This morning’s post is a very special one – a guest post by Bonnie of Sunset Family Living. She has asked me to share some info on an incredible project she is leading – crocheting for the NICU! So I’ll let her get to it…
Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) take care of the world’s littlest patients: preemies and newborns who need a little bit of extra help to survive. These tiniest of babies are often fighters, despite weighing no more than a couple of bananas! Even full-term babies may end up in the NICU, because they have troubles like breathing adequately, staying warm, or regulating their blood sugar.
Whatever the reason for the intervention, NICUs are a huge blessing to these little ones and their families. It’s also a very stressful time for everyone involved. Most mothers envision a day of snuggles and get-to-know-you time on their baby’s birthday, not seeing their baby attached to tubes, wires, monitors, and behind the glass of an isolette. It can be very lonely and very frightening. In many NICUs, the only personal touch that the babies get is a little hat they can wear. However, because a NICU stay usually comes as a surprise, many families don’t have such little hats for their new babies. This little personal touch can mean the world to a mom!
Sunset Family Living’s annual NICU charity challenge goes along with the 12 days of Christmas. The challenge is to make 12 preemie or newborn hats – one for each of the 12 days of Christmas and donate them to your nearest NICU. Last year, well over 26,000 hats were donated to NICUs all over the world.
Twenty incredible designers have each contributed patterns to this challenge that you’ll get simply for joining the challenge. These hats are adorable!! When you join the challenge, you’ll receive each of the patterns via email. You are welcome to use all of the patterns, only one of the patterns, or any combination of repeats (or your own patterns) to make your 12 hats. We ask that you share a photo of your finished hats with us before you drop them off to your local hospital/birthing center/NICU. You can post the photos to Sunset Family Living’s Facebook page or you can email them.
Check out this year’s beautiful challenge patterns:
The links below take you to each designer’s Facebook page. If you “like” all of the pages at once, Facebook may delete your likes and you won’t be connected to the designer. Each designer will be featured over the next few days, so you can “like” their page when they are featured as well.
Sunset Crochet, KT and the Squid, Cre8tion Crochet, RAKJ Patterns, Little Monkeys Crochet, Danyel Pink Designs, My Sweet Potato 3, Blackstone Designs, The Hooked Haberdasher, Sincerely Pam, Crochet by Jennifer, Charmed by Ewe, Susie J Crochet, Ashley Designs Corner, Knit in the Womb Designs, Hatched with Love, Two Brothers Blankets, The Stitchin’ Mommy, Mamachee * Crochet makes me happy!, and the Frayed Knot
When you sign up, you’ll immediately be emailed the first pattern. You’ll then receive one pattern each day via email. That email will also link you to a blog post about the designer with links to designer’s blog, shop, and other information. (Many of the designers included a coupon code, too!)
When you finish your hats, take them to your nearest birthing center or hospital that delivers babies (they’ll usually have a relationship with a nearby NICU). That way each participant is making a difference in his/her own community. You’ll get to go into the NICU and see the reaction of the nurses and, in some cases, the moms of little patients as they fish out a brand new hat to put on their little one. It feels incredible when you realize what a difference your gift makes.
Some fun info on who’s joined so far!
From the United States, we have 3 stitchers stationed on US military bases overseas, 5 from Alaska, 29 from Alabama, 8 from Arkansas, 22 from Arizona, 125 from California, 16 from Colorado, 21 from Connecticut, 3 from D.C., 1 from Delaware, 41 from Florida, 47 from Georgia, 17 from Iowa, 18 from Idaho, 82 from Illinois, 47 from Indiana, 39 from Kentucky, 16 from Louisiana, 22 from Massachusetts, 17 from Maryland, 9 from Maine, 85 from Michigan, 44 from Minnesota, 31 from Missouri, 9 from Mississippi, 4 from Montana, 58 from North Carolina, 10 from North Dakota, 12 from Nebraska, 5 from New Hampshire, 19 from New Jersey, 6 from New Mexico, 9 from Nevada, 62 from New York, 63 from Ohio, 29 from Oklahoma, 35 from Oregon, 48 from Pennsylvania, 4 from Rhode Island, 28 from South Carolina, 8 from South Dakota, 26 from Tennessee, 110 from Texas, 68 from Utah, 37 from Virginia, 2 from Vermont, 54 from Washington, 52 from Wisconsin, 6 from West Virginia, 7 from Wyoming, and another 119 from the United States who didn’t specify a city or state.
Worldwide, there are 134 stitchers from Canada, with 27 from Alberta, 15 from British Columbia, 7 from Manitoba, 6 from New Brunswick, 7 from Nova Scotia, 1 from Newfoundland, 60 from Ontario, 1 from Prince Edward Island, 7 from Quebec City, and 4 from Saskatchewan
48 stitchers from Australia, including at least five from each of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide.
46 stitchers from the United Kingdom, with Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, London, and Scotland being the most mentioned areas.
4 stitchers from both New Zealand and South Africa
3 stitchers from Spain
2 stitchers each from Germany, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico
1 stitcher each from Bermuda, Cyprus, Greece, India, Italy, Philippines
Dorothy Stein
I really want to do this but it will not let me put my email in in lower case. so it keeps coming up as wrong e mail format.
Tamara Kelly
Hi Dorothy! I’m guessing might be the au at the end. Please contact Bonnie at Sunset Family Living (linked in the first sentence of the post here) to sign up. I’ve removed your email address from your post so you don’t get picked up by spammers. 🙂
Fabienne
Great idea! I’ve joined in, not sure it works in France, but I’ll ring up, otherwise I can post them overseas!
