Extending care to others

As I explained in my Feburary 21st post, I belong to the Ravelry fan group - Itty bitty knits.  After working my first few baby hats I quickly realized the need for 12" circular needles and ordered both size 5 and size 7 from my LYS, Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns.  Wow, what a difference a set a needles make.  Being able to fly around the hat in a constant circle allows me to knit faster than when I work with double points.  Plus these wonderful new needles are Addi Turbos, enough said.  

So, what do my new needles have to do with "Extending care to others"? Two words - baby hats. They have become my new favorite thing to knit. The only problem is that while it is very satisfying to crank them out I'm feeling rather guilty that I'm not finishing enough adult hats.

The March recipient was a Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA. This pink ruffled hat was knit using both size 9 and size 10.5 dpn needles using Berroco Comfort in Raspberry Sorbet. The pattern is available for free from Stitch Marker.  In addition to this adorable little hat I also sent along two additional items, a hat and a blanket.  The second hat was a blue, Berroco Comfort Chambray, for which I used the basic pattern of the ruffled hat (without the ruffle) and then added a small sprout at the top for interest.  The blanket was very basic 12"x12" stockinette using a Bernat Softee Baby that I had in my stash.

These cute little hats are currently making their way to Australia for the Caroline Chisholm Society.  There is one crocheted hat using a pattern published on the Gardener's Ramblings.  I used a size H hook and Berroco Comfort in Security Blanket.  The blue and green stripped hat is a simple rolled brim adapted from several adult patterns.  I used my new size 7 circulars and dpns and Berroco Comfort in Robin's Egg and Seedling.  The soft blue hat is another adapted pattern casting on 60 stitches, four rows of seed stitching, stockinette and then beginning decrease when I had four inches of work.  Nothing fancy.  I used a new skein of Benat Softee Baby in His Jeans Ombre.

I'm thoroughly enjoying making these tiny little hats and plan to keep sneaking them in between my bigger projects.  However, it is now time to get back to my main task of keeping the baskets filled at Halos of Hope.