photo courtesy of Save the Children

hat by Gwyneth Paltrow

Have you heard about  Save the Children's amazing Knit One, Save One campaign? Every year 4 million babies die in the first month of life (9 million before they are 5 years old). Those are sad statistics, but Save the Children has one simple solution: Knit or crochet a baby cap. Because newborns are vulnerable to heat loss and hypothermia, something as simple as a hat could save their lives.

The hats are sent to Baby Mamas in countries around the world like Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Mozambique.

There are easy-to-follow baby cap patterns (knit or crochet) on the Save the Children site, or you can design your own. And if you can't knit, there are plenty of other ways you can help listed there—such as telling your friends who can knit. Hey, CafeMom Etsy Moms, holla! Hey, Knit & Crochet Moms, holla! And you too, Knit One Purl Too!

Celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Debra Messing, Patricia Arquette, Rebecca Romijn, and Mischa Barton have all participated and knit really beautiful hats, which you can check out at Hats Off to Hollywood Stars for Saving Newborn Lives. For inspiration, you can also take a look at the darling hats made last year by ordinary (read: non-celebrity) Baby Mamas from across the United States. Each knitter writes a note, which she sends along with the hat.

One knitter in California wrote this lovely message: "Welcome to this world beautiful, tiny baby. I hope this cap will keep you warm. I love you from very far away."