THE INNOCENT BIG KNIT

Innocent Drinks have been putting tiny hats on their bottles of smoothies to raise money for Age UK since 2003. During the past 18 years (yes that’s correct!) volunteers have made 1.5 million knitted and crocheted tiny hats in all sorts of colours and designs, raising almost £3000,000.00. Age UK have used this money to host lunches, classes, befriending services, and other support services offered by local Age UK centres across the country.

I have always had a soft spot for Age UK and the work that they do supporting older people when they need it most. In 2015 I designed a mug to raise money for their Big Chinwag campaign, which was created to raise awareness about isolation and loneliness. After a year of living through a global pandemic I think we can all relate feeling isolated and how precious human interaction is for everyone’s mental wellbeing.

I think I made my first tiny hat in 2014 after seeing an advert. I learnt to knit when I was about 7 years old, but I only really know the basics. I enjoy crafting when I get the chance and making these tiny hats are the perfect project as they don’t take much time and you can do it while you’re watching TV or listening to music.

In 2016, I came across an Innocent x Age UK stand at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, and there were lots of people taking a break from walking around the show to knit or crochet a hat. There was such a lovely atmosphere and I got chatting to some fellow knitters and crocheters and it got me thinking about organising a craft party to make more hats and get friends involved. (You can read about the craft party in a previous blog post here).

The hats will be returning in 2022 so there is plenty of time to get knitting! I’ve already dug out some knitting needles and a bag of odd balls of wool. I’m planning to host a knitting workshop at my studio this Summer (pending restrictions lifting), with everything you need to knit a tiny hat. If you would like to join me please sign up to my mailing list so I can keep you updated.

If you can’t make it to the workshop you can find all the patterns on the Big Knit website. For materials you can also usually find knitting needles and wool at most charity shops. Once you have made your hats drop them off to your local or send them directly to Innocent at Fruity Towers in London:

Big Knit
innocent drinks
342 Ladbroke Grove
London
W10 5BU

Aong with a note that has:

- your name and address (only so they can send you a thank you)
- how many hats you've knitted
- the date