Knitted Hats for Babies in Tuusniemi
In early 2026, members of the Finnish Red Cross Tuusniemi Branch decided to organise an inclusive, low-threshold community knitting event to bring people together and brighten the beginning of the year. The initiative gained momentum when the maternity wards at Kuopio University Hospital (KYS) expressed a need for hats for newborn babies, which are given to families before they leave the hospital.
We were joined by knitters from the Tuusniemi Handicraft and Cultural Association, visitors to the Friends’ Café, and other local knitting enthusiasts who wished to take part.
Around ten people participated actively in the project. In total, approximately 664 volunteer hours were devoted to knitting, along with around 20 hours spent on other activities, such as travel.
The branch board of the Finnish Red Cross Tuusniemi made it possible to purchase high-quality merino wool yarn by providing financial support for the materials. The yarn was sourced from the local business Lankapirtti, allowing the project to support a local entrepreneur at the same time.
Wanting to contribute to the initiative, the owner of Lankapirtti generously donated a substantial quantity of yarn from the shop’s stock. This provided the knitters with an impressive supply of yarn, and participants were also welcome to use their own yarn if they wished.
The knitting period was set at approximately two months so that the completed hats could be delivered to Kuopio University Hospital during the spring.
Finished hats were returned during Friends’ Café gatherings at the Tuusniemi community organisation space, and before long, an impressive total of 166 hats and pairs of socks had been completed.
After Easter, the hats were delivered to the hospital’s Women’s Department, where Head Nurse Minna Mykkänen and Assistant Head Nurse Johanna Kejonen from the Women’s Acute Care Centre welcomed us.
We also wanted the initiative to gain visibility within the local community, so we suggested it as a story idea to the local newspaper Koillis-Savo. The journalist was enthusiastic about the project and interviewed several of the knitters when we met.
We were delighted to receive very positive feedback about the article once it was published.
Photo from left to right: Irma Turunen, Johanna Kejonen, Paula Huttunen, Minna Mykkänen. Seated: Ritva Silta-Aho.
This blog post was written by Paula Huttunen from the Tuusniemi Branch. The Friends’ Café and other person-centred volunteer activities are supported by the Yksi Näistä (“One of These”) project. This is a translation of the original blog post.