Octopuses for premature babies Israel
The "Octopuses for Premature Infants in Israel" project is operated entirely by volunteers only, and with the support of the Lahav Association - for Premature Infants in Israel.
We collect octopuses knitted by volunteers all over the country.
The octopuses are sorted, washed, and packaged to meet strict safety standards, and are transported to the various stages,
In the goal That no baby should be alone in an incubator.
How did it all start?
In 2013, the first octopus was created in Denmark. A father designed the first octopus doll for his prematurely born daughter, with the goal of creating an experience as similar as possible to the womb.
The octopus's arms feel like the mother's umbilical cord, comforting the baby and reducing the risk that the tiny premature baby will pull on the medical tubes connected to it, thereby causing serious problems. Reports from around the world indicate that the presence of the octopuses in the incubator improves the babies' breathing and heart rates, and has been found to promote parental involvement in the premature baby's care. Since then, the project has expanded to many countries around the world, including Israel, and thousands of octopuses are knitted voluntarily every year.
Iron swords
On October 7th, the State of Israel woke up. For war There was no one like it. After a first day of disaster and loss, the survivors of the inferno Evacuated from their home which surrounds Gaza. Later, settlements adjacent to the fence in the north were also evacuated.
The Lahav association is based in the home of the CEO, Romi Schochori, in Kibbutz Erez in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council, and the volunteer director, Orit Malachi, from Moshav Liman in the north, and in fact the only two paid employees in the association, are being evacuated from their homes, as follows: The issue of evacuation and evacuees is well known to us.
One of the most notable things about this period is The need for employment and respiteHigh demand for craft kits, employment that will benefit this large public that is scattered throughout the country.
latticeThis is what doctors and neurologists around the world believe. practice Yoga of We will date.
Last week, our volunteers took with them kits to deliver to evacuees in Eilat, and sent them to evacuees in the Dead Sea. There was great joy and they even said that it was rescue For them and for them The donation Which is the best? Were Needs, and accordingly the volunteers felt meaning and satisfaction.
How do octopuses help during an iron sword war?
Employment and its meaning for evacuees, respite and stress reduction, feeling good about the body and mind, improving concentration and attention, and making even a small contribution to the quality of life right now.
Octopuses for premature babies – In Israel, 15,000 premature babies are born every year. There is always a need for more octopuses, so that the employment product will improve the situation of the premature baby and his family, and not be placed on a shelf or something like that.
Raising awareness of the existence of the association and the challenges of the holidays – A colorful and gentle way to raise awareness among the general public about the organization's work, so that no parent is left alone and receives the best support.
Significant impact – On a national scale, diverse ages, populations and beneficiaries.
-
Accessories
2 ₪ – 32 ₪ Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Single threads – octopuses
10 ₪ – 12 ₪ Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Single Octopus Extension Kit
13 ₪ Add to cart -
Large continuation kit for about 30 octopuses
234 ₪ Read more -
Basic kit for knitting an octopus
32 ₪ Add to cart
Octopus knitting project by evacuees
The octopuses are distributed as gifts to premature babies and their parents who are in premature babies' homes.
Ask the nursing staff about the octopuses!
Didn't receive an octopus in the pantry? You can order one to your home, with shipping costs covered!
So wait, can I knit too?
Of course! How fun that you want to be part of this amazing project!
To ensure that the octopuses come out uniform, put together a document that you can download in PDF format (for printing) or watch right here on the website how to do it easily and simply.
To purchase knitting kits, you can contact us by email: Help.tamnunim@gmail.com
We also included a short video with precise steps so that the result will be amazing 😇
So how do you crochet an octopus?
Materials:
- wire 100% Cotton (thickness of about 125 m per 50 g)
- Crochet hook size 2mm -5mm
- Acrylic – material for filling dolls.
- Wool/embroidery needle without a point
- Plastic marker
- A little embroidery floss or cotton thread for embroidered eyes, or a little cotton thread in two colors for knitted eyes
- Scissors
Abbreviations:
H.E. = half page/half pages || enlargement = 2 half double crochets into the same eye || reduction = 2 half-columns closed together, or hidden reduction || P. = Page/s || moth = Eye/Chain Eyes || A. = Eye ||
General instructions:
- The asterisks (*) Mark the boundaries of the section that must be repeated until the end of the round.
- When the instructions are specific At a certain number of hours, meaning that they are knitted for separate and consecutive stitches (for example, the phrase 3 tr refers to a single half-column in each of the next 3 stitches). If the reference is to 3 tr that are knitted for the same stitch, it will be noted that they are knitted for the "next stitch" or for a specific stitch.
- At the end of each round in the instructions, the number of stitches that should be obtained from knitting the entire round is indicated in parentheses.
- Knitting is done in a spiral technique, a marker must be placed in the first stitch of each round, in order to orient yourself and follow the sequence of instructions.
