Thank you for this.
I volunteered for a group that accepts handmade blankets for children in need. We spend half the time at meetings re-doing stitches, removing fringes, weaving in tails more securely, etc., on crochet and knit pieces donated anonymously, which we do appreciate! (These go to a laundry service, too.) The guidelines for all donated blankets are written clearly on the charity's website. Safety first.
They have and more! https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/wiki/charity/
Had to hunt a bit to find it, but this is a section under *Discussion threads you must read*.
How did I forget about project linus? I am old it was a good 15 years + ago when I did project linus club in middle school. We made quilts and donated them to the hospital. Thank you for sharing
I received a project Linus quilt when I had my tonsils out at 12 years old. It was my first major surgery and the first handmade quilt I'd ever been given. I frickin love that thing and keep it on a shelf in my cubicle at work for whenever I get chilly!
> I am old
but also
> it was a good 15 years + ago when I did project linus club in middle school.
So you're, like, ~30 years old, max?
Get back to us when *college* was 20+ years ago, whippersnapper!
This is exactly what the Seaman's Church Institute does. There's approved patterns they ask for especially around Christmas time and specifically ask no pompoms, tassels et ctr for safety reasons.
https://seamenschurch.org/programs-services/christmas-at-sea/patterns-publications/
I'm guessing this will work for a lot of charity donations tbh.
FYI, when stitched appropriately (snug, few holes) there is absolutely nothing wrong with an acrylic winter hat. I say this as someone who is allergic to wool/animal hair, and has been yarn-shamed for using "cheap" yarn.
Just about the only poor fiber choice for a warm winter hat would be cotton. As it absorbs water easily and conducts heat away from your head.
This applies to good acrylic yarn. There is s big difference in quality in the acrylics, some are just terrible at retaining heat or shape or ... Anything.
Ironically good acrylic yarn can cost quite a bit too, not sure who calls you cheap but they seem not too informed.
Are you unhoused, though? An acrylic hat is great for going from the house to the car or running neighborhood errands, but for someone who spends a *lot* of time outside in cold and/or wet weather, it's just not going to be as good as wool (or a wool blend, which can bring the price down and increase the softness while still keeping wool's useful properties).
For someone who *can* work with yarns that contain wool, it's always going to be the superior choice, with maybe a few acrylics mixed in for anybody who (like you) really does have an allergic reaction to wool rather than a contact reaction to a scratchy fabric (which is almost nobody).
but in the hospital we have no way of telling what these hats are made out of (wool or acrylic) not many nurses are yarn crafters. acrylic is your best bet if your donating to a hospital to prevent accidental allergic reactions
Please review the thread: this one is talking about donations specifically for *unhoused* people, not *hospitals*. Or I guess maybe you're just riffing off it, but I'm not sure why.
I just got acquainted with this organization! I appreciated that their post on Ravelry and their website talked about them being industrially laundered.
See, the problem is that folks think intending good is all you need. No, Dan, you have to actually do good. It doesn't matter how well meaning you are if you're actually harming those you mean to help. Read (and follow) the dang guidelines.
My MIL is like this, to an extent. She decides what you need and what will work best and then does it, which leads to her acting crazy like telling me I can just drop her off at the salon we're about to pass (because asking me in advance to drive her to the salon is rude but ordering me around like a cabbie isn't?).
Yes. This, 100%. We love and appreciate the thought, the time, the effort, the money, of all of our volunteers and the people making donations put in. HOWEVER, I have a whole storage room at work full of preemie sized clothing. Why? Because our preemies are in heated isolettes. We don’t dress them until they are transitioning to a regular crib and can maintain their temperature. A lot of people think oh, NICU, we have only premature babies and that just isn’t the case. I think we get just as many term babies, if not more, than we do preemies. And even then, some preemies are with us for 6+ months on high calorie formulas and are wearing size 3-6 month clothing by the time they’re getting ready for discharge. We get IDM babies who are born weighing 12 lbs and have a very limited selection for them to wear when they transition out of their heated isolettes. We have started putting care packages together for the smaller babies going home to try and declutter our storage room because we also need that space for equipment, education materials for competencies, etc. But there are only so many going home that fit into preemie sizes.
Every hospital is different, but this is the situation at mine and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear of others saying similar things.
>HOWEVER, I have a whole storage room at work full of preemie sized clothing.
What are the items you never have enough of? Isolette covers? Froggy covers? Blankies to go home with?
Frog covers for sure! And we definitely don’t always have blankies to send babies home with. The other thing we seem short on currently is fitted sheets that fit our oval shaped mattresses. Not sure if there’s a sewing pattern floating around on the internet but my unit has ohmeda giraffe omnibeds and incubators (mattresses are universal for both of these) and drager babyleo beds.
A frog is a bean bag positioner that’s shaped like a frog. The shell of the frog is vinyl for easy cleaning between patients, but they need a fabric cover for patient use. We used to have fabric frogs, but after being washed a million times they started getting holes.
A frog is a bean bag positioner that’s shaped like a frog. The shell of the frog is vinyl for easy cleaning between patients, but they need a fabric cover for patient use. We used to have fabric frogs, but after being washed a million times they started getting holes. If you Google NICU frog positioner you should get some results.
Oh 100% - I have known too many “do-gooders” who acted like this. They acted with good intentions but I have to ask if you don’t read the strict guidelines and stick to them because you think you know best and can’t see how anybody else would want different, are your intentions really good? Because ultimately you’re just wasting the (precious) time and resources of the charity/NGO/organisation
That's kinda hilarious. It's really a good episode and it emphasizes a lot of the problem with volunteer work, tbh. Volunteer work means *work* and doing things right if you truly want to make a difference. Marge is all "we mean well" and Ned's response is basically an echo of u/sleepydorian's; "my family can't live in good intentions!"
~~I wonder if it's because the clip's been trending the last few days.~~
When my dad was near the end someone from one of these groups brought a really nice crocheted blanket to his hospital room. It was really touching and it helped him stay warm. My mom still has it. Thank you for doing this.
It’s funny - during WW2 there was a huge drive for knit socks and they had volunteers doing this exact thing - fixing problem stitches, etc.
“With the Canadian Red Cross Society in charge of quality control, some knitters took on the task of correcting mistakes made by others, such as knots in the heels of home-knitted socks. “I hate to think of the poor boy’s feet after wearing a pair of those,” said one Red Cross volunteer in a 1944 story in the Globe and Mail. “I rip them back and knit it up again.””
https://www.warmuseum.ca/blog/an-army-of-knitters-in-support-of-the-war-effort/
So, just curious because I’ve never donated. I’m confident in my stitching and switching ball/color, I know that’s secure. I’m horrible at weaving ends. If I were to make and donate a blanket with the start and ends left undone, would that be preferred to my horrific attempt at weaving them myself? I am working on getting better as I keep working on projects, but in a decade I’ve never been good and generally ask my mom to if it’s something I’m gifting to someone.
Saying this politely and with 0 judgement, you not weaving the ends in just means that somebody else now has to do it.
It’s best to ask the specific charity you’re donating to as it works differently with different charities/countries etc, but I know some places where the chain is maker-charity-laundered specially by the charity-hospital. The laundry and the hospital aren’t going to have time or crafting tools and depending on the set-up/size of the charity they might just bin it rather than correct it
> I’m horrible at weaving ends.
Have you tried a [Russian join](https://sheepandstitch.com/library/how-to-join-yarn-in-knitting-russian-join/)? It's my absolute 100% favorite thing and kept me from going insane when crocheting a bed-sized blanket that used nearly 40 skeins.
Is that for the switching of skeins or just the start and end? I Can switch pretty well, I found a good method that’s been reliable, but my finishing end is where I have trouble. I’ve been figuring out how to crochet the start end in with my first stitches, thankfully!
My granny blanket that’s just a pile of squares is a great practice place still lol
I’ve been practicing with what I’m working on! I haven’t really been able to work on anything between toddler and school.
Whenever I get to a point I can look into more for donation, I’ll definitely talk to whoever is running the organization we decide to go through! In theory we’d have more groups in a college town to help with different crafts, but surprisingly we have very little.
It really depends on the PL Chapter in your area. Very rarely have I seen donations rejected in any way!! Since all of them have PL labels attached to them, each one is checked carefully and finished if necessary before being sorted by size, cleaned, and distributed locally where needed.
That’s awesome! I’ll have to look into it again after this semester/baby is born! I crocheted a lot after baby 1, but idk how much I’ll be able to with both of them lol
My NICU baby was born at Christmas time in 2020 and someone had crocheted Santa hats for the babies. She never wore hers, she was too small, but they sat it next to her bassinet. I put a small ornament hook on it and now it goes on our tree each year. I seriously appreciate everyone who donates these things!!!
The hat was made of a thick yarn. I’ll have to dig it up and take a picture so y’all can see what at least our hospital NICU approved.
