a very good cause.

it really is! and you don't have to be a mama or a papa to participate.

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if you are ever wondering how you can help, this is a great way, and also gets you back in the groove of the knitting season and warms those fingers up. not to mention the heads of the new little babes.
so what is this all about?

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this is a wonderful initiative to collaborate with both knitters and crocheters to make purple caps in an effort to help educate caregivers about the period of purple crying.
this is a period that every baby goes through, and it's normal! just some babies cry more than others. and this is a way for parents to understand what their baby is going through.


marilyn barr, the author behind the article of what is the period of purple crying, found here explains that the period of purple crying begins at about 2 weeks of age and continues until about 3-4 months. to help us better understand the common characteristics of this phase or period, we use the acronym PURPLE.

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i know that an awful lot of research has gone into this. and being a mama myself, i find this to be such an important thing to teach to new parents. and being a knitter, well i couldn't think of a better thing to do than to sit myself down and knit up some cute and warm purple hats.
i've found a few links explaining in greater detail about the period of purple crying and the research behind it. please go and check them all out. just click on the names, and it will take you to the links.

click for babies

prevent shaken baby syndrome bc

period of purple crying

i know there are more, but these are a great start. also, click for babies has created little buttons to sport on your blog to show you are knitting away for these babes. grab one!

ok so now to the patterns. there are great pattern resources, as we all know, just a few things to keep in mind before choosing.  newborn, baby, and preemie hats are what we're looking for, in any shade of purple! you can stripe, lace, just stockinette, crochet... you decide! and make sure that you don't send hats with loooong tails, as they can be a strangulation hazard. also, i would choose yarn that is easy to care for...
ready to look at some hats?
ok!

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i'd check on ravelry for sure! they have some beautiful selections! just search for baby hats, under whatever category you want to craft.. knitting or crochet, and off you go!
there's also knitting pattern central as well, off the top of my head. and you may have some gorgeous knitting books at home. so go leaf through them and find some lovelies!

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on a quest for purple yarn? the cloth castle in victoria, bc is offering 15% off ALL purple yarn from now until the end of november. how great is that?
alright, so you've made some hats, now what? if you're in canada, the hospital accepting and giving these hats out to the new babes is the vancouver general hospital. so it's asked that you mail your purple hats (as many as you like) to be recieved no later than october 26th, 2011.

Claire Yambao, Provincial Program Coordinator
Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome BC
BC Children’s Hospital
4480 Oak Street, Room K1-201
Vancouver, BC
V6H 3V4

there are additional drop off locations in BC should you not be able to mail in your hats. click here for the list.

as for locations in the US. the above links about the period of purple crying will have info on where you can mail your hats.

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i can't believe it's already friday! this week has flown by for sure! it's good to keep busy. here's wishing you a full, cozy, and productive weekend!

do you have a desire to do some quick satisfying knits? this would be a great project! grab a friend, and knit or crochet up some hats for the babes... it's a good thing to do. really. let's make some together this weekend! it's a chilly morning here, the coffee's on, and i'd love to chat! come say hi.