By Adam Hammer, staff writer

FREEBORN &8212; Autumn Peterson visited her grandmother Norma Jones Friday to learn a tradition that Jones has been practicing for 40 years.

Since 1966, Jones has been knitting infant caps for Albert Lea Medical Center&8217;s Naeve Hospital.

&8220;Today I&8217;m going to learn how to make a baby cap,&8221; said Peterson, who learned how to knit scarfs and mittens from her grandmother. &8220;It&8217;s something eventually I&8217;ll probably try to take on.&8221;

Jones knits about 200 infant caps for Naeve Hospital each year, sometimes more. At 200 per year, Jones&8217; infant caps have adorned the heads of at least 8,000 infants born in Albert Lea.

&8220;I think it&8217;s great,&8221; Jones said of Peterson&8217;s desire to learn how to knit the caps. &8220;I have plenty of supplies.&8221;

Peterson said she gained an interest in knitting from being around her grandmother, who often knits all day long until she can&8217;t see very well.

Jones&8217; baby caps are not made from a pattern knitters likely will find in a book. The caps have no seams and have a small signature pom-pom on their tops.

&8220;Always a pom-pom,&8221; she said. &8220;And I devised this way of doing it because I don&8217;t like seams.&8221;

The seamless construction is also a matter of comfort for the small heads they keep warm.

Peterson said infants wearing the caps will not have to lay on an uncomfortable seam.

Peterson is a junior at United South Central High School and is also a senior Girl Scout. Learning to make the infant caps will help her fulfill criteria for a badge.

To make the caps seamless, Jones knits from the bottom up and round and round.

She gets her supplies from the hospital and leftovers that are given to her from friends and neighbors. She said she tries to change colors for caps with the changing seasons.

&8220;You just kind of go with the season,&8221; she said. &8220;It keeps it interesting for me.&8221;

She is making green and red caps for Christmas bundles of joy. Over Halloween, she made caps

themed with orange.

Jones has been knitting for much of her life. She said it is something you do when you&8217;re just

sitting.

&8220;But by making these, you&8217;re not wasting your time; you&8217;re making it worthwhile,&8221; she said. She

said she takes pride in knowing many of her infant caps are now keepsakes.

For newborns in her own family, Jones also knits thumb-less mittens to go with their caps. As the children grow, Jones makes bigger and more elaborate mittens for them. Peterson said her mittens when she was young had animal patterns such as squirrels on them. Her last pair had skiers on them.

Jones said she has knitted five pairs of mittens in the last month.

She has come up with an innovative design to her mittens as well. She created her own pattern for mittens that have a thumb and a forefinger. She said the unique style helps the mittens last longer and helps cut down on wear and tear from handling things such as keys.