Pat Notson, Edith Mahn and Village Green caregiver Destin’ee Hewson Stavano all love babies, knitting and the feeling that comes with completing one of the many caps the trio makes for newborns at St. Francis Hospital.

“I thought it would be fun to do something for babies,” said Notson, who knits 12 caps each month.

The women relax as they knit, saying each cap takes five to eight hours apiece to make. They make different sizes for “premies” as well as full-term babies, and parents at St. Francis get to sort through the different colors to find the hat that best fits their newborn.

Village Green residents have been donating hats to St. Francis for eight years. This year they expect to knit over 400 of them.

“I always say a little prayer for the baby and the family as I’m knitting,” Stavano said. “I wish them good health, a good life and to know they are loved.”