Knitted caps mark more than one birth

Darlene Michalski, right, puts a knitted cap on Nikolas Guinsler, as the newborn's mother, Christina Guinsler, cuddles him. Knitted caps mark more than one birth

Darlene Michalski turns 50 today, and newborns at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center will feel a warm glow.

Ms. Michalski of West Toledo yesterday donated more than 50 baby caps she made - knitted with fuzzy yarns and vivid colors - to St. Vincent, where she was born Feb. 26, 1955.

"They look so adorable," she said after seeing her caps on two newborns, a boy and a girl, at the St. Vincent birthing center. "They're so precious, the babies are, and the hats look so cute on them. I didn't know how they would fit."

She also donated 12 caps for adults in the cancer center.

Ms. Michalski had been turning out scarves and afghans on her knitting loom. After Thanksgiving, she made hats for Christmas. With leftover yarn, she began to make baby caps.

"One day it struck me: I should make 50. I'm going to be 50. And I should give them away," she said.

"I kept at it, and I had 50 done by New Year's."

And then it came to her: She should donate them to her birthplace.