Lorax, and Scrump (from Lilo & Stitch) dolls for various friends and family members. The look of joy that comes on the receiver’s face always thrills me considering the time, thought, and effort put into the project.
Because this week’s theme is about generosity, I wanted to highlight a personal project my mom and I did with our crafting. The campaign is in February, so I wanted to provide enough time to raise awareness and give readers a chance to create something.
This year my mom mentioned that there is a program that collects handmade hats for newborns to raise awareness for heart health. February is heart health month in the United States, so this campaign is meant to raise heart health awareness for mothers and their newborn children by providing handmade hats for the little ones.
These hats will be distributed to local, participating hospitals to all babies born during the month of February.
How to Participate
This page provides all the necessary information, but here’s the quick run-down.
- Find your state and select a group participating in the cause
- You may need to contact the coordinator to get more information on how they want to receive the hats and their personal deadline
- Make as many hats as you want and send them out before the deadline
- If you are not a crafter or don’t have the time, consider donating to the American Heart Association
Restrictions
- Hats will need to be simple, so please do not add any bows, pom-poms, or flowers to them (these pose choking hazards)
- Currently, this program is only in the United States, but I have a couple of links below for other yarn-craft donation programs outside the States
Knitting Patterns
- Easy Newborn Knit Hat (do not make/attach the pom-pom)
- Jasmine Baby Hat
- Very Basic Baby Hat (Pattern my mom used for her hat, you’ll need an account to access it)
Crochet Patterns
- Double-Crochet Hat (includes preemie and newborn)
- Stitch-it-Forward Hat (includes preemie and newborn)
- Red Heart Newborn Hat (this is the pattern I used for my hat)
Other Crafts for a Cause
- A hospital in the UK running a similar red hat campaign
- Crochet an octopus for premature babies (currently only available in the UK and Denmark)
- Warm Up America (they publish calls for various drives and yarn craft related needs, particularly after natural disasters)
- Wildlife Victoria (Australian organization for animals in need, i.e. blankets and sweaters)
- Binky Patrol (donate security blankets for children in need)
- This is a great collection of various causes that accept yarn-crafts (there may be some overlap from previously highlighted organizations)
If you make some hats (or participate in another project) be sure to post a picture of it in the comments below. I would love to see how they turn out!
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Photo Credit: Michelle Melton