Nancy
Are all of the hats crochet? I do not knit. And secondly, are the patterns in the easy to intermediate range. I would love to do this, but don’t knit and need uncomplicated patterns. Thank you for answering. Nancy
Bonnie
All but one of the hats are crocheted. Most are beginner patterns. We’d love to have you join us!
Beverly Edmonds
I would like to join but I don’t crochet. I am, however, an intermediate knitter. Is there any chance of a knitting challenge?
Tamara Kelly
I believe they are taking knitting as well! 🙂
Tamara Kelly
It looks like you can donate whichever you prefer. 🙂
Katie
Did I miss when this is? Traditionally the 12 days of Christmas are after Christmas. Which I could commit to. Otherwise last minute gifts might get in the way.
Tamara Kelly
Hi Katie! More info including dates is at http://www.sunsetfamilyliving.com/2014-challenge/
Brandy
Hello I am so happy to sign up for this challenge, I called Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa and they weren’t aware of the challenge, do you happen to know here in Des Moines who might be participants (Blank’s maybe) or I see your in my state, I could mail them your way and send them to the hospitals that participate in your area? Maybe I could get a few local friends to sign up and talk to an activities director here and see if they’d be interested in receiving ~ if I had enough to offer? Let me know what you think please 🙂 I’d really like to participate, I was a preemie ~ born 4 months early in 72 and had very little chance of survival, this is something near and dear to my heart <3
Tamara Kelly
I don’t know that any hospitals per se are participating? It’s just donate to your local place. 🙂
Christine
Do you know how you do that? I can’t find any online info for the group that knits and crochets for the local NICU, and I have no idea how I would get into contact with them.
Tamara Kelly
I would just call the NICU or local birthing center, or even the main hospital line – they should know where to direct you. 🙂
Cassie
I am signing up now!! And I also want to say that I have worked as a labor and delivery nurse and I have worked in the nursery, NICU and pediatrics and every time someone brings in hats it is amazing!! Then when we get to put a special hat on a baby, not the generic pink and blue hat, the parents are ecstatic!! As you said often times the only personal touch these babies get is the hat, and sometimes putting a hat on their baby is the first time a parent gets to touch their baby!! Thank you for sharing!!
Tamara Kelly
<3 Thank you Cassie!
Michelle
Can you please tell me where I can send my hats? I have a local hospital I could donate too, but I don’t know if I can just send them without a contact person.
Tamara Kelly
I would call your nearest birthing center or hospital that delivers babies (they’ll usually have a relationship with a nearby NICU).
Kathy
I would love to join. I make hat all the time and give them to kids, but have never given them to my local NICU.
Tara
I signed up on 11/23 when I saw Moogly’s posting on Facebook. Will the patterns be emailed daily? I haven’t seen anything arrive in my inbox yet. I do see on Sunset Crochet’s Facebook page the daily pattern is pictured, but I do not see a link to it. I’m anxious to get started! Thanks!
Tamara Kelly
Hi Tara! I’m sorry, but I’ll have to have you ask on Sunset Crochet – I’m not running any of it, just hosting the guest post. 🙂
Jimmye Dorman
I usually make hats all winter and donate them to a homeless outreach here in Indianapolis. This will be a nice change.
I am really excited to join in on this challenge, especially since I work in an office that bills for a large group of pediatric specilists, including the neonatologists. A LOT of our patients are preemies, so it will be great to give back in a tangible way.
I am going to follow up with one of my contacts at the hospital to see if they have special requirements for hats (which fiber, etc) so I can get started. Somehow, I have to fit these in with my Christmas gifts I am crocheting, yikes!
Thanks for the opportunity!
Tamara Kelly
<3
Stacey
I was wondering if I can use this to make hats for a local preemie charity that sends hats to NICU? The hospitals local to me don’t accept hats outside of charities.
Tamara Kelly
I’m not in charge, but I think that sounds wonderful! <3
Christine
I just signed up, but I will be knitting instead of crocheting them. They only have a knit pattern for the preemie hats. (I contacted to check requirements, and was told that they’d send me the pattern).
Tammy
If you go to clickforbabies.org you will find links to free knitted and crocheted hat patterns. They collect purple hats for their hat distributions to involved hospitals, so the hats are “hospital” approved.
The most important thing is the hat is made with soft, baby friendly yarns; and while some hospitals don’t mind if they have flowers or appliques, some want them plain.
I will be sending mine to Rosie’s Cozies. Betsy is collecting hats to take to the NICU at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital .
Tamara Kelly
Thank you Tammy!
CHERYL MIDDLETON
i took my challenge hats to our local hospital and was informed they o longer accept them . So i hace a gallon bag full and nowhere to donate them
Tamara Kelly
Oh dear! Cheryl, I’m sure there’s an organization out there that would love to have them. A good place to start is here: http://www.crochet.org/default.asp?page=charity
Gail giarrusso
Where do you live? Anyone live near the Boston, MA area, Tufts Medical Center was very pleased when I contacted them about donating hats.
Gail giarrusso
Just finished 40 hats that I am sending off to New England Medical Center today. I already had a hat that I had designed from combining several other patterns. I call them my Snowbabies. I chose New England Medical Center because they had cared for my brother more than 30 years ago and his twin sons almost 20 years ago.
Isabella V.
Do we have to donate the hats to you and you give them to an organization or do we donate them to any hosptial?
Tamara Kelly
No, I’m not gathering them! Please follow the link to Sunset Family Living for more info. 🙂 She’s the one who put it all together.
Isabell
I tried to sign up and can’t find patterns – no does the link work – can u please sign me up for Vancouver bc – thank you – can u email me the links –
Tamara Kelly
Hello Isabell, and thank you for wanting to help! This was a guest post so I don’t have any info myself – I would recommend clicking on the link in the article where it says to “email them” for more info.