Knit a blanket for a woman in Ethiopia.
Every woman with childbirth injuries we care for and treat at our hospitals receives a handmade blanket upon arrival. These beautiful items symbolise the love and care that women receive during their treatment.
Every year, our incredible volunteer knitters produce hundreds of knitted blankets which we send to our hospitals in Ethiopia. Each of these blankets will become a treasured source of comfort to a woman in our care. But we still need more.
Last year, we received 2,686 knitted blankets (which is a new record for us!), but we carried out 4,119 surgeries, and we expect that number to continue to rise as we find more women in need.
We always need more adult blankets, but we are also very glad to receive knitted baby clothes and blankets.
This page should provide all the detail you need to start Knitting for Hamlin, as well as some printable tags and forms to include with your work. If you have any questions, please get in touch!
Getting started
This section will tell you what you need to do. We update it from time to time, so do check back every now and then for the latest details.
If you’re new to knitting and would like some extra help to get started be sure to take a look at our useful resources section.
What you will need
To make an adult blanket, you will need:
- Double knitting yarn in bright colours
- 4mm (UK No. 8) knitting needles
- Acrylic DK yarn is preferable, as wool can get too heavy and doesn’t wash as easily.
Please don’t use thicker ply as the blankets get too heavy. We prefer knitted to crocheted blankets too as they tend to be warmer.
What to make
Please knit squares in garter stitch. Depending on the size of the squares and finished blanket size you’re aiming for, you will probably need around 50-60 squares.
Once you’ve stitched them together, your completed blanket should fall between 91-122cm x 107-137cm (36-48″ x 42-54″).
Finish it with a simple crocheted or blanket stitch border to strengthen it.
“This blanket serves as a remembrance of my beautiful stay here and helps me to recall the day of my cure. So I am happy having it”
Meseret
Sending your work
When it’s ready to be sent, please take care to make sure it’s well packaged and wrapped in brown paper.
If you can, please also include a completed knitting form so we know where each blanket has come from.
When to send it
Due to limited space in our office, we ask that blankets are sent to arrive to us within specific blanket collection dates. This helps us to efficiently process and ship your blankets to Ethiopia.
Below are our upcoming collection dates:
12 – 16 October 2026
22-26 February 2027
7-11 June 2027
18-22 October 2027
Where to send it
TouchBase Pears
750 Bristol Road
Birmingham
West Midlands, B29 6NA
If you’re local to our office, you are welcome to drop your creations in personally, but please do get in touch first to let us know you’re coming.
Please remember to include a completed knitting form if you can too!
Did you know…
Knitted items aren’t very common in Ethiopia. Weaving is the common method for making clothes there. This means the knitted blankets are extra special to the women in our care!
Useful resources
This section provides some useful resources, including links to knitting guides, labels and blanket forms.
If you need some support which isn’t given here, please let us know and we’ll do our best to help.
Guides and support
You can download and print our full Knitted with Love Guide here.
If you’re new to knitting and need a handy video to follow along with, we recommend Fun and Easy Basic Knit/Garter Stitch Tutorial by Craft With Jarred on YouTube.
Forms & Labels
You can download and print the below forms and labels to include with your creations. If you don’t have a printer, we’ll be happy to put labels and forms in the post to you, just get in touch.
Knitting form
Print and fill this in so we know where your blanket has come from.
Knitting labels
Print and fill our label in to attach to your blanket so the women who receives it knows who has given them this wonderful gift.
Contact us
If you have any questions about Knitting for Hamlin or would like to know more about our work, please email us today at info@hamlinfistulauk.org or call on 0121 559 3999.