Staff and patients passing through the atrium at Forth Valley Royal Hospital were fascinated to see a group of women wielding wool and needles as part of a Knitathon arranged by local charity So Precious.
Joining experienced knitters and those picking up needles for the first time, Communications Manager Kate Fawcett managed to cast on 50 stitches and knit 28 rows in rib to make one of the 173 baby hats knitted on the day. Another 148 hats joined the pile of finished products, courtesy of a Canadian knitter, the aunt of Alison Kilgour, one of the So Precious founders.
One of the knitters, Karen Flint from Linlithgow, said: “It’s been great. I was in my local knitting shop and they spoke about the Knitathon and I thought I’d give it a go. I knit a lot and I have always got baby knits in the cupboard so some of them will now be coming to So Precious.”
Around 3,500 babies a year are born in Forth Valley Royal Hospital, which equates to approximately 290 births per month – the target number of hats for the Knitathon. Research shows that keeping newborns warm is paramount to the baby’s wellbeing, and wool is a far better insulator than any cotton product.
The hats, in sugar almond colours, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and every baby born in Forth Valley Royal receives one at birth.