How absolutely precious 😍 and what a brilliant idea turning it into an ornament! If I'd been born at Christmas, that would be something I'd look forward to every year, and treasure my whole life.
if you mean the hat, that’s totally fair. if you mean the birthday, it really depends on the family. i was born a week before christmas, and i was lucky that my parents actually separated my birthday and gave me separate birthday and christmas presents. my friend, on the other hand, who was born 3 days after christmas, hasn’t gotten separate birthday and christmas presents from his parents in 20 years. they just combine them
i do get to an extent if it’s a money thing, but at the same time. he has a younger sister who wasn’t born around christmas, and she gets birthday and christmas presents. it’s pretty shitty to be a child with siblings and see that unequal treatment, yknow. if money is an issue, but you’re still able to give your other kids a birthday And a christmas present, then save $20 more to give your december baby both as well
sorry, this is just smth that i feel pretty strongly about since it genuinely is a shitty feeling
My ex was a December 25th baby and ended up hating his birthday AND Christmas. He always got combo presents, it was never HIS day the way birthdays were for siblings (they can choose birthday dinner, but they had to do proper Christmas dinner on his birthday. Everyone got gifts on his birthday, and everything fun was closed so he couldn't ask to go anywhere), and he got forgotten about because everyone was in Christmas mode.
Meanwhile my uncle is December 21st or 22nd, and the rule growing up was that the tree could be up but not decorated until after he blew out the candles on his birthday, so as to not overshadow his birthday, which was celebrated in a Christmas free house (ignoring the undecorated pine tree in the corner). After dinner and cake on his birthday they'd decorate the whole house and the tree, so he grew up LOVING Christmas because it became a special thing he got to do with his family every year on his birthday.
my husband is 12/27, and his sister is 1/3. growing up they ALWAYS had a joint bday celebration that sometimes got overshadowed by the holidays. ever since we started dating, i make damn sure that he has a spectacular birthday.
That looks like Bernat Blanket yarn to me, which is polyester, not acrylic. There’s also a Bernat Baby Blanket yarn which is probably even softer (and is usually only available in softer colors), but either way, I doubt the one pictured is acrylic.
Link to the yarn on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/bernat-blanket
This is the same yarn I and others have made into reusable water “balloons” that get soaked and thrown around in the pool or whatever, and mine have lasted several years sitting out in the sun and being soaked. Not the same as industrial laundry, but it’s pretty tough - and SOFT - yarn!
I work with a charity that does this (makes baby hats for NICU) and they list this on their website about the yarn:
• The best yarn to use is baby yarn because it’s soft and lightweight (e.g. 5oz/140g; or 4oz/113g). (See yarn label example image on website.)
• The yarn should be soft, warm, washable, and hypoallergenic, such as: acrylic, cotton, bamboo, alpaca, and similar soft yarns are good choices - as long as they are labeled washable.
• Wool is not a great idea (unless it says "superwash" wool/merino - which is okay!) because some babies may be sensitive to it.
Website: http://knotsfornicu.com/instructions.html
That polyester yarn is so much softer and lest fuzzy/fraying than acrylic. I just wish I could find natural fibers (cotton especially) that were that soft
I get that. The softest cotton yarn I’ve personally found was Universal Yarn’s Cotton Supreme.
Link on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/universal-yarn-cotton-supreme
BUT, as cotton, it does the fuzzy thing. I’m making some hand towels for my kitchen with it.
I’ve also really enjoyed working with a cotton blend yarn: Berroco Modern Cotton (60% Pima cotton + 40% Modal rayon). It’s not *quite* as soft and not fuzzy, but has a VERY nice drape, if that’s important. I’m using it to make a blanket for someone who is sensitive to animal fibers.
Link: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/berroco-modern-cottontm
Good luck with your search!
There appear to be MANY patterns out there now!
Here’s a Ravelry search result: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#sort=best&inline=&craft=crochet&query=Water%20balloon
I think this is the pattern I used: http://thecraftstudio.com/heddicraftdesigns/2018/05/13/crochet-water-balloons-for-summer/
ENJOY!
YES! I'm so happy I used this yarn coincidentally last year to knit the hats to donate to the hospital. Just assumed it would be nice and soft for a baby's head since it was for blankets.
I'm using it right now, and I'm super happy to see this. Just recently started making things to donate, and I read the project linus guidelines + reached out to ask for more info first but was still a little nervous.
It's SO soft and nice to work with. I'm using the pattern/hook recommended for project linus' crochet blanket pattern, and it makes for a very dense blanket, so... Fingers crossed!!
My mom gave me the idea. I didn’t get to see my preemie for more than a day when she was born and I’ll never forget rolling into the NICU and seeing her in the warmer and then seeing the crocheted hat next to her. It was seriously overwhelming how grateful I was at that moment to whatever stranger took the time to do that for the babies, MY baby. Bless whoever did that. It means more than you know.
You’re welcome 🩷 I love my little miracle baby, who turns THREE soon!! I’ll poof this picture soon. She’s just so beautiful. This is also a bonnet I just crocheted out of wool for wintertime.
I wash everything I make as a gift on a normal cycle I my washing machine and put them through the tumble drier before I send them to the recipient so that I can make sure they won't fall apart when washed
I'd hate to spend ages making something for someone that then gets binned immediately because it got destroyed when they washed it
If it gets destroyed when I wash it that sucks but I'd rather know before I gifted it
Yes! This is exactly why I wanted to make a PSA about it. There’s really no opportunity for feedback when it comes to donations. I know our volunteer services give some kind of guideline for handmade items but whether people follow them is another story.
Yeah, if you're making something as a gift it's kind of common courtesy to make it either machine washable or give washing instructions, most people are used to just throwing stuff in the laundry without thinking these days.
Yeah I do the same and am really careful about making washable items because a friend of mine gave me a lovely wool hat she made for my birthday one time and my mom unknowingly washed and dried it and it shrank to the size of my fist and felted LOL ever since then I’m paranoid about my gifts having a similar fate
My step mother in law made my son a beautiful cross stitch blanket when he was born (its is truly stunning) but it never gets used as more than decoration because she told me it's hand wash only. Babies pee, poop, spit up and drool on everything. It's just not practical to be hand washing it in the bath constantly with a new baby
I feel bad that it doesn't get the use it deserves, but I don't have time for that
Here is the Santa hat my daughter received in the NICU.
https://preview.redd.it/j1hq0p8ss5vb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ae44f3102ccc1dc9d65c2b4c31bd1e848fb0e5f
My NICU baby will be 28 in November. We have a great pic of him wearing his Santa hat in his isolette. I have his hat in a memory box, but a card with his footprints goes on the tree each year.
Hey OP can you show us an ideal example as well so we can see just *how* tight you mean? 💕 I’ve always wanted to do this but feared a problem like this and didn’t want to create waste
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I used to be in a FB group that made crochet octopuses for NICU babies and If I remember correctly their rule was that the stitches should not allow a dum-dum lollipop stick to pass through. I think they had a size limit on the hook used and also you could only use cotton.
However that was amigurumi, I feel like a hat would need to be looser to stretch a little.
We actually cannot use the octopuses because anything not medically necessary shouldn’t be in baby’s bed for safe sleep practices. We have to promote it for the parents to practice at home.
I'm a NICU nurse and our safe sleep practices are abysmal. It drives me bonkers that we don't model it because our babies are on monitors. Then we expect parents to understand the difference when they go home.
I joined one of these groups and the requirements were so strict I never actually bothered to make one. Seems at least 50% were rejected. I mean, I completely understand the need for strict controls, but it was too much of a hurdle for me with an online group (would have been different if in-person so you can see/examine “correct” pieces)
The group in my country I was looking at recommended only making one or two at first so they could check whether it was suitable before you made a bunch and they would all get rejected. But they also mentioned that even the rejected ones would go somewhere they'd be appreciated.
My local children’s hospital actually stopped accepting donations of knit and crochet garments for this reason; but they DO accept machine washable child-safe toys!
The donation coordinator is just wonderful and gave me 3 criteria for handmade toys - machine washable, child safe (no buttons for eyes, etc) and (most importantly) - FUN AND SATISFYING TO THROW (because when you’re five years old and hooked up to an IV and it’s loud and overwhelming - sometimes you just gotta yeet a stuffed bunny).
These guys all got donated last month -
https://preview.redd.it/emlua10kv6vb1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c7c825bf2236bc2aa9d14f16c08e55dacbe04d
The hospital I work for has a teddy bear ride every year, SUPER FUN to see that come in. Bikers pick up loads of stuffed toys and deliver them to the hospital for the kids in Peds. Similar requirements, they have to go through commercial laundering before they can be given to patients but once they’re given to a patient they get to keep it ❤️ My own son was a recipient when he was about 2 and super sick with RSV.
I spent a long while in the hospital as an adult. "Fun to throw" when your otherwise able body has been bedridden for a week really would make a difference! I love that as a guideline for donated stuffies.