Octopus head
Magic ring
Round 1: 6 HH for the magic ring (6)
Round 2: Increase every st in the round (12)
Round 3: * Magnification, 1st edition * (18)
Round 4: * Enlargement, 2 HM * (24)
Round 5: * Enlargement, 3 HH * (30)
Round 6: * Enlargement, 4 hr * (36)
Rounds 7-15 (9 rounds total): 1 ch in each st in the round (36)
Round 16: * 4 HH, reduction * (30)
Rounds 17-18 (2 rounds total): 1 sc in each sc in the round (30)
Round 19: * 3 HH, reduction * (24)
Round 20: * 2 HH, reduction * (18)
– Fill the octopus head with acrylic filler, almost to the edge of the opening.
Round 21: * 7 ח"א, reduction * (16)
Octopus tentacles
Round 22 (arm rotation): * 2 tr (for the octopus's head), 50 tr, 3 tr for the second chain eye from the hook and 3 tr for each eye until the end of the chain eyes (total 147 tr curled around the arm) *
– The half-columns in the arms, which are knitted in the chain eyes, should be knitted under only one loop in the chain eye (and not under two loops).
– After finishing knitting the first arm, its curl should be arranged and tightened.
– We will continue and repeat the knitting sequence of the arm rotation, resulting in 8 curly arms and reaching the G before the marker.
Closing the octopus body
Option A – Continuous knitting
Round 23: 2 ch, * skip an arm (while moving it to the right from the front of the work), 2 ch (in both eyes between the two arms) * repeat the sequence between the asterisks 7 times in total and move the eighth arm to the right as well. (16)
– We will add filling as needed
Round 24: *Reduce, skip next arm* (8)
Cut the yarn, leaving a long end of yarn about 20 cm long. Increase the loop on the crochet hook until the yarn is released from the loop, thread the yarn through the needle and pass it through the front loop in each eye, rotating from the outside inward (8 times in total). Carefully pull the yarn until the opening is closed. Pass the yarn through the octopus's body several times to strengthen it, cut the yarn and make sure it is hidden inside the doll's body.
Option B – Knitting and sewing
At the end of round 22 (the arm round), we will knit a flat sc to the next sc (where the marker is), cut the yarn and pass it through the loop to tighten the knot. We will place the end of the yarn with the filling inside the octopus body and, if necessary, add filling up to the edge.
To knit a cover to close the opening, we will start again with a magic ring and knit >>
Round 1: 8 การสาย for the magic ring (8)
Round 2: Increase every st in the round (16)
Cut the thread, leaving a long end for sewing (about 30 cm), release the thread and pass it with a needle through the next eye, to the back of the knitting (or close with a false stitch).
With the needle, we will sew each st around the circumference of the cover we knitted to the st at the top of the half-columns between the arms at the bottom of the octopus's body, until the entire circumference of the opening is completed (16 sts in total). We will pass the thread several times around the octopus's body to reinforce it, cut the thread and make sure it is hidden inside the doll's body.
Highlights and conditions of the standard for donating knitted octopuses to the poor in Israel
Dimensions finality –
The height of the octopus's head (from the top to the base of the arm joints) should be between 3-8 cm.
The maximum circumference of the octopus's head should be 15 cm (no more).
The length of the octopus arm when curled (from base to tip) should be between 9-16 cm.
Materials – The composition of the threads used for octopus knitting and embroidery Must be 100% cotton And the filling must be acrylic filling.
Knitting density – The knitting must be as dense and tight as possible, so that the filling material does not come out or stick out through it, so the crochet hook should be used as small as possible.
Fill density – Make sure not to fill the octopus head too much, so that holes do not open in the knitting due to the density of the filling, and so that the filling does not stick out from between the knitted eyes.
Arm curls – Make sure the arms are completely curled (like telephone wire, or a beeswax). Curling reduces entanglement of the arms with the various wires and tubes in the incubator, and with the organs of the premature baby, so an octopus with curl that does not meet the standard will not be able to enter the incubator. If the desired level of curl is not reached, knit more half-double crochets in the eyes along the arms, or contact us for consultation.
Eye extensions and accessories for the octopus – If you want to add eyes, accessories, or decorations to the octopus, nothing Use beads, buttons, or plastic eyes (not even safety eyes!). All parts of the octopus and all decorations attached to it should be made of cotton thread only. If you decorate the octopus with additional accessories, they should also be of a minimum size so as not to exceed the dimensions of the octopus that are suitable for insertion into the incubator.
Connections – All parts of the octopus and decorations, if any, should be sewn or embroidered to the doll's body using cotton/embroidery threads only, with a tight and stable connection, without protruding thread ends and without parts that are connected in a loose and delicate connection and may detach from the doll. Therefore, threads such as hair should not be added to the octopus.
All conditions are designed to maintain the safety and health of premature babies. – Allow frequent washing and disinfection of the dolls and adjust their size for placement in the incubator. Currently, octopuses that do not meet the standard are distributed at later stages, outside the preemies, in order to accompany the preemies upon their release from the preemie, as a transitional object.
