I tried to post the website for the Community Relations Department at U of M and Blogger won't let me. So here's how to get to their website:
Go to google.com, and type in Mott Community Relations, click the one for the University of Michigan Health System, once you're there, click the Mott Wish List link. Simple as that.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
My first post
Hi and welcome to my blog, hatsforholden.blogspot.com. I started this blog because I began donating crocheted preemie hats to the Holden NICU at the University of Michigan C.S Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor Michigan. I started this because I was in the Holden NICU for 7 weeks when I was born and I want to give back.
At U of M, there are a couple of places where babies can go. First, there is the regular nursery where healthy newborns go and come home after a couple of days. Then there is the NICU where some babies go if they're a little bit sick or have a medical condition that is not exactly critical and has a good chance of getting better. Then there is Holden, Holden is where the really critically ill babies go. A lot of the time, these babies are preemies, some are even micro preemies who weigh two pounds or less. Since U of M is a really great hospital with the best doctors and nurses, if a baby has a chance of living it will be at U of M.
Since I was in the Holden NICU, I really want to give back to the place that saved my life. As I said, I began donating the hats in 2010 with a box of 50 hats, 25 girls hats and 25 boys hats along with one pink and cream blanket. Then I donated 80 more hats in March 2011, and 160 in September 2011 (yesterday actually). These hats are definitely used in the NICU and come in ALL sizes. There are some hats that are about six inches around, and amazingly the people in the Community Relations Department say that there are many preemies in those sizes. As well as the extra small sizes, I also make hats that are about 8-11 inches around, which is a wide range to fit a wide range of babies. I use mostly acrylic yarn since it is cheap, washable, and soft. When I began making the hats, I used a very popular crocheted preemie hat pattern, then I slowly adapted it to a wider range of sizes. The pattern I use is below.
Materials: A size F, G, or H crochet hook depending on the weight of the yarn.
some soft, acrylic yarn.
Gauge is NOT CRITICAL for this type of project since preemies come in all sizes.
Row 1: chain 3 and join to first chain with a slip stitch to form a ring
Round 2: Make 12 dc in the ring, slip stitch to the begining of round
Round 3: Chain 1 and make 2 dc in each dc around, join with slip stitch to begining of round
Round 4: Chain 1, make 1 dc in each of the next 2 stitches, 2 dc in the 3rd stitch, keep repeating around. Join with slip stitch to begining of round.
Round 5: Here's where you can get creative, depending on the size you want your hat to be you can do 2 dc evenly around but not in every stitch. For me I usually do this: Chain 1, dc in the next 7(6,5) stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch all around.
Subsequent rounds: dc in each dc around and slip stitch to join the round. I don't have a number on the rounds after round 5 because it kind of depends on your gauge, the thickness of the yarn, the crochet hook, etc. I usually keep going until my hat is a bit less than 5 inches.
Next round: sc in dc around, this makes it stretchy and I like sc rather than a slip stitch because a slip stitch makes the hat too tight and the size is then not adjustable very much. Cut yarn and weave in end.
Of course, this is just the way I do things and you're free to use whatever pattern you want. There are lots of babies in need in hospitals across the country and all you've got to do is give your local hospital a call and ask if they'd like preemie hats, it is really that easy. I bring my hats in to U of M's Community Relations Department just because it isn't too far away and postage isn't cheap. If you'd like to donate hats to U of M also, their info is at the bottom of this post.
If you don't knit or crochet but are in the Metro Detroit area and would like to help U of M's Community Relations and Child and Family Life departments they have a website of things that they're in need of also. Their address and other contact info is on their site too if you're interested in donating preemie hats or other items or things from the wish list. Their department helps all of the patients in the children's hospital by giving them things to do while they're in the hosptital. The wish list has things like baby mobiles, Boppy Pillows, books, video games for older kids, and stuffed animals. One thing to mention though is these things can not be used, they must be new because toys can carry germs that make sick kids even sicker.
I hope to be able to post on a regular basis and give updates to you. I just wanted to spread the word about the hospital and all of the good things they do at U of M. There truly is such thing as The Michigan Difference.
At U of M, there are a couple of places where babies can go. First, there is the regular nursery where healthy newborns go and come home after a couple of days. Then there is the NICU where some babies go if they're a little bit sick or have a medical condition that is not exactly critical and has a good chance of getting better. Then there is Holden, Holden is where the really critically ill babies go. A lot of the time, these babies are preemies, some are even micro preemies who weigh two pounds or less. Since U of M is a really great hospital with the best doctors and nurses, if a baby has a chance of living it will be at U of M.
Since I was in the Holden NICU, I really want to give back to the place that saved my life. As I said, I began donating the hats in 2010 with a box of 50 hats, 25 girls hats and 25 boys hats along with one pink and cream blanket. Then I donated 80 more hats in March 2011, and 160 in September 2011 (yesterday actually). These hats are definitely used in the NICU and come in ALL sizes. There are some hats that are about six inches around, and amazingly the people in the Community Relations Department say that there are many preemies in those sizes. As well as the extra small sizes, I also make hats that are about 8-11 inches around, which is a wide range to fit a wide range of babies. I use mostly acrylic yarn since it is cheap, washable, and soft. When I began making the hats, I used a very popular crocheted preemie hat pattern, then I slowly adapted it to a wider range of sizes. The pattern I use is below.
Materials: A size F, G, or H crochet hook depending on the weight of the yarn.
some soft, acrylic yarn.
Gauge is NOT CRITICAL for this type of project since preemies come in all sizes.
Row 1: chain 3 and join to first chain with a slip stitch to form a ring
Round 2: Make 12 dc in the ring, slip stitch to the begining of round
Round 3: Chain 1 and make 2 dc in each dc around, join with slip stitch to begining of round
Round 4: Chain 1, make 1 dc in each of the next 2 stitches, 2 dc in the 3rd stitch, keep repeating around. Join with slip stitch to begining of round.
Round 5: Here's where you can get creative, depending on the size you want your hat to be you can do 2 dc evenly around but not in every stitch. For me I usually do this: Chain 1, dc in the next 7(6,5) stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch all around.
Subsequent rounds: dc in each dc around and slip stitch to join the round. I don't have a number on the rounds after round 5 because it kind of depends on your gauge, the thickness of the yarn, the crochet hook, etc. I usually keep going until my hat is a bit less than 5 inches.
Next round: sc in dc around, this makes it stretchy and I like sc rather than a slip stitch because a slip stitch makes the hat too tight and the size is then not adjustable very much. Cut yarn and weave in end.
Of course, this is just the way I do things and you're free to use whatever pattern you want. There are lots of babies in need in hospitals across the country and all you've got to do is give your local hospital a call and ask if they'd like preemie hats, it is really that easy. I bring my hats in to U of M's Community Relations Department just because it isn't too far away and postage isn't cheap. If you'd like to donate hats to U of M also, their info is at the bottom of this post.
If you don't knit or crochet but are in the Metro Detroit area and would like to help U of M's Community Relations and Child and Family Life departments they have a website of things that they're in need of also. Their address and other contact info is on their site too if you're interested in donating preemie hats or other items or things from the wish list. Their department helps all of the patients in the children's hospital by giving them things to do while they're in the hosptital. The wish list has things like baby mobiles, Boppy Pillows, books, video games for older kids, and stuffed animals. One thing to mention though is these things can not be used, they must be new because toys can carry germs that make sick kids even sicker.
I hope to be able to post on a regular basis and give updates to you. I just wanted to spread the word about the hospital and all of the good things they do at U of M. There truly is such thing as The Michigan Difference.
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