Baby Shower Gift

So many of our customers have made our Baby Blocks pattern that we thought we'd share them here.

This is a fun project to knit, and a great gift to give!

We no longer sell the yarn we used to make these (pictured) but we're not getting rid of this sample, because any worsted weight in fun colors will do!

Try Berroco Vintage, Plymouth Encore, or brand new Hikoo Simpliworsted!

A Feel Good Moment

Last week, a customer of ours stopped in to share some photos with us. She's a nurse at the NICU at FAHC and wanted to stop in to thank everybody for the preemie hats, and to show us some adorable photos of some of the hats "in action"! 

She also brought a beautiful framed thank you note from the staff at the NICU. If the pictures of these adorable little babies wearing some of the hats that our wonderful customers made for them didn't make us tear up enough... seeing the thank you note and reading the lovely sentiments on it, just about put us over the edge.

Barb emailed me to let me know, and sent me a photo of the thank you note so I could read it. She also shared the photos with me and I, too, was moved to tears. I wanted to share the thank you here with everybody, so you can see just how much this meant to them.

Some of the comments:

• Thank you for the lovely hats! Our babies have never looked cuter.
• Our parents are thrilled to see a little color and fun on their children. It brings smiles to everyone's face.
• Each little hat makes a big difference and is so appreciated.
• Absolutely adorable hats! Thank you for your beautiful creations!
• The hats are BEAUTIFUL!!! So much fun to give out to families!
• Thank you so much! The parents were so excited to see their little ones all dolled up in these wonderful hats!
• Thank you for the talent you have and share. We appreciate it so much!
• Your kindness and creativity shine!
• Thank you for your diligence. The children look so cute and the parents appreciate the hats!
• All your hats have turned our unit into a bakery (cupcakes), farm (sheep) and garden (flowers and vegetables). And your creativity has brought many smiles. Thank you with gratitude.

For any locals who contributed hats, please stop into the shop to read this thank you note in person. It is, after all, for YOU!

We did get permission to post this one photo, and look - this sweet little baby is wearing one of the ones we named "Cutest Unisex". What a little love!

 

One of the "cutest babies" in the NICU, cuddling with Mommy and wearing the "cutest" hat!

This was a really fun thing to do. And please know that while our "official" preemie hat "contest and drive" are now over, we are ALWAYS happy to accept preemie hats and get them to the NICU. They're easy and fun to make, and when you think of how happy it makes people (parents, nurses, doctors and of course babies!) - that's all the thanks you'll ever need.

The Sorting Hat (or the sorting of the hats!)

I'm back in the states! I traveled from Finland to Vermont on Monday and surprised my staff at the shop yesterday. I only told Barb I'd be back, and she kept it quiet (though she said it wasn't easy! We met early at Starbucks before coming in to the shop. Starbucks has not yet "arrived" in Finland (though the Helsinki airport is getting one soon) so I wanted to get my fix.

We had fun catching up and talking yarn stuff and then headed back to the shop where I quietly came in the back door. I came down into the shop, where Shawn, Michele and Chrissy were working with customers. They were all more than shocked to see me - it was pretty funny! And fortunately, Polly and Emily also came in to work in the afternoon, so I got to see the whole crew in one day. 

The shop looks amazing and so does everybody here. It was SO, SO good to see them. I miss them all so much!

And OF COURSE I miss the shop. It was wonderful to look around and get inspired with all the yarns I ordered months ago, that have now arrived and I finally got to see in person yesterday. I'm the one who put all of these yarns online, so they're not completely new to me... but dealing with a picture and seeing it in person is just not the same. 

I spent hours browsing through patterns, and we've now got a great lineup of new shop samples in the works. I saved the most fun task for just before I left... the sorting of the preemie hats!

We recently accepted the last of our preemie hat entries for our "contest" and I got to go through the box and look at over 200 adorable preemie hats! 

I had no idea we would be able to drop off this many hats at the Fletcher Allen NICU.

This morning we went in and judged the hats. We had to add some extra prize categories.

These are just some of the hats. There are about another 40-50 that I did not photograph. 

I am completely blown away by this collection of hats! And what a great selection of colors, styles, shapes... the NICU nurses are going to have fun with this.

Some folks made 10 hats, 15 hats, 25 hats! It's just beyond generous. 

There are even two sweater & hat sets!

So when I left last night to drive back to Waterbury, where I am staying with my parents for the week, I felt really good.

Doesn't giving feel better than getting? I think so. Thanks so much to everybody who contributed.

Shawn's going to contact the winners tomorrow, so once they've been contacted I'll follow up tomorrow with the names of the winners, and the photos of their creations.