I’m skipping Christmas knitting this year in order to get a jump start on American Heart Month’s Little Hats, Big Hearts project. American Heart Month isn’t until February but I’m one of those people who need a BIG HEAD START.
What is Little Hats, Big Hearts?
Little Hats, Big Hearts™, honors babies, moms, and heart healthy lives in a very special way. Supporters are knitting and crocheting red hats to be given out to thousands of babies during American Heart Month in order to empower moms to live heart healthy lives and to help their children do the same.
The project began in 2014, in Chicago. In the first year, 300 little hats were donated to newborns. The project has now grown to over 40 states in the United States (sadly, Alaska is not one of them). The project is supported entirely by volunteer knitters and crocheters, the hats will be given out to babies born in February next year.
Knitter Problems
Last night I went on a red yarn hunt in my stash and realized I don’t have much red yarn. (This is shocking to me because I love the color red). I’m also very short on acrylic yarn. The project calls for either cotton or acrylic yarn because it’s easier to care for than wool.
I’d like to knit 100 hats on my own to send to Little Hats Big Hearts. I have no idea how much yarn that comes to but I’m pretty sure it’s more than the partial red skein I did find.
The other issue is now that I’m not working full time anymore and have gone back to freelancing; there is little money in the yarn budget.
I am all but on a yarn shopping freeze until I have more regular writing projects. The yarn freeze makes my goal a little more difficult but I’m still hustling like a knitter on a mission to get the hats made before the deadline.
Using my Knitting Needles for Good not Evil
Little Hats, Big Hearts is an important project to me. Because I’m an adult who was born with a CHD, the project is very near to my own heart (no pun intended).
Did you know one in every 100 babies is born with a congenital heart defect and it’s still the leading cause of death for infants?
The American Heart Association and the Children’s Heart Foundation are working together on this project not only raise awareness for families to lead a heart healthy life but to put a larger spotlight on congenital heart defects.
I’ve seen far too much sadness, negativity, and injustice on social media and I’ve said next to nothing; not because I don’t care – but because I care too much and I don’t know where to begin offering assistance. Some people think that silence is ignorance or a lack of empathy but I assure you it isn’t.
Knowing that I don’t have a lot of money to donate to any one cause right now, knitting hats for newborns is something I can do to make a difference.
I’m going to send my hats back home to Ohio since I was born there. You can visit the Little Hats, Big Hearts page to find a location closest to you and to find out when your location’s deadline is. It was easy for me to find the contact for Akron Ohio. I’ve reached out and now I’m waiting to hear back on the details.
If you can’t knit or crochet, Little Hats, Big Hearts is also looking for yarn donations.
February seems pretty far off right now, but it’s gonna get here whether I’m done knitting or not. I’ll be back to update and share pictures of my first hats. In the meantime, Let’s get to knitting!
This is an amazing project. Can you start an Amazon wishlist for yarn that people can purchase for you. I know that not all people can make but would like to give to this amazing project ????