Woman Knits Baby Hats for Newborns, Preemies to Honor Kaitlyn Doorhy

It’s an Angel Act that’s sure to have made Kaitlyn Doorhy smile.

Recently, Kait’s Angels, the organization created to help keep the memory of Mattituck’s Kaitlyn Doorhy alive after she lost her life in a tragic accident while away at college in 2014, recently donated $100 for yarn to Jen Giovanniello-Becker, a Southold woman who knits precious hats for newborns and preemies at area hospitals.

The act of love is a beautiful way to honor her daughter, said Darla Doorhy, Kait’s mom.

Doorhy said Anne Bialeski, whose son Tim Bialeski is vice president of the Kait’s Angels not-for-profit organization, contacted the group to see if the donation could be made to Giovanniello-Becker for yarn.

Kait’s Angels happily agreed, so the “talented” Giovannieillo-Becker could knit scores of baby hats, all ”in memory of our angel Katlyn Doorhy,” Darla Doorhy said. “It’s what we call an Angel Act.”

Since the group was formed, Kait’s Angels has spread love and caring with its mission of embarking upon Angel Acts to help others.

Last year, a number of events were held, including a yard sale to raise funds for Benjamin Pileski, who was hit by a taxi in Montauk in July. The group has also funded Buddy Benches across the North Fork, where children can go to sit if they are feeling alone, bullied, or in need of a friend.

For Giovanniello-Becker, a passion for knitting sparked her yearning to donate the hats, all in soft pastels, to newborns and preemies. She sends the hats off to babies in maternity wards at Peconic Bay Medical Center, Good Samaritan Medical Center, South Nassau Communities Hospital, and Southside Hospital, with others possibly to come.

With four sons ranging in age from 3 to 17, Giovanniello-Becker said although she makes the hats for all babies, she especially loves creating pink hats for the little girls.

Her journey began at Michael’s, when Giovanniello-Becker, who said she could knit scarves but was hopeless at hats, found a solution, a “knitting hats for dummies” primer, she laughed.

“And then, I just started making hats. I was making 10 a day. I was obsessed,” she said.

At first, she made the hats for her friends’ daughters, and even their dolls. That’s when she thought of donating the hats to hospitals.

She put a shout-out on Facebook, asking for donations of extra or free yarn, and that’s when Bialeski stepped up in a big way, helping to secure donation from the Mattituck Lions Club and many others.

Creating the sweet hats in memory of Kait Doorhy is a blessing, Giovanniello-Becker said, adding that Kait’s Angels is an “amazing” group. So far, she’s made 181 hats.

Darla Doorhy, she said, “keeps thanking me. But what I want to say is, ‘Thank you. Thank you for sharing your daughter with everyone, and doing such good things in her memory’. This is all about Kait’s Angels.”