Volunteers Needed to Knit Red Hats for Babies

By AMIE SCHAENZER (Patch Staff)

The American Heart Association is looking for knitters to make red hats for babies.

The red hats are distributed to hospitals and given to babies born in February as part of the association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts project. The project is meant to raise awareness of heart disease, the number one killer of Americans, and congenital heart defects, the most common type of birth defect in the country.

The American Heart Association accepts baby hats and donations of yarn. Hats will be accepted from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31.

California doesn’t have a knitting group that distributes hats to local hospitals, but you can contact your local office about starting one. You may also send them to other states by contacting the groups already established:

• COLORADO
• GEORGIA
• ILLINOIS
• INDIANA
• KANSAS (KANSAS CITY)
• KANSAS (WICHITA)
• MISSOURI (ST. LOUIS)
• MISSOURI (SOUTHWEST)
• MICHIGAN (SOUTHEAST)
• MICHIGAN (WESTERN)
• NEBRASKA
• NORTH DAKOTA
• SOUTH DAKOTA
• SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND (MA/RI)
• TEXAS
• WASHINGTON

Patterns for Baby Hats

Sample patterns for baby hats can be found here:

• Crochet Baby Hat Pattern
• Crochet Preemie Hat Pattern
• Knitted Baby Hat Pattern
• Knitted Hat Pattern 2
• Knitted Preemie Hat Pattern
• Knit Baby Bear Hat Pattern

Yarn Specifics

The AMA recommends using simple patterns for hats.

“While we love bows and buttons, they can come off the hats and be dangerous for the little ones,” according to information posted on the AMA website.

The following type of yarn should be used or can be donated:

• red
• cotton or acrylic
• medium to heavy weight
• machine washable and dryable

Any items that are donated that are neither a hat, nor are red in color, will be donated to Project Baby Blankets INC.