IIRC, if you're going to donate to a hospital you should be using mercerized cotton. Mercerized cotton can be subjected to heat sufficient to sterilize it, which isn't true of acrylic or wool.
That hat is not made of cotton. Looks like acrylic to me.
The problem with cotton for hats is that it usually doesn’t stretch well. If the hats don’t stretch or retain shape, they won’t stay on a baby’s head. I see a lot of acrylic and blends, and these can survive the laundering process if it’s a tighter stitch or knit. The problem is that the washing is harsh and they literally fall apart after with looser stitching. The ends that are woven in start to come out and they start unraveling. And to add as far as loose stitching, when there are large gaps between the stitches then the hat isn’t helping the baby retain heat anyways.
On the other hand, the laundry company could have a whole collection of hats that have melted in their dryers for all I know. I don’t know what we aren’t getting back.
Not gonna lie this is part of the reason I slip a knot or two into my end weaving. We know what to look for and see the knot but most people don't if you do it right.
When I join acrylic in crocheting I absolutely do a knot. Now that I want to knit and crochet wool instead I’ll weave as it felts enough but for a baby in ICU you’re not going to be using wool so a knot is perfect
Anecdotally, I have a blanket made from red heart super saver that I throw in the wash and it’s handled about 4 years of washing and drying and it’s held up very well.
I think the modern acrylics can definitely handle the dryer. I just think they can’t handle direct heat from a pan that’s been in the oven.
Fair! But as a rule of thumb, cotton is likely going to be the best option even if the hospital doesn't have rules about it. Wool is an allergy risk and doesn't wash well, acrylic melts under heat and often has haloing issues. You should absolutely check the guidelines of wherever you're donating to first, but in the absence of guidelines cotton is a good bet.
I worked in a NICU forever. We couldn't use unsolicited donations at all during COVID and the amount of crochet items I had to toss killed me. We also had to toss anything they smelled like cigarettes (surprisingly a lot), anything with any signs of pet hair, etc.
Now that you say that, I think the only unsolicited donations we received were from employees with friends or family that regularly make and donate. We have a few staff members that bring in hats and it’s just more convenient for the crafters to give the stuff to the staff member they know than taking it to the hospital themselves. That part has never been an issue for us, anyway. Whatever we get has to be put through the laundry by us regardless. But I also think when Covid hit everyone shifted focuses and learned to make masks? I either didn’t pay much attention to what was being donated or that was so long ago that I don’t remember? Or both 🤷🏻♀️ We were very hyper focused on supplies and it was always something.
Yeah, I’m not sure who would take that on. I don’t think volunteer services sorts through the donations either, they just mark who it’s for and someone brings it to us. I work nights so I’m slightly out of the loop as far as that goes. But it’s on our staff to sort and store and put through to laundry as needed. We regularly try to spread the wealth around as well. If we can’t use it we check with OB. When our top cover blankets for the isolettes start to get ratty after being washed 1,000 times we take them to the animal shelters where maybe they can get a little more use out of them.
We thankfully don’t have a shortage on hats (we could put a hat on every baby in the county for the next couple years, probably) but it hurts to see that some come through like this and they likely haven’t been worn yet.
Ugh it drove me crazy at the start of covid when everyone was like "Let's make hats/masks for the hospitals!" Like uh okay so then the hospital has to spend their own time and money disinfecting the everloving the hell out of everything if they don't just throw it away? WOW GREAT. Especially when people were *crocheting* masks like... bruh.
And then people would get so pissy if you were like "Hey the hospitals don't really want unsolicited handmade mask donations right now because they don't have the resources to wash everything to make sure it's covid-free" because GOSH I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP AND I'M A NURSE REEEEEEEEEE like okay lady if you're a nurse then you should understand the issue with people just dropping off things at the hospital without any guarantee they're covid-free??
Ugh.
Like I get some people are trying to help but you still have to use critical thinking. Does the NICU WANT a sloppily made blanket that smells like cigarettes? Probably not!
Soooo many of the NICU donations reeked of cigs! Ma'am this baby weighs less than a pack of cigarettes, he can't wear your scratchy hat that smells like a bar in 1991.
I worked in a cancer hospital and we got donations of blankets and hats all the time, but we never laundered them. I really appreciate that you guys are laundering them (even though I’m sure it’s something like Croat Hall or whatever their names are) because we did not do that (actually just had a donation area that people could take/leave things in the waiting room) and our patient population is at risk for germ/infection.
Yeah, it’s policy. We make parents do a 3 minute scrub upon entering the unit to visit as well. If they leave the unit and come back, they have to scrub again. Infection prevention is super important.
Infection control is paramount!! Especially in the NICU!! Gosh, throwback to the time I worked with a doctor who didn’t wash his hands 🤢 I had to start going “Dr. Smith, would you like some sanitizer?” And he would look at me crazy.. not often you have to report a provider for such a simple thing.
Oh my gosh that would be super nice, we wouldn’t have to police people at the scrub sink as much. I don’t think we’re due for a remodel any time soon though 🥺
To the elbows and scrape those nails on your palm!!! I loved the NICU staff that cared for my daughter, even when they stood behind me watching me wash.
Oh. My. Gosh. I would have freaked!! I could never donate anything to a hospital because I had a lab and I swear I always ended up crocheting her fur into anything I made.
I made two loveys for friends who were having babies and I was so careful to remove as much dog hair as possible and hand wash the item when I was done. I didn’t want any dander or anything getting to those littles!
Love this post! I worked at a homeless shelter and many people donated crocheted beanies. They were rarely chosen by clients due to the itchiness of cheap yarn or holes from loose stitches. Most ended up being donated to a thrift store. It always made me sad because I knew that someone worked on it and spent their money!
Yes! This can definitely be applied to other forms of charity as well. I’m sure some were taken because something is better than nothing but… we should be thinking proactively when trying to help too. Is it really helping or is it contributing to waste?
Thank you for this heads up! Do you have examples of more tightly woven hats that were acceptable after washing? And what kinds of yarn are better for making these donations?
Sometimes the hospital will also list their donation policy on their website. My local children’s doesn’t take anything for sanitary reasons, they ask it be donated to their thrift store instead.
My daughter was in the NICU for 5 days after she was born. They gave her a blanket which is now safely stored away, 4 yrs later. I cherish that blanket because it was such a kind gesture at a time when I was scared for my child. It also inspired me to make blankets to donate.
It is *really* important to follow the guidelines for blanket and hat donation for babies safety! It’s also nice to make a high quality blanket/ hat so families have something to save. Those donated items mean a lot to the families who receive them!
My son had a 3-day hospital stay right after he turned one. (He was fine, thank goodness.) He got to pick a blanket out of a little red wagon.
It’s crocheted, and it is hideous, but it is *his* and I will keep it forever. He was so proud of his blanket that day. And it also inspired me to make blankets to donate! I make little quilts, because my cats won’t let me crochet or knit.
A suuuuuper duper long time ago we used to have our own washing machine and dryer on the unit. The hospital accreditation agency did away with it so now we have to send our stuff out to the same company that does the rest of the hospital linens. I’m sure there’s a huge difference between commercial laundry appliances and household.
Ugh so much this. I also worked in a NICU and not only would we get hats that would barely fit a Barbie doll, but they’d get absolutely obliterated by the laundry team. They do sanitize washes on everything so it’s extremely hot and melts a lot of yarn. And yes preemie are tiny… but the ones that have heads the size of plums either don’t make it and if they do, we’re not putting a hat on them. They have so many other things around their face and their skin is barely formed. All of this also applies to the quilted incubator covers as well, make sure your batting and fabric can withstand multiple multiple washes in very hot water.
Yes, exactly this. I’ve taken so many of those tiny little hats down to OB for their bereavement room. If OB doesn’t have a use for it then… doll clothes? For our isolette covers, our staff prefer to use the ones made of fleece and/or that have a dark backing because they block out light.
I worked as a psych nurse and we also had our laundry contracted. It gets washed in giant pressure cookers at 80-100°C and then steamed even hotter than that.
Most home made craft type clothing won't survive these temperatures. Our linnens were specially made for hospital/care facillity type institutions.
Some hospitals hold fairs. If you want to donate and want it to matter and to knit something donate it to the fair to be sold.
(I assume it's the same for all hospitals but I only ever met someone from the laundry contractor in the Psych hospital. The laundry collection was next to the changing room).
Gosh even non-knit things start dying at those temps.
I was so confused why my clothing (imported from the USA along with myself) was getting very holey and things shrinking in UK home washing machines; I found out the default on the machines is 90freakingC for some reason and I'm like "the act of washing is enough to clean household items why do you have to near boil the things???" So I have to hit the "cold water" option every time I do a load and it *still* uses warm water. RIP all my USA Levi cold wash jeans. I had those things for decades, destroyed in less than two years in the UK.
I never thought of this. I always was concerned with items that come from homes with pets and worried that NICU babies and immunocompromised babies wouldn't be able to have those things because of animal hair in them.
