Members of the Torquay & District SI responded to a FaceBook post from the Torbay and South Devon Maternity Services asking for ‘Traffic Light Hats’ – red, orange or green for new born babies.
The hats will be used on the John Macpherson Ward to make sure that new babies are kept warm as soon as they are born. All new babies will wear either a red, orange or green hat, making it easy for midwives to see how long each baby needs to wear a hat for – just like a traffic light system.
Maintaining the temperature of a new baby is important as babies that are warm tend to do much better in their first few hours of life. By putting colour-coded hats on new babies the midwives can easily identify when the hat can be taken off and recognise any babies that may need a little bit more attention and need keeping warm for longer..
The hats are knitted using soft baby wool and to any new born hat pattern.
The hats have been donated to the John Macpherson Ward, level 3 Women’s Health Unit, Torbay Hospital TQ2 7AA.
Knitting pattern
Use double knitting wool.
Using 3.1/4 m.m. (10) needles.
Cast on 71 sts and work 8cm (3ins) in rib finishing on 2nd row.
Change to 4m.m. (8) needles and work 12 rows in stocking stitch.
Shape crown.
1st row K1*sl.1, K1, p.s.s.o. knit 5 repeat from * to end.
2nd row and every alternate row, purl.
3rd row K1*sl.1, K1, p.s.s.o. knit 4 repeat from * to end.
5th row K1*sl.1, K1, p.s.s.o. knit 3 repeat from * to end.
7th row K1*sl.1, K1, p.s.s.o. knit 2 repeat from * to end.
9th row K1*sl.1, K1, p.s.s.o. knit 1 repeat from * to end.
11th row K1*sl.1, K1, p.s.s.o. repeat to the end.
Break off wool and thread wool through stitches, draw up tight and fasten off.
Sew hat up, folding rib in half.