Caps to the Capital

Calling all Knitters!

Have you heard about Caps to the Capital? It's a grassroots campaign to provide handknit (or crocheted) hats for newborns in need around the globe. It's also a call to our leaders in Washington that we should be doing more to help these families. But Save the Children can describe it better than I can, so here's the intro on the program, directly from their web site:
"Can something as simple as a knit or crochet cap help save a newborn life?

In many poor countries,the answer is yes. Four million newborns die each year within the first month of life–half within only the first 24 hours after being born.

But a package of simple health measures provided to mothers and babies worldwide, including antibiotics to fight infections, training for skilled birth attendants, immunizations against tetanus, education on breastfeeding and basic care such as drying a newborn baby and keeping it warm (this is where the caps come in!) could prevent 70 percent of these deaths.

These babies need more than caps – they need your voice, too. The United States can lead the way in saving young lives by increasing funding for these critical health measures for mothers and children in developing countries. But we need your help. Let America’s leaders know that you’re willing to do your part, and together we can do much more.

YOUR CAP CAN HELP US SAVE A LIFE. YOUR VOICE CAN HELP US SAVE MILLIONS."

Okay, are you ready to help? Click here to download the PDF kit for knitting (or crocheting) a cap for an infant in need. Then send it off to Save the Children who will deliver yours plus thousands more directly to the President in January with the resounding message that we care about newborns around the world. The hats will then go on to rest on a baby's head somewhere, and some mother will be grateful for it.

Will you join me? They need to be in the mail by January 2, 2007, so we need to move! But knitting up a newborn hat (and we're talking teeny, tiny here, as many of these children have low birth weights and smaller heads than American babies) doesn't take very long and you can use leftover yarns from your Christmas knitting projects! The PDF kit also has patterns, so it couldn't be simpler. Seriously, this is easy and important charity work here, my Fellow Knitters.

If you live in the Minneapolis area, check out Knittymama's web site - she's offering to send a whole big box of them from Minnesota and would love to throw yours in. (You can check the interactive map on the Caps to the Capital site to see how many caps your state has sent. Way to go Minnesota, with one of the highest numbers of caps so far!!)

Okay, I'm off to knit. Dan did just give me a great opportunity to start knitting a sweater for myself since I'm done with all of my other big projects (we're not talking about Audrey II here), but I think this is more important right now. And I plan to whip up three hats - one to honor each of the babies born to my family in 2006 (Jackson, Gigi and Tommy). We are a lucky family to have grown so much in one year...it's time to share some of the love with other babies and families around the world.

Okay Knitters! Start KNITTING!