My first born was a premiee. I was over the moon when I came in one morning and saw a knitted hat on his head. That was one of a few hats we received while there. As someone who crochets, I have tried to give back because of this. I know how much love, time, and energy went in to making these hats. I’m so glad you put this on here! I typically loom knit hats, but knowing they get laundered the way they do means I will make tighter stitched hats! Thank you ❤️
It depends on the person but when it comes to chemo caps, my mom really likes the loose crochet ones with gaps for airflow, so that might be a good alternative if you prefer or end up making more gappy items. Of course, much larger than a preemie hat but you can still make two out of a standard skein I find.
That's interesting because I'm part of a Facebook group where they craft hats for cancer patients and one of their few criteria is that the pattern can't be too gappy because it makes the hats too cold.
But these kind of things depend on the person. I made my mom a double crochet hat this summer so it was very loose but she still found it too warm (tbf it was worsted weight so even though it was 100% cotton it wasn't the coolest). Now it's autumn and she got cold so I made her a chunky blhdc one out of an acrylic/wool blend for winter so I'll see if she gets more used out of that one. The summer one is frogged and now gets used for stitch practice lol.
This is interesting, because both my both boys that had hospital stays received fleece blankets that were obviously donated, and they absolutley were not washed—new material off the bolt (I can tell). They used them in the hospital and then I washed them at home
I know people's hearts are in the right place but I've always thought *cloth* hats made more sense for NICU babies. They stand up to the wash better, it's easier to find material that's okay for little babies.
That's actually why I don't really make an effort to make things to donate to hospitals - I don't want to spend time making something only for it to go wrong and end up getting tossed without getting used because of *my* mistake.
But thank you for sharing!
Wow, thanks for sharing this! I've thought about making and donating items for the newborns at my local hospital. I haven't yet, but thanks to you, I have a better understanding of what to make for the babies and that the tension needs to be tight. I hope you have a great day. 🧡
Honestly? Wash it yourself. Use the hottest and most aggressive setting your machine can manage and toss some other stuff in with it - an old pair of jeans would be good. Many machines have a ‘sanitize’ cycle. If you’re concerned that isn’t enough to really see how it holds up, stick it in a pot of water on the stove and boil it and really stir/mash it. They’ll be tossing it in an industrial machine on HOT!!! with a bunch of other stuff (bedding, towels, etc.) so you want to get it good and hot and abuse it a bit.
You can do a sample swatch to wash before making an actual item, too.
Anyone knows of hospitals that accept donations in Vancouver, BC? I tried getting in touch with the Women’s and Children’s hospital but there was no follow up from them.
You might have better luck with a merchant marine charity. They're always looking for good wool items to stay warm out on the ocean, and I know Vancbc has a large maritime industry. It can be hard getting decent quality garments to stay warm out there and a lot of the merchant marines I knew (our librarian was an ex-merchant marine) often went to sea because they didn't always have a lot of family to stick around for and make them things.
I know BC Children’s doesn’t accept any handmade items for infection/allergy control reasons but they will take them at their thrift stores. [(policy)](https://www.bcchf.ca/non-monetary-donations/) BC Women’s only lists food donations under their donation policy so I’m guessing they also don’t take handmade items.
I'd recommend people use cotton yarn. It usually seems more durable and less likely to fray during washing compared to acrylic. That's what that looks like it's made of.
It’s not so much the fraying/pilling, it’s more that the ends that are woven in end up loose and the hats can unravel. And when the stitching is loose like this they won’t retain heat which is the purpose of a hat.
Unfortunately, cotton doesn’t stretch well and hats have to have stretch to them or they won’t stay on a baby’s head.
Tip for weaving in ends for people: once you’ve woven them in, leave about an inch or so poking out. Do NOT cut them off flush. Now wash the item as you expect it to be cared for (or a close approximation of it for those of us lacking industrial washing machines and dryers 😃) and if needed give it a bit of a block/stretch to get it back in shape. (Not a careful pinned out blocking for this sort of thing, just making sure it’s back to how it will be when worn/used more or less.) NOW cut off the ends neatly.
Both knit and crochet fabric will move around and shift during the washing process, especially the first time after making as the tension tries to even itself out. If you cut the tails before this happens you can end up with them being too short and popping out after stuff has moved. By leaving a bit during the first washing you’re giving some excess that can be drawn into the fabric as it shifts, so then when you cut it off there’s still enough there for the tail to stay properly woven in.
(For extra bonus paranoia after you cut the tails after washing you can put a wee tiny dab of fabric glue on the end also to help it stay in place even better. Test on a sample first though to make sure the fabric glue doesn’t dry to a weird texture on your yarn.)
Is there a particular type of yearn you would recommend? My great aunt, nana and I plan on knitting / crocheting hats, scarves and gloves for a local charity this year. It will be for families in need, so not strictly for little babies. But I presume they will still wash everything before it's handed over.
Eh, charities don’t usually wash items, at least from my experience. They give it a look over (maybe) to make sure it’s serviceable, then it gets added to the items being handed out.
Thank you for this. I volunteered for a group that accepts handmade blankets for children in need. We spend half the time at meetings re-doing stitches, removing fringes, weaving in tails more securely, etc., on crochet and knit pieces donated anonymously, which we do appreciate! (These go to a laundry service, too.) The guidelines for all donated blankets are written clearly on the charity's website. Safety first.
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https://www.projectlinus.org/patterns/ This covers all crafts: crochet, knit, quilt, fleece, etc.
This is great, thanks!
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They have and more! https://www.reddit.com/r/crochet/wiki/charity/ Had to hunt a bit to find it, but this is a section under *Discussion threads you must read*.
How did I forget about project linus? I am old it was a good 15 years + ago when I did project linus club in middle school. We made quilts and donated them to the hospital. Thank you for sharing
I received a project Linus quilt when I had my tonsils out at 12 years old. It was my first major surgery and the first handmade quilt I'd ever been given. I frickin love that thing and keep it on a shelf in my cubicle at work for whenever I get chilly!
> I am old but also > it was a good 15 years + ago when I did project linus club in middle school. So you're, like, ~30 years old, max? Get back to us when *college* was 20+ years ago, whippersnapper!
How about when college was 43 years ago?
omgoodness, raising hand slowly..., approx. same here!
This is exactly what the Seaman's Church Institute does. There's approved patterns they ask for especially around Christmas time and specifically ask no pompoms, tassels et ctr for safety reasons. https://seamenschurch.org/programs-services/christmas-at-sea/patterns-publications/ I'm guessing this will work for a lot of charity donations tbh.
Would love to see that pattern!
I would also love to see that pattern!
Can u share that knitting pattern? I work with unhoused folks as well and have been trying to figure out how my crafting ability could be useful!
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I second this. The last place I would knit to donate to had a database of patterns that worked well and yarn recommendations. It was super helpful
FYI, when stitched appropriately (snug, few holes) there is absolutely nothing wrong with an acrylic winter hat. I say this as someone who is allergic to wool/animal hair, and has been yarn-shamed for using "cheap" yarn. Just about the only poor fiber choice for a warm winter hat would be cotton. As it absorbs water easily and conducts heat away from your head.
This applies to good acrylic yarn. There is s big difference in quality in the acrylics, some are just terrible at retaining heat or shape or ... Anything. Ironically good acrylic yarn can cost quite a bit too, not sure who calls you cheap but they seem not too informed.
Are you unhoused, though? An acrylic hat is great for going from the house to the car or running neighborhood errands, but for someone who spends a *lot* of time outside in cold and/or wet weather, it's just not going to be as good as wool (or a wool blend, which can bring the price down and increase the softness while still keeping wool's useful properties). For someone who *can* work with yarns that contain wool, it's always going to be the superior choice, with maybe a few acrylics mixed in for anybody who (like you) really does have an allergic reaction to wool rather than a contact reaction to a scratchy fabric (which is almost nobody).
but in the hospital we have no way of telling what these hats are made out of (wool or acrylic) not many nurses are yarn crafters. acrylic is your best bet if your donating to a hospital to prevent accidental allergic reactions
Please review the thread: this one is talking about donations specifically for *unhoused* people, not *hospitals*. Or I guess maybe you're just riffing off it, but I'm not sure why.
Probably because the post is regarding hospital donations.
Would you share the pattern? I’d love to switch to this!
Can you send me the pattern please?
I just got acquainted with this organization! I appreciated that their post on Ravelry and their website talked about them being industrially laundered.
See, the problem is that folks think intending good is all you need. No, Dan, you have to actually do good. It doesn't matter how well meaning you are if you're actually harming those you mean to help. Read (and follow) the dang guidelines. My MIL is like this, to an extent. She decides what you need and what will work best and then does it, which leads to her acting crazy like telling me I can just drop her off at the salon we're about to pass (because asking me in advance to drive her to the salon is rude but ordering me around like a cabbie isn't?).
