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Doctors Warn of Dangers When Using Knit Umbilical Ties

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knit umbilical cord tiesHere’s a knitting trend I hadn’t heard of before, but apparently in Australia (I’ve seen reports of their use in the UK, too) a rising number of women who participate in home births or have midwives are using knit umbilical ties instead of the clamps offered by hospitals.

The idea is that the handmade ties are less obtrusive, potentially less painful and a lot cuter than clamps used to hold the cord until it heals. But doctors say the trend is dangerous because the cords can’t be kept sterile and thus provide lots of potential for infection as they get wet and soiled when baby’s diapers are changed.

Though a mom quoted in that story from the Courier Mail says there are patterns “all over social media,” I didn’t find any patterns for the items on Ravelry. I did find a place in the UK that sells them, however.

Is this trend something you’ve heard about? Have you or would you use a knit umbilical cord tie? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

[Photo by Emma Jean Photography, via Courier Mail.]

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Comments

  1. GICK! That makes me sick to look at it!

    So unsanitary, potential for infection, just nasty.

    People are crazy, and not in a good way…

Have you read?

Stitch Some Seagulls on Your Sweater

It’s been well documented that I love a knitting pattern with a bit of whimsy, so when I saw the Mine! Pullover from Sarah L. Kelly recently I knew I had to share it with you.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to knit a sweater with a yoke full of seagulls? And another seagull at the waist? Chasing little crabs?

The story behind the sweater (and you knew there had to be one, right?) is that while Sarah was traveling around Europe there were a lot of cheeky seagulls about. They reminded her of the scene in Finding Nemo where the seagulls say “mine, mine, mine” and thus the Mine! series of patterns was born. 

Oh yes, there’s a whole set. It was the sweater I saw first but there’s also a pair of socks (and the pattern says there’s a cowl, too, but I couldn’t find it as of this writing. If you see it let me know and I’ll add the link here!) so you can totally deck yourself out in pesky seabirds if you want.

But back to the sweater for now. This is worked in DK weight yarn from the top down in the round. The yoke and a section at the bottom are worked in stranded colorwork, with stripes on the body, though you could make the body a single color if you wanted. Details like the beaks and eyes are added with duplicate stitch to make the knitting a little easier.

The colorwork sections are charted. The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with a finished chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 80 to 170 cm.

The socks are worked in sock yarn and come in three sizes. There worked from the cuff down and change needle sizes to accommodate the less stretchy nature of stranded colorwork. You can choose from a side profile or a seagull that’s looking out from the sock. Make a matching pair or mix it up.

Both patterns are available on Ravelry: sweater and socks. If you make them I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah L. Kelly]