The knitters from the Lewes Public Library have completed another successful service project by knitting, crocheting and collecting more than 140 baby hats for the American Heart Association’s Little Hats, Big Hearts project.
By distributing little red hats to babies suffering from heart defects, the project honors babies and moms. The effort raises awareness and symbolizes the American Heart Association’s mission of healthy hearts for everyone.
Started in 2014, Little Hats, Big Hearts started in Chicago with 300 hats its first year, and has grown to serving hundreds of thousands of babies from more than 40 states.
Following their fall service project of knitting military beanies for American troops overseas, the Lewes library knitting group turned its attention to the baby hats in January 2019. They began knitting and crocheting the hats, as well as inviting members of the community to knit or crochet at home and bring their finished hats to the library.
A special delivery was made on collection night, Feb. 21, when The Pelican Pointers of Millsboro dropped off 75 hats. “It was a wonderful surprise,” said knitting teacher Pat Boland. “We couldn’t have been happier with the way the community turned out for this project.”
This knitting group at Lewes library started as a class to teach children knitting skills. Over time, it has transformed into an intergenerational group of yarn enthusiasts who sit and stitch by the fireplace at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings. They work on their own individual projects, and community projects like Little Hats, Big Hearts. Knitters of all experience levels and over age 6 are invited to come share and hone their skills.
Lewes library’s knitters are now beginning to make scarves for the Seamen’s Church Institute, which distributes warm clothing to seafarers at ships that dock on the Delaware River. As many as 30,000 seafarers from countries all over the world, 75 percent of whom are not permitted to leave their ships, dock in Delaware River ports each year. The group will be knitting scarves for this project until the end of May. The community is invited to come knit with them on Thursday evenings, or knit at home and drop their donations off at the library. Patterns are available at the circulation desk.
For more information, call the library at 302-645-2733.