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Click Your Needles for Oklahoma Babies

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purple hats for babies in oklahomaLooking for an easy charity knitting project with a big impact? The Oklahoma Department of Health is trying to raise awareness of the so-called period of purple crying that is common among newborns.

Purple hats are distributed to newborns to remind parents that this period will pass and in the hope of preventing shaking and abusive head trauma in babies, which can be fatal.

They are collecting hats through Oct. 1, and if you’re in Oklahoma you can drop them off at various locations throughout the state, or you can mail them in.

Check the website for all the details, including patterns to use, sizes, color guidance and more.

[Photo: Oklahoma Department of Health]

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A Single Skein Shawl to Knit for Summer

Even more than normal this year I’ve been trying to use yarn that I already have. I’m doing lots of odd ball projects, scrappy things and small projects, but it’s also nice sometimes to be able to use a whole skein, and just a single skein, on a project for yourself or for a gift. 

The Sunburst Shawl by Jem Arrowsmith is a great option if you have a single skein of sock yarn (100 grams or 400-425 meters, which is around 437 to 465 yards) that you don’t want to make socks out of. 

The design includes a section of stockinette with blocks of simple lace mesh offset to make a zig-zag design across the shawl that looks sort of like the rays on a drawing of the sun. 

The lace is just yarn over, knit 2 together repeating, so this would be a great first lace knitting project if you haven’t tried that before. The designer also has a video tutorial on their website if you need more help with the technique. 

You can use any sock yarn you have on hand, but this one is especially fun with the brightly colored, variegated, speckly and sparkly yarns that you might not otherwise know what to do with. The solid section lets the colors play uninterrupted, while the lace part adds a bit of texture and gives a different look to the yarn. 

This asymmetrical triangle shawl measures about 73 inches or 185 cm in wingspan and is 18 inches/45.5 cm deep. 

There are several completed projects on Ravelry already so you can see who the design looks in different colors and types of yarn, from self stripping to more solid and tonal options. 

The pattern is available for free on Ravelry (note: on the designer’s website it says the pattern is free through Aug. 31, 2026, so I’m not sure if it will be free after that on Ravelry), and if you don’t happen to have the perfect skein of yarn to make this project, the designer also offers kits on their website that include the yarn, pattern and a stitch marker. 

[Photo: Jem Arrowsmith]