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Help keep Little Hats, Big Hearts going with a Well Wish!

December 17, 2015 1 Comment

Support the Little Hats, Big Hearts knitting program with a Well Wish! Click to learn how you can help this exceptional charity knitting program with more than knitting or crochet.

The yarn craft community loves knitting and crocheting for charity projects, particularly at this time of year. The charity knitting project that’s near and dear to me – Little Hats, Big Hearts – has come up with a new way to support the program, above and beyond making and donating hats.

A free pattern for the Declan Hat, available in preemie & infant sizes.

Free Declan Hat pattern

What’s Little Hats, Big Hearts?

As you might know by now, volunteer knitters and crocheters are making little red hats to be distributed to the babies born at hospitals in February, American Heart Month. The program is called Little Hats, Big Hearts. The goal of the program is to raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of Americans, and congenital heart defects, the most common birth defect in the country.

The program started in Chicago in 2013, and that first year the American Heart Association received about 300 hats. In 2014, they received 15,000 hats from knitters in all 50 states and in six countries. It’s grown exponentially, and now Little Hats, Big Hearts has spread from Chicago to hospitals in 35 states.

Send a Well Wish to keep LHBH going!

This year, the AHA is giving people the opportunity to make a financial donation and include a “well wish” that will accompany a hat distributed to a Chicago-area baby in February. It’s a great way to give back during the holiday season, and all the funds raised will support the American Heart Association (the largest funder of pediatric heart research in the country, outside the federal government). The well wish site launches TODAY, Thursday, December 17 at www.heart.org/LittleHatsBigHeartsChicago.

Little Hats, Big Hearts is such an important cause, but it involves more than simply making hats. The thousands of adorable little red hats don’t make it onto all those February newborns’ heads by magic. As awesome as it would be for there to be a Santa-style red hat deliverer, there are logistics involved. Think about it – you make a hat (or a dozen) & ship them off to the American Heart Association offices. Then what? Getting the hats organized, laundering them, distributing them to individuals, etc. Not to mention the outreach work it takes to get more yarn crafters on board to start making and keep donating hats each year.

The hat creation is so important and beautiful, but it’s not the whole story. To keep making Little Hats, Big Hearts a reality, consider donating a “well wish”. Not only will you get to include a special message that goes directly to one of the babies receiving a hat, but you’ll be helping keep this program alive.

Red Hats for Newborns Pattern at handsoccupied.com

Free Baby Hearts Hat Pattern

PS: At my knitting guild’s December meeting, this year’s crop of hats for LHBH were gathered and counted, and we collectively made 455 hats! It was so cool seeing them all laid out together – I even spotted hats made with the designs I’ve done for the campaign. All those hats were a sight to behold- and this picture only shows some of what was donated. There were boxes more under the table too!

Support the Little Hats, Big Hearts knitting program with a Well Wish! Click to learn how you can help this exceptional charity knitting program with more than knitting or crochet.

Filed Under: Knitting, Knitting & Crochet Tagged With: american heart association, baby hats, congenital heart defects, free hat pattern, little hats big hearts, red hats for babies

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Sandra Nantelle Elliott

    December 30, 2015 at 10:15 am

    I am making these baby hats for the hospital in Grand Rapids Michigan. My niece was a registered nurse in the baby unit. She passed away a couple of years ago from Brain Cancer. Her name was Tammy Nantelle Anderson. We love and miss her so very much. That’s why I am going to send them to Grand Rapids. She loved her babies.
    Thank you
    Sandra Nantelle Elliott…Tammy’s aunt

    Reply

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

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Sneaking in a few stitches in the shade. 😎 Sneaking in a few stitches in the shade. 😎
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Like a riding a bike! June guarded the neighborhoo Like a riding a bike! June guarded the neighborhood while I shot a new crochet tutorial today. With any luck, editing will go smoothly & I’ll be posting new videos to YouTube regularly soon! Got any requests for tutorial topics? 
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