Knitting for the NICU

The John Deere Hat and a Contest

Special request made by one of my NICU RN buds, Ashley, for a baby whose daddy and/or granddaddy have worked many years for John Deere Co, a very popular company/logo for us here in the Midwest.  It's probably second only to hunter's camo as a theme request from our NICU Daddies.

Both harder and easier than it looks....I started with a basic green beanie.  The green was harder to find than you would think.  There are many yellowed greens, grayed greens, and blue greens by every yarn maker, but a true JD/dark kelly isn't to be had easily. I settled on Sugar & Cream brand "Mod Green" which is close and gives off a cheery feel.  I knitted that into a basic beanie, including 2 bright yellow strips, Caron brand "Sunshine" yellow that I had on hand. The stripes were placed 10 rows apart.  After completing the beanie, I went back and used a duplicate stitch technique to add the vertical lines for the logo edges.

What happened next took a little experimentation.  I tried to hand-"draw" the logo on three times using duplicate stitch but the John Deere stag is too well defined to stand up to the coarseness of the technique.  After a little cursing, a little foot-stomping, and a night's sleep, I had a brainstorm and sent the Hubby to Michael's for fabric paint while I made dinner.

That's the ticket!  With a little free-hand copy power leftover from my days as a cake decorator I managed to attain a reasonable fascimile that I could smile at.  The trick with fabric paint is to  really scout out your landmarks as to how the object should fit within the space and use a light hand before filling in heavier.  I used the bottle tip only to create an almost puffy design, but you could also use dressmaker's chalk to mark the landmarks and then use a paint brush to fill in the design for a flatter look.

And that's the story of the John Deere hat for Baby X.

Now for the contest....a special treat to be given/sent/mailed to the first commenter who can describe correctly the "OOPS... oh Craaaaaaaaaap!" spot where I accidentally dropped a drop of fabric paint on my ottoman that won't come off.  Thankfully, the yellow is the same color as the contrast color in the upholstery patterrn.

 

Nest-Building: More Babies Need Yarn

I've been collecting my snipped ends all winter to share with spring mama birds and squirrels for their nests. I like the thought of our babies sharing with their babies this spring, kind of an all creatures great and small sweep of emotion.  We'll never see the results but I like to think of baby birds and squirrels opening their eyes to brightly decorated nurseries too.

I may have to move the tray farther out into the yard but since the birds and squirrels seem to have no problem eating my tomatoes and peppers that sit on the back porch in the summer, I'm hoping they don't suddenly get shy now.  I'd love to catch a few photos.

The Preemie Prayer

The Preemie Prayer

Dear God, as you look down upon us,
We know that you might have to squint.
We're located here in the NICU
It's the nursery that we rent.

There are many alarms and sirens,
Connected to condos and flats.
The nurses tape our booties on,
And dress us in funny hats.

We have a lot in common;
All of us were in a hurry.
For many different reasons,
Our storks came a little early.

Some of us don't know why,
We bursted out from our bubbles.
We entered into this world,
Never meaning to cause any troubles.

Mommy and Daddy are worried sick
About the odds that we must beat.
Please God, help them to realize,
That seeing us grow is a treat.

Breath by breath, we'll learn to breathe.
Ounce by ounce we'll tip the scale.
We're like a boat in the ocean,
That knows not sink- only sail.

For we are living miracles,
Mommy and Daddy must simply believe,
That you have angels watching over us;
From the time we arrive, till the time we leave

Author Unknown