Yes. This, 100%. We love and appreciate the thought, the time, the effort, the money, of all of our volunteers and the people making donations put in. HOWEVER, I have a whole storage room at work full of preemie sized clothing. Why? Because our preemies are in heated isolettes. We don’t dress them until they are transitioning to a regular crib and can maintain their temperature. A lot of people think oh, NICU, we have only premature babies and that just isn’t the case. I think we get just as many term babies, if not more, than we do preemies. And even then, some preemies are with us for 6+ months on high calorie formulas and are wearing size 3-6 month clothing by the time they’re getting ready for discharge. We get IDM babies who are born weighing 12 lbs and have a very limited selection for them to wear when they transition out of their heated isolettes. We have started putting care packages together for the smaller babies going home to try and declutter our storage room because we also need that space for equipment, education materials for competencies, etc. But there are only so many going home that fit into preemie sizes. Every hospital is different, but this is the situation at mine and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear of others saying similar things.
>HOWEVER, I have a whole storage room at work full of preemie sized clothing. What are the items you never have enough of? Isolette covers? Froggy covers? Blankies to go home with?
Frog covers for sure! And we definitely don’t always have blankies to send babies home with. The other thing we seem short on currently is fitted sheets that fit our oval shaped mattresses. Not sure if there’s a sewing pattern floating around on the internet but my unit has ohmeda giraffe omnibeds and incubators (mattresses are universal for both of these) and drager babyleo beds.
Ok what is a frog cover
A frog is a bean bag positioner that’s shaped like a frog. The shell of the frog is vinyl for easy cleaning between patients, but they need a fabric cover for patient use. We used to have fabric frogs, but after being washed a million times they started getting holes.
What is a frog cover? I tried googling, but I'm getting frog items that are probably not what you are talking about.
A frog is a bean bag positioner that’s shaped like a frog. The shell of the frog is vinyl for easy cleaning between patients, but they need a fabric cover for patient use. We used to have fabric frogs, but after being washed a million times they started getting holes. If you Google NICU frog positioner you should get some results.
Before we had our preemie I had no idea that putting on clothes was a milestone!!
Oh 100% - I have known too many “do-gooders” who acted like this. They acted with good intentions but I have to ask if you don’t read the strict guidelines and stick to them because you think you know best and can’t see how anybody else would want different, are your intentions really good? Because ultimately you’re just wasting the (precious) time and resources of the charity/NGO/organisation
This comment really brings to mind the Simpsons episode where the town built Flanders a house.
This is the second time I saw a reference to this episode on Reddit today. The other was in a different sub
That's kinda hilarious. It's really a good episode and it emphasizes a lot of the problem with volunteer work, tbh. Volunteer work means *work* and doing things right if you truly want to make a difference. Marge is all "we mean well" and Ned's response is basically an echo of u/sleepydorian's; "my family can't live in good intentions!" ~~I wonder if it's because the clip's been trending the last few days.~~
I will never understand the *obsession* with fringe on baby items. It leads to digit amputation and even death. Don’t. Just don’t.
When my dad was near the end someone from one of these groups brought a really nice crocheted blanket to his hospital room. It was really touching and it helped him stay warm. My mom still has it. Thank you for doing this.
It’s funny - during WW2 there was a huge drive for knit socks and they had volunteers doing this exact thing - fixing problem stitches, etc. “With the Canadian Red Cross Society in charge of quality control, some knitters took on the task of correcting mistakes made by others, such as knots in the heels of home-knitted socks. “I hate to think of the poor boy’s feet after wearing a pair of those,” said one Red Cross volunteer in a 1944 story in the Globe and Mail. “I rip them back and knit it up again.”” https://www.warmuseum.ca/blog/an-army-of-knitters-in-support-of-the-war-effort/
So, just curious because I’ve never donated. I’m confident in my stitching and switching ball/color, I know that’s secure. I’m horrible at weaving ends. If I were to make and donate a blanket with the start and ends left undone, would that be preferred to my horrific attempt at weaving them myself? I am working on getting better as I keep working on projects, but in a decade I’ve never been good and generally ask my mom to if it’s something I’m gifting to someone.
Saying this politely and with 0 judgement, you not weaving the ends in just means that somebody else now has to do it. It’s best to ask the specific charity you’re donating to as it works differently with different charities/countries etc, but I know some places where the chain is maker-charity-laundered specially by the charity-hospital. The laundry and the hospital aren’t going to have time or crafting tools and depending on the set-up/size of the charity they might just bin it rather than correct it
> I’m horrible at weaving ends. Have you tried a [Russian join](https://sheepandstitch.com/library/how-to-join-yarn-in-knitting-russian-join/)? It's my absolute 100% favorite thing and kept me from going insane when crocheting a bed-sized blanket that used nearly 40 skeins.
Is that for the switching of skeins or just the start and end? I Can switch pretty well, I found a good method that’s been reliable, but my finishing end is where I have trouble. I’ve been figuring out how to crochet the start end in with my first stitches, thankfully! My granny blanket that’s just a pile of squares is a great practice place still lol
Switching of skeins and fixing knots in skeins of yarn. I love it because the stress isn't on the end of the yarn, no chance of unravelling!!
I’ll look into it when I get to the end of the ball I’m on/switch to the border color! Thanks!!
Maybe ask whoever runs the donation if they can teach you or direct you to a method for weaving ends that they like / approve
I’ve been practicing with what I’m working on! I haven’t really been able to work on anything between toddler and school. Whenever I get to a point I can look into more for donation, I’ll definitely talk to whoever is running the organization we decide to go through! In theory we’d have more groups in a college town to help with different crafts, but surprisingly we have very little.
It really depends on the PL Chapter in your area. Very rarely have I seen donations rejected in any way!! Since all of them have PL labels attached to them, each one is checked carefully and finished if necessary before being sorted by size, cleaned, and distributed locally where needed.
That’s awesome! I’ll have to look into it again after this semester/baby is born! I crocheted a lot after baby 1, but idk how much I’ll be able to with both of them lol
My NICU baby was born at Christmas time in 2020 and someone had crocheted Santa hats for the babies. She never wore hers, she was too small, but they sat it next to her bassinet. I put a small ornament hook on it and now it goes on our tree each year. I seriously appreciate everyone who donates these things!!! The hat was made of a thick yarn. I’ll have to dig it up and take a picture so y’all can see what at least our hospital NICU approved.
https://preview.redd.it/abb2m3aot5vb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=876159e752380c7a67bc3f1962f7d28892271876
How absolutely precious 😍 and what a brilliant idea turning it into an ornament! If I'd been born at Christmas, that would be something I'd look forward to every year, and treasure my whole life.
if you mean the hat, that’s totally fair. if you mean the birthday, it really depends on the family. i was born a week before christmas, and i was lucky that my parents actually separated my birthday and gave me separate birthday and christmas presents. my friend, on the other hand, who was born 3 days after christmas, hasn’t gotten separate birthday and christmas presents from his parents in 20 years. they just combine them i do get to an extent if it’s a money thing, but at the same time. he has a younger sister who wasn’t born around christmas, and she gets birthday and christmas presents. it’s pretty shitty to be a child with siblings and see that unequal treatment, yknow. if money is an issue, but you’re still able to give your other kids a birthday And a christmas present, then save $20 more to give your december baby both as well sorry, this is just smth that i feel pretty strongly about since it genuinely is a shitty feeling
My ex was a December 25th baby and ended up hating his birthday AND Christmas. He always got combo presents, it was never HIS day the way birthdays were for siblings (they can choose birthday dinner, but they had to do proper Christmas dinner on his birthday. Everyone got gifts on his birthday, and everything fun was closed so he couldn't ask to go anywhere), and he got forgotten about because everyone was in Christmas mode. Meanwhile my uncle is December 21st or 22nd, and the rule growing up was that the tree could be up but not decorated until after he blew out the candles on his birthday, so as to not overshadow his birthday, which was celebrated in a Christmas free house (ignoring the undecorated pine tree in the corner). After dinner and cake on his birthday they'd decorate the whole house and the tree, so he grew up LOVING Christmas because it became a special thing he got to do with his family every year on his birthday.
My grandmother knew someone who's birthday was 25th December so instead she celebrated on 25th June!
my husband is 12/27, and his sister is 1/3. growing up they ALWAYS had a joint bday celebration that sometimes got overshadowed by the holidays. ever since we started dating, i make damn sure that he has a spectacular birthday.
My youngest brother was born ON my 9th birthday. We usually did birthdays on consecutive weekends.
Different parents parent differently. We separate holidays and birthdays.
That looks like Bernat Blanket yarn to me, which is polyester, not acrylic. There’s also a Bernat Baby Blanket yarn which is probably even softer (and is usually only available in softer colors), but either way, I doubt the one pictured is acrylic. Link to the yarn on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/bernat-blanket This is the same yarn I and others have made into reusable water “balloons” that get soaked and thrown around in the pool or whatever, and mine have lasted several years sitting out in the sun and being soaked. Not the same as industrial laundry, but it’s pretty tough - and SOFT - yarn!
