'Thoughful Thursday' Knit Blankets for NICU Wards

The charity featured today on Thoughful Thursday is very close to my heart. I have set up 'Lily'-Love In the Language of Yarn in memory of my grand-daughter Lily Iris Gibson born sleeping 18th July 2010.

Our Mission is To bring love and a smile to all children in need around the world. We provide hand knit and crocheted items for children, mainly orphans but any child in need. We have teamed up with several non profit organisations in Turkey helping to raise awareness of premature births and have been asked to help provide knitted garments for several neonatal intensive care units. 

I recently visited three NICU's in Bodrum, Aydin and Izmir taking with knitted and crochet items that supporters of 'LILY' had so lovingly donated.
The NICU can be such a frightening experience for parents, and a couple of the mothers said to me 'it's so nice be able to treat our babies like babies instead of patients,' Another mother said ‘For the first time, you made me feel like my baby is real.’(her baby weighed just 1.75lbs). They were so thrilled with the handmade items and the thought that someone cared enough to make these clothes for their babies. While I was visiting the hospitals I was asked if we could help provide baby blankets, so this is our plea for today.




Please Help us to knit blankets for premature babies.
Here are three knitting patterns to help start you off.

MATERIALS: 

 3oz. of Baby or Sport weight yarn --- for each of the solid color blankets
1oz. each of 3 colors for the striped blanket
 4mm (US size 6) straight knitting needles

GAUGE:  5 sts/7 rows = 1" (stocking stitch)

PATTERNS:

Garter Stripes: Rows 1-5:  Work Stocking Stitch (K on Right Side, P on Wrong Side)
Rows 6-12: Work Garter Stitch (K every row)
Repeat rows 1-12 for pattern.

Basket Weave: Row 1:  P5, K5 across
Rows 2-5:  K the K sts, P the P sts across
Row 6: K the P sts, P the K sts
Rows 7-10:  K the K sts, P the P sts across
Repeat rows 1-10 for pattern.

Raised Garter Stripes: Rows 1 & 2: With color B, K across
Rows 3-6: Work Stocking Stitch (K on Right Side, P on Wrong Side)
Rows 7 & 8:  K across; change to color A
Rows 9 & 10: With color A, K across; change to color C
Rows 11 & 12:  With color C, K across
Rows 13-16:  Work Stocking Stitch (K on Right Side, P on Wrong Side)
Rows 17 & 18: K across; change to color A
Rows 19 & 20:  With color A, K across; change to color B
Repeat Rows 1-20 for pattern.

INSTRUCTIONS:

For each blanket: 
A.  CO 75 sts. Work 7 rows (4 ridges) of Garter Stitch (K every row).

B.  Work first 5 and last 5 sts in Garter Stitch, with one of the three patterns above, in
     between.

C.  When blanket measures 14" from start, work last inch (approx. 7 rows -- 4 ridges) of
     Garter Stitch.  Bind Off.

In a hospital setting there is a high turnover of clothing as it has to be washed at very high temperatures to protect the babies from germs therefore more often than not hand knitted garments that are given to the baby and stay with them, so there is no need for boil washing, but this means we need lots!

For more information you can find us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/LilyLoveInTheLanguageOfYarn

you can also find more info and a free booklet 'Knitting for Premature Babies' at this linkhttp://dianne-jones.blogspot.com/2012/05/thoughful-thursday-lily-love-in.html

'Lily' is supported by businesses and individuals in Turkey, whether it be donations of yarn, Knitting and Crocheting or transportation of completed blankets and garments to receiving agencies.

'Lily' has no paid employees.  All the good work is done on a strictly volunteer basis.

'Lily' wishes to thank all those private individuals and businesses which support us.  Without you, there would be no 'Lily' - Love In the Language of Yarn.  We work hard for the day when we are no longer needed to help keep Children warm.

Dianne Jones - Founder of  'Lily'- Love In the Language of Yarn.