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King Cole Pulls Patterns for Hooded Baby Sleep Bags

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Recent guidance from the UK Government Product Safety board called our various sleep bags, swaddles and hooded sleep sacks for being hazardous to babies. The report says “The sleep bag presents a serious risk of suffocation, overheating and death as it has a head covering.”

It notes that babies can overheat in the sleep bags, which is associated with SIDS, and the hood can cover their face and lead to suffocation. Products have been removed from Amazon listings in the UK as being in violation of the 2005 General Product Safety Regulations, and they have advised parents who own these types of products to stop using them. (They are still for sale in the United States and I assume elsewhere.)

Yarn company King Cole has responded to this report by announcing it is removing its knitting and crochet patterns for similar style bags from circulation and calling on yarn stores that might have printed patterns to destroy them.

King Cole said on Instagram that the patterns being recalled include 5766, 2766, 2823, 5000, 4534, 5945, 5603, 5972, and Aran Book 2. Some older patterns (such as 4672) may also be in circulation and should not be used. (One of the patterns is shown above; there are pictures of all of them in the Instagram post linked above.)

The company advises knitters and crocheters who have these patterns not to use them. If patterns were purchased, they can be returned to a King Cole stockist for a replacement pattern.

If you knit or crochet for babies (in the UK or anywhere else) it’s helpful to be aware of this guidance and consider it when making projects for little ones. If you want to knit a swaddle for a baby, make a sleep sack that slides over the body but doesn’t cover the head for safety. Likewise, if you have a little one in your household you might want to consider discontinuing use of these sorts of products to ensure your little one doesn’t get too hot at night.

[Photo: King Cole via Instagram]

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Comments

  1. If the sleep bags are used when you take baby out in the cold! Then I don’t see the problem as you would put a hat on!
    I would not use this type of sleep bag in the house it’s more for out door use.
    Most countries I know would use this for out door use. It all comes down to common sense and warning labels.

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Knitting Patterns for Pride

It seems like every year there are more rainbow colored (and other flag hued) knitting projects out there to celebrate Pride. Whether you celebrate at a local event or just want to add some more color to your wardrobe, these Pride knitting patterns are a great place to start.

See also these Pride knitting patterns, tiny Pride flags, and more rainbow projects if you need more inspiration.

These Pride socks from Birger Berge are a free pattern on Ravelry. They feature a rainbow flag on the heel and toe, plus stripes on the cuff with the word Pride and a heart worked in. 

Or you can Put Some Pride in Your Step with these allover colorful socks from Oriahna WhimsyStitch. Using a self-striping fingering weight yarn, they have a spiral rib on the legs and come in three sizes. The pattern has suggestions for if you don’t have self-striping yarn to use. You can find it on Ravelry.

Amy Snell’s Pride Like the Wind is a triangular shawl that uses slipped stitches to add texture to the multicolored stripes. The pattern was made with a large skein of rainbow colored yarn and mini skeins in rainbow colors, but you can use stash or whatever you can find in theose colors for a different look. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Pride and Elegance is a pretty pair of rainbow striped arm warmers made by martaschmarta. They call for fingering weight yarn and have sparkly beads incorporated at each end for extra flair. This pattern is also on Ravelry. 

Pride in Parallelograms by Treena Evans is a mobius knit cowl worked in a multicolored ombre yarn. It calls for DK weight yarn and is a free pattern on Ravelry.

Stephen G. Krueger has designed a lovely kippah/yarmulke pattern that can be worked in the colors of any Pride flag you like. The pattern is free on Ravelry and uses fingering weight yarn.

And if you want to make a full progress flag in knitting, you’ll need the modular progressive Pride flag pattern from Kim Smith for Alterknit Universe. The pattern comes in two sizes using different weights of yarn to suit your needs, and the modular style of the project makes it seamless. You can purchase this pattern on Ravelry.

If you want to add a touch of Pride to a sweater, wall hanging or other project, the abstract waves chart from Hits Knit Patterns is a great place to start. It uses the colors of the lesbian flag, but you could change it to whatever colors you like (there are six colors used and the chart is 49 stitches by 80 rows).