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I work with a charity that does this (makes baby hats for NICU) and they list this on their website about the yarn: • The best yarn to use is baby yarn because it’s soft and lightweight (e.g. 5oz/140g; or 4oz/113g). (See yarn label example image on website.) • The yarn should be soft, warm, washable, and hypoallergenic, such as: acrylic, cotton, bamboo, alpaca, and similar soft yarns are good choices - as long as they are labeled washable. • Wool is not a great idea (unless it says "superwash" wool/merino - which is okay!) because some babies may be sensitive to it. Website: http://knotsfornicu.com/instructions.html
**YARN:** [Blanket](http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/bernat-blanket) by [Bernat](http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/brands/bernat) * Fiber(s): Polyester. | MW: Yes * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Yarnspirations/798257808/upload_medium) [Img 2](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Yarnspirations/798257794/upload_medium) [Img 3](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Yarnspirations/798257736/upload_medium) [Img 4](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Yarnspirations/798257709/upload_medium) [Img 5](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/Yarnspirations/798257702/upload_medium) * Weight: Super Bulky | Grams: 300 | Yardage: 220 * Rating: 4.3 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
Good bot
That polyester yarn is so much softer and lest fuzzy/fraying than acrylic. I just wish I could find natural fibers (cotton especially) that were that soft
I get that. The softest cotton yarn I’ve personally found was Universal Yarn’s Cotton Supreme. Link on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/universal-yarn-cotton-supreme BUT, as cotton, it does the fuzzy thing. I’m making some hand towels for my kitchen with it. I’ve also really enjoyed working with a cotton blend yarn: Berroco Modern Cotton (60% Pima cotton + 40% Modal rayon). It’s not *quite* as soft and not fuzzy, but has a VERY nice drape, if that’s important. I’m using it to make a blanket for someone who is sensitive to animal fibers. Link: https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/berroco-modern-cottontm Good luck with your search!
**YARN:** [Cotton Supreme](http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/universal-yarn-cotton-supreme) by [Universal Yarn](http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/brands/universal-yarn) * Fiber(s): Cotton. | MW: Yes * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/UniversalYarn/22468910/184_skein_medium.jpg) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/flickr/3/5/0/3501908319/3501908319.jpg) [Img 3](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/wytewtr/13257343/DSC01026_medium.JPG) [Img 4](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/flickr/3/8/1/3814490848/3814490848.jpg) * Weight: Worsted | Grams: 100 | Yardage: 180 * Rating: 4.54 ***** **YARN:** [Modern Cotton™](http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/berroco-modern-cottontm) by [Berroco](http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/brands/berroco) * Fiber(s): Rayon. Cotton. | MW: Yes * Photo(s): [Img 1](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/BerrocoDesign/206144702/modern_cotton_lg_medium.jpg) [Img 2](https://images4-f.ravelrycache.com/uploads/trinajsmith/477657524/Berroco_Modern_Cotton__1600_Bluffs_medium.JPG) [Img 3](https://images4-g.ravelrycache.com/uploads/whiteorchidwinter/236135254/Waterfire_6672_medium.jpg) * Weight: Worsted | Grams: 100 | Yardage: 209 * Rating: 4.32 ***** Please use caution. Users have reported effects such as seizures, migraines, and nausea when opening Ravelry links. [More details.](https://www.lizcorke.com/2020/07/26/2020-7-21-ravelry-accessibility/) | *I found this post by myself! [Opt-Out](https://goo.gl/forms/0B8m4Ra8czpw4gzw1) | [About Me](https://github.com/TN-1/LinkRav_Bot/wiki) | [Contact Maintainer](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=timonyc)*
Thank you!
Hold on - REUSABLE WATER "BALLOONS"???? How have I never heard of this??
There appear to be MANY patterns out there now! Here’s a Ravelry search result: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#sort=best&inline=&craft=crochet&query=Water%20balloon I think this is the pattern I used: http://thecraftstudio.com/heddicraftdesigns/2018/05/13/crochet-water-balloons-for-summer/ ENJOY!
YES! I'm so happy I used this yarn coincidentally last year to knit the hats to donate to the hospital. Just assumed it would be nice and soft for a baby's head since it was for blankets.
I'm using it right now, and I'm super happy to see this. Just recently started making things to donate, and I read the project linus guidelines + reached out to ask for more info first but was still a little nervous. It's SO soft and nice to work with. I'm using the pattern/hook recommended for project linus' crochet blanket pattern, and it makes for a very dense blanket, so... Fingers crossed!!
That is such a lovely story and an adorable ornament!
Oh my god that is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen
This is so frikkin cute!
🥹 so sweet. I love that you put it on the tree every year. I’d embroider it with her name and year if I knew you.
I would if I was good at that!
Turning it into an ornament is brilliant.
My mom gave me the idea. I didn’t get to see my preemie for more than a day when she was born and I’ll never forget rolling into the NICU and seeing her in the warmer and then seeing the crocheted hat next to her. It was seriously overwhelming how grateful I was at that moment to whatever stranger took the time to do that for the babies, MY baby. Bless whoever did that. It means more than you know.
This whole exchange and your experience are beautiful, OP. Thanks for sharing it, especially the pic. What a beautiful little hat!
You’re welcome 🩷 I love my little miracle baby, who turns THREE soon!! I’ll poof this picture soon. She’s just so beautiful. This is also a bonnet I just crocheted out of wool for wintertime.
Precious ♥️
Awww, I'm glad you and your baby are ok! Best wishes to you!!
Thank you!
My brothers were born Boxing Day and their little hospital hats go on our tree, too!
Awww!! That’s so sweet!!
My NICU baby was born at Christmas time in 2019. Hope yours is doing well!
She is!! We’ve had a few different therapies and she goes to an endocrinologist but she’s so happy and healthy!! I hope yours is thriving!
That’s so great!! Mine is still small for his age, has a g button and also goes to a few therapies but is definitely thriving as well :)
Tiny but mighty is what I always say 🩷
I wash everything I make as a gift on a normal cycle I my washing machine and put them through the tumble drier before I send them to the recipient so that I can make sure they won't fall apart when washed I'd hate to spend ages making something for someone that then gets binned immediately because it got destroyed when they washed it If it gets destroyed when I wash it that sucks but I'd rather know before I gifted it
Yes! This is exactly why I wanted to make a PSA about it. There’s really no opportunity for feedback when it comes to donations. I know our volunteer services give some kind of guideline for handmade items but whether people follow them is another story.
Yeah, if you're making something as a gift it's kind of common courtesy to make it either machine washable or give washing instructions, most people are used to just throwing stuff in the laundry without thinking these days.
Yeah I do the same and am really careful about making washable items because a friend of mine gave me a lovely wool hat she made for my birthday one time and my mom unknowingly washed and dried it and it shrank to the size of my fist and felted LOL ever since then I’m paranoid about my gifts having a similar fate
My step mother in law made my son a beautiful cross stitch blanket when he was born (its is truly stunning) but it never gets used as more than decoration because she told me it's hand wash only. Babies pee, poop, spit up and drool on everything. It's just not practical to be hand washing it in the bath constantly with a new baby I feel bad that it doesn't get the use it deserves, but I don't have time for that
Here is the Santa hat my daughter received in the NICU. https://preview.redd.it/j1hq0p8ss5vb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ae44f3102ccc1dc9d65c2b4c31bd1e848fb0e5f
That is super cute and a great example of tight stitches in comparison to the hat in the photo I posted.
My NICU baby will be 28 in November. We have a great pic of him wearing his Santa hat in his isolette. I have his hat in a memory box, but a card with his footprints goes on the tree each year.
Omg that is so cute 🥹🥹
Hey OP can you show us an ideal example as well so we can see just *how* tight you mean? 💕 I’ve always wanted to do this but feared a problem like this and didn’t want to create waste
Yes! Next time I’m back at work I’ll take a picture of a hat that has survived the laundering process.
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I used to be in a FB group that made crochet octopuses for NICU babies and If I remember correctly their rule was that the stitches should not allow a dum-dum lollipop stick to pass through. I think they had a size limit on the hook used and also you could only use cotton. However that was amigurumi, I feel like a hat would need to be looser to stretch a little.
We actually cannot use the octopuses because anything not medically necessary shouldn’t be in baby’s bed for safe sleep practices. We have to promote it for the parents to practice at home.
I'm a NICU nurse and our safe sleep practices are abysmal. It drives me bonkers that we don't model it because our babies are on monitors. Then we expect parents to understand the difference when they go home.
What about bonding squares?
We use flannel hearts. I can’t speak for other hospitals though.
I joined one of these groups and the requirements were so strict I never actually bothered to make one. Seems at least 50% were rejected. I mean, I completely understand the need for strict controls, but it was too much of a hurdle for me with an online group (would have been different if in-person so you can see/examine “correct” pieces)
Yeah, same. I never made one either. It seemed like they had a handful of ppl that made acceptable ones and they carried the team.
