Lion Brand Slideshow: Tiny Crochet for Tiny Babies!

My little girl was born three weeks early with a severe heart defect called truncus arteriosus. Long story short, she spent time in the NICU for nearly a week before being moved to the PICU; had open-heart surgery at six days old; and recovered over the next two weeks.

When I first saw my daughter in the NICU, she was wearing an adorable pink hat. I asked my husband where it came from; he said the nurses just passed them out, and they had been donated. I was so grateful. Another day, she was wrapped in a fluffy white baby afghan; it was also donated.

After I decided I wanted to help out other families, I found the Care Wear Volunteers site and looked up a contact person for our hospital. I use their patterns and just drop the washed hats off whenever we're in the area.

(FYI, one Lion Brand Pound of Love will make LOTS of little hats, booties, or whatever you choose to make.)