KNITmuch Issue 2 | Page 46

Reason 3 A very important reason for knitting baby garments is that they make great donations for maternity wards in hospitals. If you’re in a position where you don’t think there will be any little people coming into your life or you don’t want small garments hanging around your house for months or years, there are many places to donate these items. Preemie hats in particular are always in demand because humans in general lose a lot of heat through the top of their heads and babies that small don’t have the heat to lose in the first place. If you’re looking to donate, any of the three yarns we are featuring this week are perfect for this type of project. Red Heart Soft Baby Steps is silky soft and comes in a wide range of colors so you could knit a different color every day. Cutie Pie is velvety soft, which is a unique texture for yarn and feels so warmly fluffy. Comfort Sport has obviously got budgeting on your side; one preemie hat takes 20-35 yards of yarn so you could make at least 32 from one ball. Considering that one ball costs about $10, that is a small price to pay for helping out 32 preemies. Even if you don’t have a whole ball left, 20-35 yards isn't a large amount and you could have that much left over from one of your current projects. If you’re knitting a baby blanket for a friend, use the leftovers to donate a preemie hat, or booties. Be sure to check the charitable organization’s webpage, they usually have donation guidelines for you to follow. If you're unsure, there's no shame in calling to ask! Hopefully these 3 reasons convince you that you can engage in knitting for babies regardless if you currently do have children in your life or not. Knit for the babies you don’t know, the ones that don’t exist yet or just for your own personal development. 46 KNITmuch | issue 2