The group in my country I was looking at recommended only making one or two at first so they could check whether it was suitable before you made a bunch and they would all get rejected. But they also mentioned that even the rejected ones would go somewhere they'd be appreciated.
Oh seriously I did too and I remember one being rejected because everything was good but they only managed to get seven tentacles on
https://preview.redd.it/sq47s1kj0gvb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4289062bd313d0c6636a357ccf76c2027df8810
https://preview.redd.it/ynjlw7cm0gvb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e72517a8cbe5506e78ae90f8e72b1d45460b79d3
https://preview.redd.it/no7dsnbl0gvb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a11cdc627d6f58cfe4dfbf3cd8e6bb1c67a84dd
My local children’s hospital actually stopped accepting donations of knit and crochet garments for this reason; but they DO accept machine washable child-safe toys! The donation coordinator is just wonderful and gave me 3 criteria for handmade toys - machine washable, child safe (no buttons for eyes, etc) and (most importantly) - FUN AND SATISFYING TO THROW (because when you’re five years old and hooked up to an IV and it’s loud and overwhelming - sometimes you just gotta yeet a stuffed bunny). These guys all got donated last month - https://preview.redd.it/emlua10kv6vb1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c7c825bf2236bc2aa9d14f16c08e55dacbe04d
The hospital I work for has a teddy bear ride every year, SUPER FUN to see that come in. Bikers pick up loads of stuffed toys and deliver them to the hospital for the kids in Peds. Similar requirements, they have to go through commercial laundering before they can be given to patients but once they’re given to a patient they get to keep it ❤️ My own son was a recipient when he was about 2 and super sick with RSV.
Those mermaids are precious, I love the one on the left!!
I spent a long while in the hospital as an adult. "Fun to throw" when your otherwise able body has been bedridden for a week really would make a difference! I love that as a guideline for donated stuffies.
Those mermaids 😍😍😍
IIRC, if you're going to donate to a hospital you should be using mercerized cotton. Mercerized cotton can be subjected to heat sufficient to sterilize it, which isn't true of acrylic or wool. That hat is not made of cotton. Looks like acrylic to me.
The problem with cotton for hats is that it usually doesn’t stretch well. If the hats don’t stretch or retain shape, they won’t stay on a baby’s head. I see a lot of acrylic and blends, and these can survive the laundering process if it’s a tighter stitch or knit. The problem is that the washing is harsh and they literally fall apart after with looser stitching. The ends that are woven in start to come out and they start unraveling. And to add as far as loose stitching, when there are large gaps between the stitches then the hat isn’t helping the baby retain heat anyways. On the other hand, the laundry company could have a whole collection of hats that have melted in their dryers for all I know. I don’t know what we aren’t getting back.
Not gonna lie this is part of the reason I slip a knot or two into my end weaving. We know what to look for and see the knot but most people don't if you do it right.
When I join acrylic in crocheting I absolutely do a knot. Now that I want to knit and crochet wool instead I’ll weave as it felts enough but for a baby in ICU you’re not going to be using wool so a knot is perfect
I always knot. You'll never feel it or see it, but you'll certainly know if it's not secured properly
Yep. Crochet is textured enough that it’s easy to hide!
Cotton can be worked with a different stitch to make it more elastic (1-1 with knitting, for example)
Anecdotally, I have a blanket made from red heart super saver that I throw in the wash and it’s handled about 4 years of washing and drying and it’s held up very well. I think the modern acrylics can definitely handle the dryer. I just think they can’t handle direct heat from a pan that’s been in the oven.
It depends on the hospital.
Fair! But as a rule of thumb, cotton is likely going to be the best option even if the hospital doesn't have rules about it. Wool is an allergy risk and doesn't wash well, acrylic melts under heat and often has haloing issues. You should absolutely check the guidelines of wherever you're donating to first, but in the absence of guidelines cotton is a good bet.
I worked in a NICU forever. We couldn't use unsolicited donations at all during COVID and the amount of crochet items I had to toss killed me. We also had to toss anything they smelled like cigarettes (surprisingly a lot), anything with any signs of pet hair, etc.
Now that you say that, I think the only unsolicited donations we received were from employees with friends or family that regularly make and donate. We have a few staff members that bring in hats and it’s just more convenient for the crafters to give the stuff to the staff member they know than taking it to the hospital themselves. That part has never been an issue for us, anyway. Whatever we get has to be put through the laundry by us regardless. But I also think when Covid hit everyone shifted focuses and learned to make masks? I either didn’t pay much attention to what was being donated or that was so long ago that I don’t remember? Or both 🤷🏻♀️ We were very hyper focused on supplies and it was always something.
We would just get giant boxes.feom strangers. Felt bad about not being able.to use most of it.
Yeah, understandable; maybe selling the unsuitable candidates and have the proceeds benefit the NICU would be a compromise.
Yeah, I’m not sure who would take that on. I don’t think volunteer services sorts through the donations either, they just mark who it’s for and someone brings it to us. I work nights so I’m slightly out of the loop as far as that goes. But it’s on our staff to sort and store and put through to laundry as needed. We regularly try to spread the wealth around as well. If we can’t use it we check with OB. When our top cover blankets for the isolettes start to get ratty after being washed 1,000 times we take them to the animal shelters where maybe they can get a little more use out of them. We thankfully don’t have a shortage on hats (we could put a hat on every baby in the county for the next couple years, probably) but it hurts to see that some come through like this and they likely haven’t been worn yet.
Ugh it drove me crazy at the start of covid when everyone was like "Let's make hats/masks for the hospitals!" Like uh okay so then the hospital has to spend their own time and money disinfecting the everloving the hell out of everything if they don't just throw it away? WOW GREAT. Especially when people were *crocheting* masks like... bruh. And then people would get so pissy if you were like "Hey the hospitals don't really want unsolicited handmade mask donations right now because they don't have the resources to wash everything to make sure it's covid-free" because GOSH I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP AND I'M A NURSE REEEEEEEEEE like okay lady if you're a nurse then you should understand the issue with people just dropping off things at the hospital without any guarantee they're covid-free?? Ugh. Like I get some people are trying to help but you still have to use critical thinking. Does the NICU WANT a sloppily made blanket that smells like cigarettes? Probably not!
Soooo many of the NICU donations reeked of cigs! Ma'am this baby weighs less than a pack of cigarettes, he can't wear your scratchy hat that smells like a bar in 1991.
Mods should pin this or something, I feel like this is suuuper important information.
I worked in a cancer hospital and we got donations of blankets and hats all the time, but we never laundered them. I really appreciate that you guys are laundering them (even though I’m sure it’s something like Croat Hall or whatever their names are) because we did not do that (actually just had a donation area that people could take/leave things in the waiting room) and our patient population is at risk for germ/infection.
Yeah, it’s policy. We make parents do a 3 minute scrub upon entering the unit to visit as well. If they leave the unit and come back, they have to scrub again. Infection prevention is super important.
Infection control is paramount!! Especially in the NICU!! Gosh, throwback to the time I worked with a doctor who didn’t wash his hands 🤢 I had to start going “Dr. Smith, would you like some sanitizer?” And he would look at me crazy.. not often you have to report a provider for such a simple thing.
🤢🤢🤢 Come on doc, this is 101.
[удалено]
Oh my gosh that would be super nice, we wouldn’t have to police people at the scrub sink as much. I don’t think we’re due for a remodel any time soon though 🥺
To the elbows and scrape those nails on your palm!!! I loved the NICU staff that cared for my daughter, even when they stood behind me watching me wash.
Omg you have to launder them! You don’t know how these people’s homes look. I received a donated item during Covid with a bedbug on it. 🤮
Oh. My. Gosh. I would have freaked!! I could never donate anything to a hospital because I had a lab and I swear I always ended up crocheting her fur into anything I made. I made two loveys for friends who were having babies and I was so careful to remove as much dog hair as possible and hand wash the item when I was done. I didn’t want any dander or anything getting to those littles!
🤢 talk to anyone in healthcare, this is our number 1 fear. Bedbugs and lice.
Love this post! I worked at a homeless shelter and many people donated crocheted beanies. They were rarely chosen by clients due to the itchiness of cheap yarn or holes from loose stitches. Most ended up being donated to a thrift store. It always made me sad because I knew that someone worked on it and spent their money!
Yes! This can definitely be applied to other forms of charity as well. I’m sure some were taken because something is better than nothing but… we should be thinking proactively when trying to help too. Is it really helping or is it contributing to waste?
Thank you for this heads up! Do you have examples of more tightly woven hats that were acceptable after washing? And what kinds of yarn are better for making these donations?
i didn’t know you can donate items like these to hospitals!! do you have any info about how to find these places?
Contact your local hospitals volunteer department. Most have some kind of program.
Yes, volunteer services usually handles donations.
