Hello Knitters & Crocheters!

Anyone feel like kitting and crocheting preemie and infant hats again? We are partnering with a special lady who is taking and shipping our creations to Native American reservations in the Pacific Northwest. They are looking for sizes from premature to 0-6 months. Patterns and colours are your choices, but please use soft yarns. They are grateful for any hats you wish to make ...it all adds up to help those in need! She will be going there for Thanksgiving but will ship them up if we have some done soon. We already have 22 ready for her. You may drop your creations off at Tina's house, anytime. Let's make the first deadline Nov. 1. 

I found a new cutie patootie free pattern for NICU Octopi. The pattern is by Serendipity as Always. Please visit this Octopi pattern. She suggests Lily Sugar and Cream yarn and a crochet hook size E. 

NOTE: Marjie tested this pattern and found the tentacles were not curling as much as in the photo. Please modify the tentacle pattern as follows: Ch 35, 2 sc in the third ch from the hook, (3 sc in next ch, 2 sc in next 2 ch) across all chains. 

What are NICU octopi, you may ask? Inside neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) incubators premature babies have an unlikely companion -- colourful, crocheted octopi. These cuddly toys are used as a form of therapy to help comfort and calm premature babies. What's comforting about these octopi are their soft tentacles, which hospital staff say remind babies of the umbilical cord and their mother's womb. They found that babies cuddling an octopus are less likely to pull out their monitors and tubes.

Thanks for all you do!
Colette