Volunteers Needed to Knit Red Hats for Babies

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

The red hats are distributed to local 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. The hats and yarn donations can be mailed to: Anne Schullo, American Heart Association, 208 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60604.

Participating hospitals and organizations include:

• Advocate BroMenn Medical Center/Eureka
• Advocate Christ Medical Center
• Advocate Condell Medical Center
• Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital
• Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
• Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
• Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
• Advocate Sherman Hospital
• Advocate South Suburban Hospital
• Advocate Trinity Hospital
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago at Northwestern Medicine
• Edward Hospital
• Elmhurst Hospital
• MacNeal Hospital
• Mended Little Hearts Chicago - Bravery Bags
• Rush University Medical Center
• University of Chicago Medicine
• West Suburban Medical Center

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.

Quetions can be directed to Anne Schullo at (312) 476-6614 or Anne.Schullo@heart.org.