Sometimes the hospital will also list their donation policy on their website. My local children’s doesn’t take anything for sanitary reasons, they ask it be donated to their thrift store instead.
My daughter was in the NICU for 5 days after she was born. They gave her a blanket which is now safely stored away, 4 yrs later. I cherish that blanket because it was such a kind gesture at a time when I was scared for my child. It also inspired me to make blankets to donate. It is *really* important to follow the guidelines for blanket and hat donation for babies safety! It’s also nice to make a high quality blanket/ hat so families have something to save. Those donated items mean a lot to the families who receive them!
My son had a 3-day hospital stay right after he turned one. (He was fine, thank goodness.) He got to pick a blanket out of a little red wagon. It’s crocheted, and it is hideous, but it is *his* and I will keep it forever. He was so proud of his blanket that day. And it also inspired me to make blankets to donate! I make little quilts, because my cats won’t let me crochet or knit.
My daughters blanket is also hideous but we love it so much!!
Also the fact that none of the articles are hand washed. They are all machine washed
A suuuuuper duper long time ago we used to have our own washing machine and dryer on the unit. The hospital accreditation agency did away with it so now we have to send our stuff out to the same company that does the rest of the hospital linens. I’m sure there’s a huge difference between commercial laundry appliances and household.
Exactly. We send ours out too. Definitely not friendly for all articles
Ugh so much this. I also worked in a NICU and not only would we get hats that would barely fit a Barbie doll, but they’d get absolutely obliterated by the laundry team. They do sanitize washes on everything so it’s extremely hot and melts a lot of yarn. And yes preemie are tiny… but the ones that have heads the size of plums either don’t make it and if they do, we’re not putting a hat on them. They have so many other things around their face and their skin is barely formed. All of this also applies to the quilted incubator covers as well, make sure your batting and fabric can withstand multiple multiple washes in very hot water.
Yes, exactly this. I’ve taken so many of those tiny little hats down to OB for their bereavement room. If OB doesn’t have a use for it then… doll clothes? For our isolette covers, our staff prefer to use the ones made of fleece and/or that have a dark backing because they block out light.
Thank for you this PSA. I would have never realized and now I do. Baby safety first, always ♥️
My twin daughters were in the NICU for 10 days, they still have their crocheted blankets with them always! We are ever so thankful
I worked as a psych nurse and we also had our laundry contracted. It gets washed in giant pressure cookers at 80-100°C and then steamed even hotter than that. Most home made craft type clothing won't survive these temperatures. Our linnens were specially made for hospital/care facillity type institutions. Some hospitals hold fairs. If you want to donate and want it to matter and to knit something donate it to the fair to be sold. (I assume it's the same for all hospitals but I only ever met someone from the laundry contractor in the Psych hospital. The laundry collection was next to the changing room).
Gosh even non-knit things start dying at those temps. I was so confused why my clothing (imported from the USA along with myself) was getting very holey and things shrinking in UK home washing machines; I found out the default on the machines is 90freakingC for some reason and I'm like "the act of washing is enough to clean household items why do you have to near boil the things???" So I have to hit the "cold water" option every time I do a load and it *still* uses warm water. RIP all my USA Levi cold wash jeans. I had those things for decades, destroyed in less than two years in the UK.
I thought this was UK's infamous willie warmer
a heater for your peter...
Thank you!!! This was the most helpful PSA!!! 😀😀😀❤️
Very good to know! Thank you
this is good to know
That is good advice. And it is looking out for others.
I never thought of this. I always was concerned with items that come from homes with pets and worried that NICU babies and immunocompromised babies wouldn't be able to have those things because of animal hair in them.
My first born was a premiee. I was over the moon when I came in one morning and saw a knitted hat on his head. That was one of a few hats we received while there. As someone who crochets, I have tried to give back because of this. I know how much love, time, and energy went in to making these hats. I’m so glad you put this on here! I typically loom knit hats, but knowing they get laundered the way they do means I will make tighter stitched hats! Thank you ❤️
It depends on the person but when it comes to chemo caps, my mom really likes the loose crochet ones with gaps for airflow, so that might be a good alternative if you prefer or end up making more gappy items. Of course, much larger than a preemie hat but you can still make two out of a standard skein I find.
That's interesting because I'm part of a Facebook group where they craft hats for cancer patients and one of their few criteria is that the pattern can't be too gappy because it makes the hats too cold. But these kind of things depend on the person. I made my mom a double crochet hat this summer so it was very loose but she still found it too warm (tbf it was worsted weight so even though it was 100% cotton it wasn't the coolest). Now it's autumn and she got cold so I made her a chunky blhdc one out of an acrylic/wool blend for winter so I'll see if she gets more used out of that one. The summer one is frogged and now gets used for stitch practice lol.
I just saw this on Facebook too 😅
Good too know I’ll stick to sewing hats.
This is interesting, because both my both boys that had hospital stays received fleece blankets that were obviously donated, and they absolutley were not washed—new material off the bolt (I can tell). They used them in the hospital and then I washed them at home
I know people's hearts are in the right place but I've always thought *cloth* hats made more sense for NICU babies. They stand up to the wash better, it's easier to find material that's okay for little babies. That's actually why I don't really make an effort to make things to donate to hospitals - I don't want to spend time making something only for it to go wrong and end up getting tossed without getting used because of *my* mistake. But thank you for sharing!
Wow, thanks for sharing this! I've thought about making and donating items for the newborns at my local hospital. I haven't yet, but thanks to you, I have a better understanding of what to make for the babies and that the tension needs to be tight. I hope you have a great day. 🧡
Do you know if there is a way to test at home if the hats or toys will hold up to their washing standards? I’m off to Google with this thought too.
Honestly? Wash it yourself. Use the hottest and most aggressive setting your machine can manage and toss some other stuff in with it - an old pair of jeans would be good. Many machines have a ‘sanitize’ cycle. If you’re concerned that isn’t enough to really see how it holds up, stick it in a pot of water on the stove and boil it and really stir/mash it. They’ll be tossing it in an industrial machine on HOT!!! with a bunch of other stuff (bedding, towels, etc.) so you want to get it good and hot and abuse it a bit. You can do a sample swatch to wash before making an actual item, too.
Washing things aggressively is my go-to for most gifts. I do a good sized swatch and see what happens.
Anyone knows of hospitals that accept donations in Vancouver, BC? I tried getting in touch with the Women’s and Children’s hospital but there was no follow up from them.
Try contacting the volunteer services department of your local hospital. They are the ones that coordinate donations typically.
You might have better luck with a merchant marine charity. They're always looking for good wool items to stay warm out on the ocean, and I know Vancbc has a large maritime industry. It can be hard getting decent quality garments to stay warm out there and a lot of the merchant marines I knew (our librarian was an ex-merchant marine) often went to sea because they didn't always have a lot of family to stick around for and make them things.
I know BC Children’s doesn’t accept any handmade items for infection/allergy control reasons but they will take them at their thrift stores. [(policy)](https://www.bcchf.ca/non-monetary-donations/) BC Women’s only lists food donations under their donation policy so I’m guessing they also don’t take handmade items.
I'd recommend people use cotton yarn. It usually seems more durable and less likely to fray during washing compared to acrylic. That's what that looks like it's made of.
It’s not so much the fraying/pilling, it’s more that the ends that are woven in end up loose and the hats can unravel. And when the stitching is loose like this they won’t retain heat which is the purpose of a hat. Unfortunately, cotton doesn’t stretch well and hats have to have stretch to them or they won’t stay on a baby’s head.
Tip for weaving in ends for people: once you’ve woven them in, leave about an inch or so poking out. Do NOT cut them off flush. Now wash the item as you expect it to be cared for (or a close approximation of it for those of us lacking industrial washing machines and dryers 😃) and if needed give it a bit of a block/stretch to get it back in shape. (Not a careful pinned out blocking for this sort of thing, just making sure it’s back to how it will be when worn/used more or less.) NOW cut off the ends neatly. Both knit and crochet fabric will move around and shift during the washing process, especially the first time after making as the tension tries to even itself out. If you cut the tails before this happens you can end up with them being too short and popping out after stuff has moved. By leaving a bit during the first washing you’re giving some excess that can be drawn into the fabric as it shifts, so then when you cut it off there’s still enough there for the tail to stay properly woven in. (For extra bonus paranoia after you cut the tails after washing you can put a wee tiny dab of fabric glue on the end also to help it stay in place even better. Test on a sample first though to make sure the fabric glue doesn’t dry to a weird texture on your yarn.)
Is there a particular type of yearn you would recommend? My great aunt, nana and I plan on knitting / crocheting hats, scarves and gloves for a local charity this year. It will be for families in need, so not strictly for little babies. But I presume they will still wash everything before it's handed over.
Eh, charities don’t usually wash items, at least from my experience. They give it a look over (maybe) to make sure it’s serviceable, then it gets added to the items being handed out.
Yes, this is a crisis and awareness needs to be spread!