Knitting Blankets & Hats for Premature Babies

Knitting Blankets & Hats for Premature Babies

I love to knit and crochet in my free time - even though I'm not overly good at it!!

One of my friends gave me the idea of knitting blankets for the special care baby unit at one of the local hospitals in the area. 

I rang the hospital and they explained to me that blankets and hats etc have to be knitted in plain knitting with no holes or fancy  patterns as the babies can get their fingers and toes caught up the holes. 

The perfect size to knit the blankets is to the size of a tea towel. 

If you go to the following website you can find all the preemie patterns for blankets etc:

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/stoke/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8674000/8674298.stm

You can find every pattern going from blankets to booties/mittens to cardigans.

Not only do the special care baby units need these items but also the paramedics urgently require blankets for when they get called out to women in labour and sometimes they don't make it to hospital in time so they need fresh clean warm blankets for the babies to be wrapped up in until they to reach hospital.

If you like knitting and would like to knit some blankets or cardigans while you are here on holiday, then you can always drop them off with me in Reception and i can forward them onto the local hospital special care baby unit at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough

Claire

Reception