Nabila Khalid

Knitting, remembering and doing something good

I’ve only recently started knitting. Pregnancy was what first led me down the rabbit hole of yarn crafts and crochet, and after having my baby I’ve found myself wanting to learn knitting too. So when I saw this challenge, it felt like a lovely way to combine something I’m enjoying with a cause that means a lot to me.

My own pregnancy involved quite a few hospital admissions and visits, and those experiences made me think a lot about how different pregnancy and birth can be for different families. I was incredibly lucky to bring my baby home, Alhamdolillah, but being around hospitals and maternity care also made me much more aware of the families who don’t get that ending.

I’ve also had people close to me experience miscarriage and baby loss. I wouldn’t pretend to know what that experience is like, but being alongside people you love through something so painful stays with you.

So I’m taking on Knit to Remember as a small way of showing that those babies and families matter, and that they deserve to be remembered.

There is also a slight problem with my chosen method of remembrance: I am extremely new to knitting.

I have barely managed ten rows in my entire knitting career. My first project was supposed to become a hat. I had to frog half of it, and I’ve since accidentally started adding stitches at the end of my rows, meaning my rectangle is becoming increasingly… not rectangular.

At this point, it may become a square. Or something else entirely. We’ll see.

But perhaps that’s part of the point. I’m going to keep learning, keep making, and take it one stitch at a time.

If you’d like to support my challenge, I’d be very grateful for a donation to Sands. Your support will help Sands be there for families facing the devastating experience of baby loss, while also working to improve maternity care and prevent future loss.

One stitch at a time, in memory of babies who should never be forgotten.

Bila x