Friday, January 27, 2012

Charity Knitting

Last year, my knitting groups in the libraries decided to spend some time knitting for charity. We decided to make hats for pre-matured babies.

I came up with a pattern so that the hats can be knitted in one piece without seams & we ended up with these....
.... more than 40 hats !

Some are knitted.
Some are crocheted.

I then contacted the local maternity hospital & made an appointment to meet the lady in charge. I went to the hospital & found this nice elderly lady in a little room sorting bags & bags of knit wear.

Unfortunately I was told that crocheted hats are not suitable for preemies as they are too rough. She told me that they are in need of cardigans as they give away more than 500 every year to babies in Special Care. She gave me a pattern & I took a quick look. It was a pattern for a v-neck raglan cardigan knitted in many pieces - fronts, back, sleeves & even the button bands are knitted & seamed.

I knew that I will not be using this pattern & asked if it's alright to knit the cardigan from the top-down & in one piece. She said that she was not familiar with seamless knitting but would be happy to see one knitted up. One of the problems that they had with the cardigans are the bulky seams which are not comfortable for the new borns.

I told her that I will convert the pattern & knit up a sample. So during the holidays, I have been working on this little cardigan & came up with 2 versions .....


.... the little blue cardigan (using Bendigo's baby wool) is for preemies & all in one piece, even the bands are knitted at the same time. The only problem is the neckline which is not v-neck. I am not sure if the crew neck will be an issue.

.... the variegated blue/purple cardigan (using leftover sock yarn) is for new borns & also in one piece and the bands are picked up & knitted all round the front & the v-neck.

Both cardigans are knitted from the top down & the sleeves are also knitted in the round with dpns. I am happy with the results & now I will have to buy some buttons & write out the patterns.





7 comments:

Michelle Lee said...

Look at all those cute little hats!!!!

Anyway, let me know when you write up the pattern for the cardigan.

If you can forward the hat pattern to me too, I can distribute it to my group and maybe we can collect knitted items for the charities :)

Sue said...

The little hats are so cute. I have knitted about 14 premmie hats which are waiting to be delivered. Let me know when you print the pattern and perhaps I can knit some little cardigans too.

2paw said...

What lovely hats and what kind knitters you are. Oh I love your new top down little cardigans, they are just so cute!!

Roseann said...

What darling sweaters! Plus they will be fun to knit in your pattern and the hospital will end up receiving more sweaters thanks to your clever design skills. The hats are so cute! I'm startled that crochet is considered too rough. I look forward to hearing how much they love and appreciate your beautiful designs.

Bogie said...

What a sweet bunch of hats and sweaters. You did a great job with the cardigan pattern. I'm sure the little ones will be more comfortable in your seamless version.

Nancy said...

Good job on the hats and sweaters! You should check out knitting on the net There is a free Raglan Sweater baby pattern on there that I have made several times. Completely seamless and can be changed up with stripes and such. Best wishes on your charity knitting. Babies will be warmer because of it.

Rose Red said...

What a shame about the crochet hats.

Your version of the cardigan is very cute, and must be quicker to knit when seamless.